Double mooring pennants

[kalanka]

As part of a general upgrade of my mooring (for a 7 ton 10m yacht) I decided to replace the single pennant with a double one. Separate pennants run to the starboard cleat and the port. Belt and braces idea of course.

Mooring is in a bay with rotational tidal streams and so I attached the double pennants to a heavy duty swivel on the mooring riser.

However, the double pennants (made of 30mm hawser laid nylon) wrap badly around each other within a few days. This is inconvenient but also likely to cause chafe.

I am thinking of linking the two pennants for 2/3 of their length from the swivel with a rope seizing or heavy cable ties leaving just the last 3 metres to the boat as separate.

Any opinions on whether this will work? Any better ideas? Am I wasting my time with double pennants in a tidal bay?

 

[sarabande]

What type of rope are you using ? Three strand, braid on braid, multiplait ? Single point mooring ? Is the swivel below or above the buoy ?

 

[kalanka]

Three strand. Multi point mooring but with a single heavy riser. Swivel below the buoy.

 

[jdc]

I have two moorings and use two systems. Both are in tidal bays, one near Falmouth and one at Plockton (nearer you?) The one near Falmouth is laid by the local boat yard so I only get to specify the strop and the one at Plockton I specify entirely.

Where the attachment between riser chain and strop is under the buoy I prefer to use only one strop rather than doubling up. I use sinking rope or chain, and a pick-up buoy. If rope I prefer multiplait to hawser laid, and always polyester in preference to nylon as the stretch is actually bad for chafe imho.

Where the attachment is on top of the buoy, for instance with a Hippo or Norfloat buoy, it's fine to use two strops. Here I've used both doubled up hawser laid strops and single multi-plait. I don't care for a single strop made from hawser-laid rope lest it untwist and in so doing cause the splice to slip (not that I've experienced this, just read about it as a potential danger).
When the strop is from the top of the bouy I prefer floating rope so it doesn't get tangled around the swivel below the buoy, so Seasteel is often used. Kelpie of this parish will also probaby be able to advise you.