How Lauren Landers Sailing used a mooring ball as leverage to exit a tight anchorage

When leaving a crowded anchorage very close to coral, Lauren and her crew used the mooring ball itself as a pivot point rather than trying to turn the boat under power. The plan was to release the starboard mooring line first, then have a crew member physically walk the mooring ball toward the stern. This allowed the wind to catch the bow and push it around naturally, so the boat could motor straight forward out of the anchorage instead of having to execute a tight turn near the reef. Friends who were taking over the spot came out on their dinghy to act as a safety buffer and make sure the boat did not touch the coral on the way out. As Lauren put it, the mooring ball was used as 'kind of leverage to get out,' with the worst case being untying and simply going for it.