Checked your mooring lately?

[MoodySabre]

There's only one yacht that stays on its mooring all year off the seafront at Westcliff-on-Sea, a 22' bilge keeler. When I drove by this morning, an hour before HW, it was on the shore! I stopped to offer assistance to the owner who had been driving by on his way to another job when he saw it come off the mooring. How scary would that be! He had it tied to the back of his van to stop it going back out but it was taking a pounding on its side against to rocky embankment. He couldn't work out what to do without incurring the expenses of a crane. Not much to be done until the tide goes down. So glad not be on swinging mooring anymore.

 

[Evadne]

I always think Leigh looks exposed in the summer, I'd hate to think of a boat out there on her own in this weather. We keep ours in a sheltered creek, but neither the boatyard nor the insurance company would let us keep her on a swinging mooring over the winter. In weather like this it's easy to see why, although she wouldn't suffer as much damage, staying on her mooring, as a pontoon-moored boat would. I always bring her ashore and drop the mast anyway.

 

[ronsurf]

Lucky it was a bilge keel!

 

[Mirelle]

Contrariwise

My insurers DO allow me to keep the boat on the mooring all year round, provided the mooring is maintained professionally.

Indeed, she's there now. I decided that this would be a mild winter, and felt that the boat was in sufficiently good shape to sit it out all right.

Tidal estuary, about 1/4 mile wide, mud banks.

I did add a chain strop to the mooring swivel in addition to the usual rope one.

 

[Lakesailor]

Re: Contrariwise

I would monitor the condition of the chain strop. I used to do that but reverted to nylon when I discovered how quickly the chain corroded. In 8 months in fresh water it went like this. This is two ends of the same 7ft strop.

It may be that your chain is more suitable for the job.

 

[ValleyForge]

Re: Contrariwise

B***er - I've just bought 2 new strops like yours LS, cost an arm etc. Thought they looked a bit more substantial than the old bit of rope use previously. maybe the chains russian or summat. (remember lancia's)

 

[Lakesailor]

Re: Contrariwise

Or Argentinian. Remember Vauxhall Victors (so my old man told me)

 

[Pandora]

Re: Contrariwise

That chain doesn't look galvanised, surely galvanised chain couldn't rust that quickly?

 

[Lakesailor]

Re: Contrariwise

That has been pointed out before. I'm just saying it pays to keep an eye on it.
A boat nearby left its mooring when the shackle pin let go. So it's something that you need to keep on top of it. I have my second strop slacker than the main one so that it is fresh when it is left to take over, should the main one go.