Fun & Games on First Launch & Mooring!

[Zagato]

You always know something isn't going to go Right - my last launch on another boat sprang a leak This one had an exhaust silencer leak which I had to fix against the clock before the tide went out to avoid a £500 re-launch fee Good old Sikaflex came to the rescue again as a temporary fix - hell of a job though with limited access.

Next hassle was coming up to the new mooring for the first time against wind & tide - took three attempts to get the engine revs just right so I could then pass the chain under the whisker lines and onto the sampson post, but not quite! It took a lot of fiddling to get it all set up and it's not ideal now. Bowsprits look nice but they are a PITA for mooring.

Having spent the day manically at full whack, I settled down to some soup in the evening and the boat started to list, I was aground on a supposedly swinging mooring! Panic, never been aground before and I was 10 degrees over all ready, sea cocks shut and tried to get off with the engine but couldn't, didn't know how much further the tide would drop but luckily it stayed at 10 degrees then came back up after 15 minutes - PHEW!

I'm not happy about this as I have paid for a full swinging mooring. OK it was an especially low tide but this will happen 4-5 times a month and I don't fancy my hull crashing up and down on the hard estuary bed when the Mobo's come piling past out of Chichester Marina

Anyway she is finally in after a 9 month wait and I will go down in a couple of days to fill up with diesel, try the sails for the first time and hopefully put her on a new mooring

 

[mainsail1]

Is the exhaust just held on with cable ties?

 

[Zagato]

How did you know?

I have tied it in with rope for now, difficult to put in properly, not much to attach it to!

 

[mjcoon]

Anyway she is finally in after a 9 month wait and I will go down in a couple of days to fill up with diesel, try the sails for the first time and hopefully put her on a new mooring

With more diesel she's going to have a (slightly?) greater draught. Whether the mooring is fit for your purpose must depend crucially on that measure! So what is the mooring's specification?

Mike.

 

[Zagato]

It's a full swinging for my 3' 6" draft, although the inside corner it's on does build up, the Harbour Office will sort me out on Sat I should think, they are pretty good/helpful.

 

[Norman_E]

Have you thought of having your bowsprit hinged so that it can be lifted, or fitted so that it can be slid back, or secured forward as required. I am pretty sure that Drascombe have fitted some of their boats with retracting bowsprits. The advantage is cheaper mooring anywhere that you pay by length, and less risk of damage whilst unattended.

 

[Zagato]

The bowsprit does pull back (with no financial fee gain unfortunately!) but this is more hassle especially when you are single handed and needs to be done ideally before you get to the mooring. I did however have it retracted overnight but this caused more problems with rubbing on other bits and the anchor.

I fixed it up in the morning the way the previous owner had, obvious as you can see the rubbing marks slightly etc. It's not ideal but it will have to do for now. I will put a spring on the chain to prevent so much hard sharp tugging and secure the chain over the roller so it doesn't come off it altogether (no drop nose pin or room to fit one. Just tied it down for now around the roller!) I have slackened off the bob-stay a bit but the chain still rubs on it and the anchor sometimes and I don't want to move that onto deck.

It's felt by some owners that the bob-stay 'D' ring isn't strong enough to be directly shackled to the mooring (OK on Shrimpers though and probably the 22). Other folks with bowsprits on bigger boats seem to have their chains up on to the sampson boat also...