boat owner

➜

1

Rather than position themselves

further away this time, Ian and

Neil round up closer downwind.

2

The jib is lowered, both

to reduce speed and to

clear the foredeck. If the boat

doesn’t have enough way to

reach the buoy, it’s easy enough

to bear away, build some speed,

then tack back towards it.

4

A PERFECT PICK-UP. Sometimes it’s

best under two sails but, in instances

like this, mainsail only can make life easier.

Mooring under sail

THE RIGHT SPEED

As the mooring is being picked up, Ian can leave the helm and

push the boom out to help stop the boat overriding the buoy

I

t’s not always easy to know

how much way a boat is going

to carry and, therefore, how far

downwind of a mooring you

need to be before rounding up

into the wind. If you stop short

of the buoy when head-to-wind,

there’s no way to make up the

distance. You have to peel

away on one tack or the

other and go round again.

If you’re moving too fast, it

makes life hard on the foredeck

and, should you manage to

pick up the buoy, the boat will

override the mooring and swing

round. High-speed pick-ups are

best avoided where possible.

The problem is that the speed

you typically need to maintain

steerageway on the approach

will be too much once you have

reached the buoy. That’s why,

when using the engine, you

engage reverse. Under sail

when head-to-wind, your best

‘reverse gear’ is the mainsail.

If you have enough hands to

push the boom out, make use

of them. You won’t stop the

boat dead in the water or kill

enough way if you’re still

charging along, but it will

often be enough to make

a meaningful difference.

This isn’t an orthodox

technique and you always

need to be careful, both when

pushing out the boom and

when letting it go again.

Using the mainsail brake

3

With the jib out of the way,

Ian has better visibility from

the helm and it’s a gentler

approach. A little ‘mainsail

braking’ can still be helpful.