On our trip to the San Juans and the Gulf Islands this year, we had a problem at the first mooring buoy we attempted to pick up: the bronze end broke off of our boat hook.We were attempting to pick up a buoy at Flagler State Park when it happened. Eolian has a lot of freeboard (more than 6 feet at the bow), and so reaching down to pass a line thru the ring on a mooring buoy is just not possible. What we have done in the past is to pull the ring up to deck level (one person) and thread a line thru it (other person). Notice that this arrangement leaves no one at the helm. This is not easy, since the chain below the ring is very heavy (probably at least 1/2" chain, possibly 5/8"). When there is a current, the buoy stretches the chain out, making it even more difficult to pull up, especially since no one is at the helm to stop the boat from falling back down current or down wind.
Well, the current at Flagler was horrendous, and the tension applied to the boat hook, even tho it was a straight pull, was more than it could handle. This failure simply was the straw that broke the camel's back, and it galvanized us to find a better way to pick up a buoy.
Enter the Happy Hooker. This is a device that attaches to the end of your boat hook pole, and that allows the threading of a light messenger line thru the mooring buoy ring with a single thrust-and-retrieve action. It is an ingenious device, made of plastic. (I am tempted to use it as a pattern to make one of cast aluminum.)
I can't wait for us to try it out. If it works, Jane (out on the bow) will be a happy (buoy) hooker indeed.
I'll let you know.
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1 comment:
Six feet of freeboard is a lot. I could see how that would be challenging!
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