Need mooring buoy tips

[dlane1181]

Lots of presumptions, but presuming the mooring is properly maintained and presuming the vessel is of appropriate size for the mooring the vessel’s mooring bridle lines should be made fast as short as practicable. The load goes to the mooring pennant and moorings.
In fact, in some locations, park or mooring authorities ask/require their pennant be taken aboard and made fast to the vessel without a bridle. This allows moorings to be spaced closer together without having to account for different swing arcs.
Chapman’s recommends a pennant length of ~2.5 times H, where H Is the vertical distance from the water’s surface to the pulpit.
This is in contrast to anchoring, in which the anchor snubber bridle needs to be long enough to have adequate stretch and absorb more of the load, rather than the windlass.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by Smokeys Kitchen

Hi all.

We are cruising the PNW this summer and are staying at several Washington State Marine Park buoys. We have no trouble picking them up or tying off to them, but after a day or so and several tide cycles we sometimes get our mooring lines wrapped around the buoy anchor line and under the barnacle infested float.

When noticed, I undo the lines and straighten them out but it occurs again if we stay long enough.

Our set up is double mooring lines through an 8” ring on the float. Lines enter and exit the deck through the fairleads about 2’ back from the bow tip. At full distance of pull, lines are @6’ ahead of bow tip. Boat is 14T, 40’.

Any good tips out there?
Thanks in advance - Ron

I learned that the first time I tied to a buoy; both lines wrapped around the fin keel...much too long.

Keep the line short. I now use a single oversized one inch three-strand line through the buoy ring and tied to both boat's cleats...makes for easy departure. Oversized and three strand will resist chaff. However, I much prefer to just anchor and rarely tie to buoys anymore.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by GWilly

We were just up at Sucia Island on a state mooring buoy last week. It was our first time doing that (usually we’re at a dock) but it was a very nice time. Honestly I don’t quite see how a mooring line could get wrapped up. Between tide, current and wind, i would expect there is always tension on the line. In any case, I’ve attached a photo of what our tie-up looked like. Good luck Smokey.

In that case it looks like a metal buoy-ring, so doesn't matter so much, but if connecting to a plastic thimble you shouldn't have a single line run thru separate fairleads - your mooring line can saw through the thimble. Better to have two separate lines, one running to and from the port cleat/fairlead; and the other starboard, so you still have a bridle set-up.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by GWilly

We were just up at Sucia Island on a state mooring buoy last week. It was our first time doing that (usually we’re at a dock) but it was a very nice time. Honestly I don’t quite see how a mooring line could get wrapped up. Between tide, current and wind, i would expect there is always tension on the line. In any case, I’ve attached a photo of what our tie-up looked like. Good luck Smokey.

Right. You were up and tight. That way it avoids the wrap.


I am interested in the concepts behind adding pool noodles or insulation to lines. What got you to thinking that?


As a singlehander, doing anything extra is always being questioned regarding the benefits of the excess effort.

[deblen]

I use oversize 3 strand polyethylene floating rope bridled to both cleats & short -6ft per leg or so.
Polyethylene rope (not polypropylene!) is slippery-very chafe resistant.
Highly UV resistant & 40% stronger.
Floating rope eliminates the tangled messes that I experienced with putting any kind of floats on pendant.
Len


Example of polysteel Polysteel Rope | Tidal Enterprises Ltd. - MARINE INDUSTRIAL HARDWARE – PACKAGED MOORING SYSTEMS

[Smokeys Kitchen]

Thanks everyone for the replies; I appreciate everyones thoughts on this. There are a few good suggestions to try here, so I'll mull it over and give it a try when we next pick up a buoy as opposed to anchor.

FWIW - the problem does arise as Sail Fast Tri notes when the wind and current oppose each other or wind dies and the boat overruns the buoy. Think the first thing I'll try is the pool noodle/pipe insulation stuff.

[IslandInfedel]

What about running a single line to a buoy from a second empty pulpit anchor roller?

[KRMS]

Originally Posted by GWilly

We were just up at Sucia Island on a state mooring buoy last week. It was our first time doing that (usually we’re at a dock) but it was a very nice time. Honestly I don’t quite see how a mooring line could get wrapped up. Between tide, current and wind, i would expect there is always tension on the line. In any case, I’ve attached a photo of what our tie-up looked like. Good luck Smokey.

Forgive me if I’m not getting the right impression of your mooring arrangement of others have already told you this:
If you simply run a warp from the cleat on one side of the bow through the ring on the mooring and then back to the cleat on the other side of the bow you risk the warp being sawn through and the boat coming adrift. As the boat moves (die to wave action) the warp rubs back and forth in the mooring buoy’s ring and any roughness (e.g. rust) will very quickly cut through the line. This can happen in a matter of hours (perhaps when you’ve gone ashore for the evening). It’s better to take the line back to the same cleat. If you want the boat to sit more aligned to the buoy, or for extra security, add another warp from and back to the other cleat.

[CFS Klopas]

Originally Posted by KRMS

If you simply run a warp from the cleat on one side of the bow through the ring on the mooring and then back to the cleat on the other side of the bow you risk the warp being sawn through and the boat coming adrift.

This is exactly what happened when I did this two weeks ago. Over night and only about 15 kts of wind. 2nd time I had tied to a mooring buoy.