At 3 min 40 seconds. Any single handers think this has merit?

Haven't tried it yet but as the prop is at the rear it would stop the wind pivoting the boat around the keel if you don't set the bow directly above the mooring line and get up to the bow quick enough to fish it up. The wheel and throttle are directly at hand and you never lose sight of the mooring or have to guess the momentum necessary to place the bow appropriately whilst you are running up there from the helm in varying wind and water conditions. I have had a number of occasions when I have had to go around a couple of times to get it right and there are other boats fairly close as well as shallow water.
Having said that I was quite proud of myself for sailing on and off the mooring by myself for the first time on Friday although they were pretty good conditions. Not quite up to the standard of sailing into my marina berth like I used to do when I was younger although usually with a skilled (now ex) wife on the foredeck to back the jib and jump off to arrest a considerably lighter 28 foot boat if necessary.
As yet I haven't even tried the carabiner style attachments for the boat hook to self lock onto the mooring line. Any comments on these would also be appreciated.

He made that look like hard work.
I do pretty much as above works well and no risk of backing your boat over a mooring with a spinning prop.

Ramona said..
Total waste of time if your picking up a mooring in a tidal estuary or river. OK if your at a calm mooring in one of the SA gulfs and don't have moorings spaced like they are everywhere else. There was a hell of a lot of floating riser too at the mooring in the video.
If you want to sail on to your mooring and pick up the buoy from the cockpit, run a line to the bow back to the snap hook on a handle. Sail past the buoy slowly, clip on the hook and casually wander forward and pull the buoy line in. By the time you get to the bow the yacht should have turned and sat back on the line. Make sure there is enough room to your neighbours though

Thanks all. Got to get one of those snap hooks Graham.

On one of the moorings I use it's not possible to approach from down wind in certain conditions, So I was obliged to back down on it and to be honest I wasn't impressed, I've taken to using a floating rope riser about 10m long, I can come in across wind & pick it up anywhere along its length flip a few turns on the Sampson post , when the boat heads up the wind I sort out the lose change

I use to practice sailing onto jetties and to moorings as a bit of a challenge.
After a short time I could sail onto my mooring in a crowded anchorage, pick the mooring up midships and walk forard with it. In some ways in stronger winds it was easier than motoring up and trying to judge picking it up at the bow.

A google maps view of my boat. Towards the bottom with the tender hanging of the back. The catamaran has subsequently had it mooring moved over a bit.

Here you go the catcher snatcher..............



Ok maybe not.............better to make your own stand up pole as per here

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Sailing/General/Standup-Moorings?page=1

When I hurt my back really badly I needed to pick up a mooring and wait for my son to sail me back up the coast and home. I was bent like a pretzel and in quite a bit of pain. I motored to the Basin and picked up a mooring from the stern. It was the only way possible when I couldn't do what I usually do, which is run up the front when the bow is at the bouy. I ran a rope through the bouy and waited for Kirren to come along and sail me home - a very significant moment - I was the dad needing help from my son to get the boat and me home. Hopefully a long time till it happens again.

A modernish fin keel yacht could benefit from approaching things backwards. I used to ask my wife to jump off the bow when approaching a jetty. I would be at the helm worried I was going to hit the jetty and she would not want to jump the gap. One day she asked why we didn't just reverse in. I scoffed and said no one does that. Then she said she was on a friend's boat and that is exactly what he did.

So I gave it a go and am now a complete convert. If the wind is blowing off our local jetty I will do a quick turn near the jetty and reverse in. My cat reverses really well and I can see the distance to the jetty easily. I can show off by getting to within about 20cm of the jetty at a crawl and then I step off with a stern line. I then use the stern line as a spring and use forward power to bring the boat alongside the wharf. No need for any assistance, no shouts, and no scratches on the boat. Super easy, especially on a cat with stern steps. If your boat is good at reversing, then consider reversing at certain times and put it in your skill set.