Mid Atlantic Bouys

Habebty · 4 Mar 2014

Mid ocean bouys........

How are they anchored,

How heavy is the chain and how can the buoyancy of the bouy support tens (hundreds?) of tons of chain as the one in this months YM doesn't look that big?

How much would the 2500-3000 feet of mooring chain/wire weigh?

Why am I wondering this?

Should I wonder about other stuff?

DJE · 4 Mar 2014

They use rope. Neutrally buoyant.

geoid96 · 4 Mar 2014

As above, the weight is not great as I think polyprop is normally used. This will have close to neutral buoyancy. The normal method is also to use a sub-surface float, maybe a 100m down. This takes the weight and current drag of the mooring rope. The buoy is then attached to that with chain or nylon.

Evadne · 5 Mar 2014

Habebty said:
Mid ocean bouys........

How are they anchored,

How heavy is the chain and how can the buoyancy of the bouy support tens (hundreds?) of tons of chain as the one in this months YM doesn't look that big?

How much would the 2500-3000 feet of mooring chain/wire weigh?

Why am I wondering this?

Should I wonder about other stuff?

Things like PAP PAP buoy data page have jacketed steel wire or sometimes jacketed dyneema that rises to the sub surface instrument package. That has its own buoyancy and a f-off big chain to a surface buoy. There will be some other sub surface buoyancy further down the wire as well.
The water depth is about 4800m and the watch circle of the buoy is something like 1500m diameter. I think the buoy weight something like 23 tonnes. The anchor weight is several tonnes, but the weight of the mooring wire itself helps hold the whole package in place.

30boat · 5 Mar 2014

With my luck I'm sure I'd sail straight into one of those at night...

Angele · 5 Mar 2014

30boat said:
With my luck I'm sure I'd sail straight into one of those at night...

Isn't it very thoughtful of these people to think of us and provide mooring buoys mid-ocean. You've been going a week or so and really just need a good night's sleep and a day on a mooring to catch up on chores...

Habebty said:
Why am I wondering this?

Should I wonder about other stuff?

I diagnose "cabin fever".

Alpha22 · 5 Mar 2014

http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=10975

Gives a bit of detail..... and a nice picture.

It looks like they don't ever lift the anchor, but have an 'acoustic release' to let the buoy and it's instruments go when required.

stephen_h · 5 Mar 2014

I wonder why they use glass floation bouys?

geoid96 · 5 Mar 2014

stephen_h said:
I wonder why they use glass floation bouys?

Because they don't compress under pressure at depth.

Habebty · 5 Mar 2014

Nicely answered everyone, thanks.

Wansworth · 5 Mar 2014

30boat said:
With my luck I'm sure I'd sail straight into one of those at night...

an American weather /sea state recording bouy washed up ashore recently in Galicia,certainly something not to bash into on a dark night.

Twister_Ken · 5 Mar 2014

Evadne said:
…and the watch circle of the buoy is something like 1500m diameter

Damn, not much good as a waypoint, then, on the way across.

Ravi · 6 Mar 2014

Habebty said:
Mid ocean bouys........
Why am I wondering this?
Should I wonder about other stuff?

Such thoughts are healthy in February when it is blowing old boots and the body is ashore!

geoid96 said:
the weight is not great as I think polyprop is normally used. .

What a coincidence, my mate, who just got back from a tranatlantic crossing is selling off some 5,000 metre lengths of polyprop. I wonder ......

Angele said:
Isn't it very thoughtful of these people to think of us and provide mooring buoys mid-ocean. You've been going a week or so and really just need a good night's sleep and a day on a mooring to catch up on chores...

I absolutely love the idea of using one of these things as a mooring buoy! How long before someone uses one of these things as a storm anchor? !!!

Poignard · 6 Mar 2014

Angele said:
Isn't it very thoughtful of these people to think of us and provide mooring buoys mid-ocean. You've been going a week or so and really just need a good night's sleep and a day on a mooring to catch up on chores...

.

Yes, you'll just get your head down and some bugger in a RIB will come alongside demanding money.

Poignard · 6 Mar 2014

In pre-GPS days, my boat used to have an uncanny ability to get herself on a collision course with that mid-Channel buoy EC1.

prv · 6 Mar 2014

parsifal said:
In pre-GPS days, my boat used to have an uncanny ability to get herself on a collision course with that mid-Channel buoy EC1.

Well, that's good - at least you can plot an accurate fix

Pete

Angele · 6 Mar 2014

Wansworth said:
an American weather /sea state recording bouy washed up ashore recently in Galicia,certainly something not to bash into on a dark night.

Ravi said:
What a coincidence, my mate, who just got back from a tranatlantic crossing is selling off some 5,000 metre lengths of polyprop. I wonder ......

I see a link here.....

capnsensible · 7 Mar 2014

30boat said:
With my luck I'm sure I'd sail straight into one of those at night...

On our first transatlantic, at one dark oclock watch change, my wife and I were interested to see a weather buoy pass half a gelcoat thickness down our port side. This was about midway between the Canaries and Cabo Verdes. Bet I could never find it again......

PilotWolf · 7 Mar 2014

30boat said:
With my luck I'm sure I'd sail straight into one of those at night...

Someone might have....

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