Mooring pennant chafe on 1200 bow anchor

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Double Horizon
Posts: 440
Joined: Wed 09 May 07, 0:18
Your Country: USA

Mooring pennant chafe on 1200 bow anchor

Post by Double Horizon »

This is an interesting photo-essay I came across while reading a sailing forum. What seems OK in calm conditions changes when things get rough. http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/mooring_prep

This summer when cruising we took a transient mooring that only had one pennant (line). The mooring pennant (cleated to our center bow) chafed on the edge of our anchor when the boat swung across the centerline. It got hooked beneath our anchor twice when it was blowing hard. One of the times I started the engine (in the middle of the night) to get it unhooked.

Our home mooring isn't an issue because it's equipped with a bridle that keeps the pennants far from the anchor. We carry an anchor bridle but it was intended to use with a rolling hitch and has no fittings for attachment to a mooring ring. In the future when using a visitor's mooring I will release enough chain to bring the anchor on deck and secure it out of the way.
Larry - Former Owner DF-1200
Oscar
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Post by Oscar »

I used to have a short bridle just for this purpose on my mono. Also because guest mooring lines are frequently under water for extended periods of time and thus very dirty/overgrown.
1990 Dragonfly 25 USA-54
Double Horizon
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Post by Double Horizon »

Oscar wrote:I used to have a short bridle just for this purpose on my mono. Also because guest mooring lines are frequently under water for extended periods of time and thus very dirty/overgrown.
I have a 30-foot 3/4" line with a heavy Wichard snap hook on it (SWL about 2kg, 4kg breaking) that can be used as a backup pennant to my bow cleat. I considered (still not decided) making another bridle for travel but it would be used rarely for this purpose, so it becomes a question of whether it's worth making or carrying aboard (more clutter/weight in the ama). Probably a better choice would be to just add heavy-duty snap hooks (or thimbles for conventional shackles) to the ends of my anchor bridle and leave them hanging loose beyond the knot when on the anchor (I would still use a rolling hitch on the rope anchor rode).

One reason my own bridle or backup would not as likely be used on a transient mooring is because it can only be attached after you are already moored and have launched the dinghy. In calm conditions it's not needed, unless you anticipate a storm. I would not trust a mooring pennant that looked to be in poor shape, that had no backup; and would be more likely to trust my own anchor if I couldn't pick up an alternate. I figure that if the owner hasn't maintained what's visible above water we certainly should not trust what's below. I ask the weight of the mooring and would not leave the boat or sleep tied up to an unknown.

However, if a transient mooring appears trustworthy but the pennants are just too short to be used as a multihull bridle, it's likely easier to just use them on the center hull's bow cleats and bring the anchor on deck to be secured to the rail. That's my plan until I change my mind. :idea:
Larry - Former Owner DF-1200
tpaliwoda
Posts: 215
Joined: Fri 03 Nov 06, 3:05
Your Country: USA, Raritan YC, Perth Amboy, New Jersey

Post by tpaliwoda »

Larry, great web site! Everyone on a mooring should really look at it.
I always see anchors mounted like that in storms and that is one of my "pet-peevs".
I am going to forward that website to our fleet captain so he can forward it to all in our YC.

BTW, I always carry a spare mooring bridal with shackle- I usually use last years. I trust my gear - I know what I am getting.

Ted
Ted Paliwoda
D'Fly 1000 ; HN #1
Nice Tri
Raritan YC, Perth Amboy, NJ, USA
Double Horizon
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Post by Double Horizon »

Update:
I decided to try something new this year after seeing the Line Grabber online, which is simply a double loop of Dyneema that secures to a line using a variation of the prussic knot, and decided to give the idea a try. http://www.shockles.com/products/linegrabber.cfm (I made my own version because I have Dyneema line on-hand and have some practice splicing it).

My traveling bridle had no fittings at the ends so it could be used in a rolling hitch, but I spliced-in stainless thimbles and also bought two Wichard Eyeless Snap Hooks model 2337. This lets me use the traveling bridle to hook directly to a guest mooring, or use the Line Grabber in place of a rolling hitch to hook the bridle to my anchor line.

I could have spliced-in a stainless eye snap-hook without the thimbles instead of eyeless, but this also allows me to easily change to conventional galvanized D-shackles if I want to change the role of this bridle for long-term mooring use in the future.
Larry - Former Owner DF-1200
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