Sailing at Mooring Buoy

When tied to a mooring buoy in a light breeze our previous boat would sail back and forth. It was gentle enough for me but the Admiral did not like it.

Our mooring line was cleated on the port side, run through a fairlead, then through the buoy, back through a starboard fairlead and then cleated on the starboard side.

Does anyone have a solution to stop a boat from sailing back and forth on a mooring buoy?

A small steadying/riding sail, if you have a mast and its in a suitable place, would help.

more windage aft can help but so can springing the rode. You attach a spring line to the mooring from a midships or after cleat and hold the boat at an angle the wind.

Budds Outlet said:

Does anyone have a solution to stop a boat from sailing back and forth on a mooring buoy?

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it doesn't bother us; in fact we both like it when the boat moves around a bit. However, if we didn't like it we'd put a steady sail on the mast and boom.

Another solution is to use a stern anchor. We do this when the wind comes from one direction and the waves from another. This is a not-uncommon condition in some of the long, narrow anchorages we have up here. We set the stern anchor to hold us into the waves so we pitch rather than corkscrew. We carry a large Fortress on the swimstep for this purpose.

A stern anchor will work but best be sure that other moored boats won't swing into you if they swing and you don't. A tide or wind direction change as an example. Howard

The small sail in the aft is the best solution if you have that option. For me the stern anchor is not a good solution if you are sleeping or leaving the boat. I have seen too many boats take off in a storm because the boat could not swing into the wind. We have had some success with running two lines to the mid ship cleats. One on each side. Try to have the lengths the same. It improves it a fair amount but it does not stop it. This was one of the biggest differences that we noticed when we switched from sail to power. Of course the other was the large amount of room we had to live in, which is by far the best difference. Good luck.

hmason said:

A stern anchor will work but best be sure that other moored boats won't swing into you if they swing and you don't. A tide or wind direction change as an example. Howard

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You can't set a stern anchor in a mooring field. Plus mooring fields are tight and you risk someone fouling your stern anchor line as they negotiate the mooring field.

If you're in an anchorage a stern anchor may help, however you will have to either anchor amongst other boats with stern anchors or far away from every who is swinging on a bower only.

Stay sails or a marina are really the only solution for this.

@ Buds. Could you clarify the mooring pennant arrangement?

It sounds like you are picking up a mooring fir the night. Are you using your own line and passing it through an eye or shackle on top of a mooring ball? If so you can't just pass a line through the mooring. You have to make the line fast on the eye of the mooring.

Dan, I think a bridle setup tends to slow down the sailing. There are a lot of ways to do that, and to get some ideas look for the thread on here called "All chain rode".

Mike

cappy208 said:

It sounds like you are picking up a mooring fir the night. Are you using your own line and passing it through an eye or shackle on top of a mooring ball? If so you can't just pass a line through the mooring. You have to make the line fast on the eye of the mooring.

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If I was going to make a line fast to a buoy ring I think I would tie a shackle on my bridal and connect the shackle to the buoy ring rather than tying a line to the buoy. Will this set up then reduce the oscillation?

Yes, I would definitely try it. I did not read the first post well to see that the line is free to slide back and forth in the buoy ring. I would think that would cause sailing. Use a clip on shackle and I would expect things would improve.

Tie the mooring to the stern, on one side or bridle to the middle. The boat will sail around less. Alternatively tie to the mooring from the bow and throw out a sea anchor aft. Hang it on a very short line, so it's just below the surface but can pull sideways, and that will slow the sailing about. If you don't have a sea anchor use a strong bucket.

I have a drift sock like this that I deploy at anchor to minimize the swing.





It's about 4 ft across at the opening and has a light line attached to the trailing end. I can easily retrieve the sock by pulling the light line. It stores compactly in the lazarette.

I always tag my keys so I know not to start the engines with it deployed.

FW, it looks like that drift sock has a buoyant strip across the top. Am I seeing this right?


I have a small sea anchor. I'm wondering if it will work the same?

The purpose of using a bridle is to shorten the amount of oscillation. (the other purpose is to let the owner sleep better at night) It only works though if each side is made fast to the mooring as well as on the deck. You can't have the line sliding through the mooring ball. Either a cow hitch on the mooring ball, or tie a loop in the mooring pennants and shackle it on.

Budds Outlet said:

FW, it looks like that drift sock has a buoyant strip across the top. Am I seeing this right?


I have a small sea anchor. I'm wondering if it will work the same?

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Yes, although neither are actual pics of my drift sock, mine is similar to the white one with a built-in float on the top of the collar and small weights on the bottom to facilitate its opening and filling upon deployment.

Here's a lousy picture of mine deployed this past summer while fishing at anchor in the wind. It typically runs just at and below the surface.

Budds Outlet said:

FW, it looks like that drift sock has a buoyant strip across the top. Am I seeing this right?


I have a small sea anchor. I'm wondering if it will work the same?

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If your avatar is your current vessel then I doubt she shears much on the hook. However if you need a crew, I would be glad to join for festivities.

cappy208 said:

if your avatar is your current vessel then i doubt she shears much on the hook. However if you need a crew, i would be glad to join for festivities.

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lmao

Anyone ever just drop a length of chain tied to some nylon off the stern to act like a stern anchor without the negatives?

It would add drag to keep light/med wind sailing down yet not catch enough in a blow.....

Anyone?

psneeld said:

Anyone ever just drop a length of chain tied to some nylon off the stern to act like a stern anchor without the negatives?

It would add drag to keep light/med wind sailing down yet not catch enough in a blow.....

Anyone?

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The only thing I have seen that is this kind of bother is a sailboat with an untethered tiller (helm)

cappy208 said:

The only thing I have seen that is this kind of bother is a sailboat with an untethered tiller (helm)

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How much of a bother is it to tie some chain to a line and tie it off to a stern cleat if your boat sails to distraction?

Fortunately none of my boats have sailed to distraction.

Still looking for someone who has tried it.

psneeld said:

How much of a bother is it to tie some chain to a line and tie it off to a stern cleat if your boat sails to distraction?

Fortunately none of my boats have sailed to distraction.

Still looking for someone who has tried it.

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While I haven't tried it yet (boat is still in the yard), I was thinking of trying it, but from the bow.

Ted

O C Diver said:

While I haven't tried it yet (boat is still in the yard), I was thinking of trying it, but from the bow.

Ted

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Let us know...when I start anchoring out more next week I might try it from both if the boat sails...it usually is pretty docile.

psneeld said:

Anyone ever just drop a length of chain tied to some nylon off the stern to act like a stern anchor without the negatives?



It would add drag to keep light/med wind sailing down yet not catch enough in a blow.....



Anyone?

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I had a grapnel with 30' of chain that I used to use for wreck diving off of a sport fishing boat. It doubled as a swing damper by leaving the grapnel in the dunnage box and just lowering the chain from the swim platform. That boat naturally would hove to and hunted continuously when anchored off the bow. A double loop of chain hung from the swim step tamed her down. Haven't tried it on the trawler but I'm sure it would work fine.


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cafesport said:

I had a grapnel with 30' of chain that I used to use for wreck diving off of a sport fishing boat. It doubled as a swing damper by leaving the grapnel in the dunnage box and just lowering the chain from the swim platform. That boat naturally would hove to and hunted continuously when anchored off the bow. A double loop of chain hung from the swim step tamed her down. Haven't tried it on the trawler but I'm sure it would work fine.


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thanks...

Al, I thought your strategy was to trail a large fish carcass.

How is "sailing" at a mooring different from using one's own anchoring gear? ... I haven't experienced "sailing" perhaps because my boat has a low profile compared to most "trawlers" and routinely anchoring in strong-current areas so the primary force is current working with a keel. ... Perhaps having a keel would reduce "sailing" even in low/non-current anchorages.

markpierce said:

. ... Perhaps having a keel would reduce "sailing" even in low/non-current anchorages.

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Mark, you may have the answer right there. A fuller keel may reduce the amount of side to side action.

markpierce said:

How is "sailing" at a mooring different from using one's own anchoring gear? ... I haven't experienced "sailing" perhaps because my boat has a low profile compared to most "trawlers" and routinely anchoring in strong-current areas so the primary force is current working with a keel. ... Perhaps having a keel would reduce "sailing" even in low/non-current anchorages.

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It is somewhat worse at a mooring buoy due to the short, more vertical rode. The boat gets into an oscillation with the wind and current. Something is needed to upset this oscillation cycle.

With a longer rode the oscillation cycle is much longer.

Funny how nobody like springing the rode. Too sailboat I guess.