Subsea winching apparatus and method

A method connecting a flowline to a subsea structure, said method comprising:

• constructing said flowline to have a positive buoyancy and attaching to said flowline a plurality of downwardly depending weight means so that said flow line with said weight means is neutrally buoyant at a position above an ocean floor with said weight means engaging said ocean floor;
• attaching first and second winches to a single end of said flow line;
• providing on said end of said flowline first and second substantially horizontal alignment tubes;
• providing on said subsea structure first and second substantially horizontal receiving tubes for receiving said first and second alignment tubes, respectively;
• towing said flow line to an offshore site and placing said end of said flowline in a vicinity of said subsea structure with said end of said flowline positioned above said ocean floor with said weight means engaging said ocean floor;
• connecting first and second winch lines between said subsea structure and said first and second winches, respectively by placing said first winch line through said first receiving tube and said first alignment tube and placing said second winch line through said second receiving tube and said second alignment tube;
• and
• retrieving said first and second winch line with said first and second winches, thereby pulling said first and second alignment tubes into said first and second receiving tubes, respectively and said end of said flowline substantially horizontally into an engagement with said subsea structure.