Chichester Harbour Mooring Buoy Connection

[Jaguar 25]

I would appreciate knowing what is the recommended way of mooring a 2 tonne (Jaguar 25) boat to a Thornham Marina mooring buoy in Chichester Harbour.

Previously, in Holyhead Sailing Club moorings, the mooring strop was attached to the buoy and we just pulled it on board to the bow cleat.

Here, we need to provide the strop. What is the best way of attaching it to the buoy and what material and size should it be made from?

 

[Concerto]

I would use a rope that will float and be fairly smooth 3 strand to stop muck accumulating when dropped. Size would be 2 sizes or more above what normal mooring warps should be.

Then tightly splice a galvanised eye to one end. This should be fixed to the buoy with a galvanised shackle, with the thread waterproof greased and clipped with an electrical tie. Once you are on the mooring then you can splice a loop on the other end so it can just drop straight on a cleat. Personally I prefer having 2 strops (one kept slightly slack) as a precaution against chaffing through.

 

[prv]

Never had a mooring there, but am I right in thinking that chain strops are customary in Chichester Harbour?

Pete

 

[VicS]

Never had a mooring there, but am I right in thinking that chain strops are customary in Chichester Harbour?

Pete

The Conservancy ones are all chain AFAIK


My mooring is not far from Jaguar 25 and that is all 3/8" chain

 

[jakeroyd]

I've found these people good value for ready made strops
lots of lenghts available.
Standard prices are for galvanised thimbles.
I've just ordered 2 x 20mm strops for my 25 footer.

https://www.westwardropeandwire.co.uk/ropes/mooring-and-anchoring/custom-mooring-line.html

 

[JulianBall]

From the Conservancy website

http://www.conservancy.co.uk/assets/assets/mooring leaflet_2011.pdf.

I personally have a rope strop as the main mooring strop and chain, kept slack, as the backup.

 

[oldharry]

I keep a 24footer on a private mooring just down the channel from Thornham Marina. I use 3/8" chain. I did try rope one season with a chain back up. Good thing I did because the rope had nearly failed by the end of the season! It can get quite lumpy up there on a SE gale. See you around not doubt!

 

[Fantasie 19]

From the Conservancy website

http://www.conservancy.co.uk/assets/assets/mooring%20leaflet_2011.pdf.

I personally have a rope strop as the main mooring strop and chain, kept slack, as the backup.

+1...

PS. Don't forget a swivel...

 

[fireball]

I keep a 24footer on a private mooring just down the channel from Thornham Marina. I use 3/8" chain. I did try rope one season with a chain back up. Good thing I did because the rope had nearly failed by the end of the season! It can get quite lumpy up there on a SE gale. See you around not doubt!

We had a 21'er then 30'er then 37'er just a bit further down the channel - always rope with a chain backup - never did have the rope fail - but then we did use >20mm 3 strand - the local chandlery scoffed when I asked for it - so I went elsewhere ... oh - I threaded it into some clear pipe (and the chain into a second one) to protect the line and the deck. Always got a few years out of the line ...
Chaffing is never good - either from a deck fitting or UV hardened pipe ...

 

[VicS]

I would appreciate knowing what is the recommended way of mooring a 2 tonne (Jaguar 25) boat to a Thornham Marina mooring buoy in Chichester Harbour.

Previously, in Holyhead Sailing Club moorings, the mooring strop was attached to the buoy and we just pulled it on board to the bow cleat.

Here, we need to provide the strop. What is the best way of attaching it to the buoy and what material and size should it be made from?

Your choice it would seem, subject to any direction from Thornham Marina, whether to use rope as you have done before or whether to use chain.

It is fairly exposed out there in the middle of the bay, if that is something to be considered.

Check the type of buoy you have and whether or not the top ring is suitable for mooring to. Some are not and you have to moor to the bottom of of the buoy. You will have noticed no doubt from the link given earlier that the buoys the Conservancy use hve the chain passing through them.
Thornham should be able to advise you.

There is lots of advice on choice of ropes and chains on Jimmy Green's website although the cynics will say he overspecs in order to sell more expensive rope than necessary. https://www.jimmygreen.co.uk/

 

[Daydream believer]

+1...

PS. Don't forget a swivel...

Swivel in the mooring strop is not a good idea if you have 2 strops as each should be fitted to the eye of the buoy independently which means the swivels will not work. However, if the eye of the buoy is swiveled you will be Ok . if not a swivel in the chain i below the buoy is a better move

 

[emsworthy]

The top eye of Conservancy moorings have a swivel already attached. We have kept our Sadler 26 on a Conservancy mooring for several years with a stainless hard eye spliced into the end of a 20mm strop and attached to the swivel with an oversized stainless shackle. The strop has a length of reinforced PVC pipe slipped over it and this runs through the bow roller and is made off tight on the cleat. We actually have two identical strops and as we have a twin bow roller one sits on each one slightly slacker than the other. The trick is to pull the strop so taught that you are actually lifting the buoy slightly before making it off. This totally stops snatch loads on the cleats and prevents the bow riding up against the buoy and scratching it.

Works well for us.

 

[Jaguar 25]

Thanks for all the advice. We will initially go for two 20mm nylon strops but will change onreo f these for chain once we can establish the correct length.

Excuse the basic question but how do you attach chain to a cleat, is it just like rope through the middle and over the horns?

 

[Seajet]

Jaguar25,

I belay the chain in a figure of 8 on the mooring cleats, same as a rope warp.

I've tried both systems and like Old Harry I quickly gave up on rope warps; even with plastic anti-chafe tubing I found the warp - singular, I feel multi's and / or backups are asking for entanglements - wrapped around the mooring buoy in wind over tide conditions, and the barnacles on the underside of the buoy cut the warp to shreds; ditto my hands when I tried to free it !

Each to their own, but personally I think the ' elastic effect ' of a short nylon warp is minimal, more to be gained by the weight of a chain.

Do keep an eye on chain swivels though, almost every mooring failure I've seen has been through this ' weakest link ' failing; I change mine every 3 years max.

Also, one can padlock chains against yobbo's; it's rare to hear of boats set adrift but it has happened...

 

[VicS]

Thanks for all the advice. We will initially go for two 20mm nylon strops but will change onreo f these for chain once we can establish the correct length.

Excuse the basic question but how do you attach chain to a cleat, is it just like rope through the middle and over the horns?

A loop, formed with a shackle, dropped over the deck cleat ( proper chain bollard in my case) . Thats how the conservancy moorings are done. Mouse the loop so that it cannot jump off. Also lash the chain to the stemhead roller .
Wrapping chain round an ordinary cleat like rope is not a good way.

If you look at the link in #6 you will see that the standard chain length on conservancy moorings is 2.5 m. For a Jag 25 that will be more than enough


But dont worry too much about being on one of Thornham Marinas buoys in the bay .... you wont be afloat very much! When I had a mooring in the bay I noted that 24/25 footers were not fully afloat on small neap tides


Make sure you know about the Cuts between the bay and Prinsted channel


Watch out for my boat as you go down Prinsted channel .. and Old Harry's

 

[Jaguar 25]

But dont worry too much about being on one of Thornham Marinas buoys in the bay .... you wont be afloat very much!
[/QUOTE]

Then again, we are getting the mooring for free! We were told plus and minus 2 hours each side of HW. I assume that this is optimistic. However, we were in Liverpool and access through the lock onto the Mersey was about plus or minus 2 hours but trying to get back in more than 30 mins after HW was a nightmare (for us anyway). So we down to 2.5 hrs max. out there. After allowing for getting out and sails up and then getting ready to come back in, 90 mins sailing would be good. Never managed to do the one of the few occasions with 2 x HW coinciding with the lock opening times.

 

[Seajet]

On the plus side you should have another 45 / 60 minutes either side of HW, to play in the tender.

Just be sure to sort out car parking and a secure place to leave the tender onshore.

 

[VicS]

On the plus side you should have another 45 / 60 minutes either side of HW, to play in the tender.

Just be sure to sort out car parking and a secure place to leave the tender onshore.

I assume he'll be parking at Thornham Marina and will leave the dinghy there too. There is no where else. The conservancy chains wont be much use to him ... they cost too much anyway

 

[prv]

Wrapping chain round an ordinary cleat like rope is not a good way.

+1, you might end up needing a hacksaw to get it off again.

Pete

 

[VicS]

+1, you might end up needing a hacksaw to get it off again.

Pete

I must remember to photograph my chain bollard but it looks sort of like this.

A loop drops right over it


the boat's own anchor chain drops in the slot then a couple of turns round it under the horns makes it secure.


.