Mooring problem when wind against tide

[pugwash]

My boat has a deep keel and when a strong wind is blowing against the tide she 'drives' against her mooring chain. She's on a swing mooring in the Tamar. The chain is biting into the stem and doing a lot of damage. There's no possibility of a fore-and-aft mooring. This must be very much of a universal problem so what do others do to prevent damage? I think a bow fender would not be man enough to help since the damage is mostly two or three feet under the surface. Any thoughts or ideas I could try would be welcome. Thanks.

 

[jimbaerselman]

Put a big sheer on with the helm?

 

[sailorman]

rope riser

 

[jimi]

keep the rudder tied hard over?

 

[gandy]

We have a "Hippo" buoy where the chain comes through the top of the buoy and the strop runs from the top of the chain. With that rig the bow would be bearing against the buoy, not against the chain. Of course our hull is different, there's not much below the waterline right up at the bow.

I'm not sure that biasing the rudder would be a solution. The boat would lie at an angle to the tide, but there'd still be a wind direction which would push it straight onto the mooring.

 

[Bajansailor]

How about making up a temporary 'bowsprit' with a snatch block on the end - this would only be used when mooring. It could be a stout timber pole, or perhaps ally or S/S.

You could then run a rope from the top of the buoy up through the block on the end of the 'bowsprit' and back to a deck cleat. The rope would be coming straight up from the buoy, but not so tight that it is taking the load when the wind is really blowing - it needs to have enough slack in it so that the strain is taken on the mooring cable instead when it is blowing a hooley.

The function of this rope is simply to stop the stem in way of the waterline from riding up to the buoy when you have wind against tide. It sounds like a rope pennant from the buoy to the foredeck might not work, if the hull is rubbing against the chain underneath the buoy.

(I can picture it in my mind OK, but I dont think I have described it very well, sorry)

 

[snowleopard]

A length of plastic pipe slid down over the chain will help. The bowsprit idea is good too. There is one very effective solution though - use a bridle so the buoy sits between the hulls (sorry - couldn't resist!)

 

[Cornishman]

Have you considered joining one of the Tamar clubs (e.g. Torpoint Mosquito SC, Saltash SC, Tamar River SC, Cargreen YC, Weir Quay SC, Quay SC at St Germans on the Lynher) and getting a better mooring?

 

[Dalliance]

Not such a "daft" idea. Why not moor stern-to the buoy and rig a bridle from the two aft cleats? With a strong head wind over tide the boat can drive as much as it like into the wind.

 

[Poignard]

I have done this using the spinnaker pole rigged out as a temporary "bowsprit". The pole was lashed to the stemhead fitting and the sampson post. The method is described and illustrated in "Cruising Under Sail" by Eric Hiscock, page 188/189.

 

[Marmalade]

We use chain up to the hippo buoy then rope strops from a swivel on top of the buoy. Hippos are very buoyant which can result in high snatch loads so use strops with some give (ie nylon not polyprop) and use rubber snubbers too. Splice a hard eye into the strop at the buoy end and protect the strops with hosing where they pass over anything that at can chafe

 

[jamesjermain]

Absolutely agree with the 'bowsprit' idea but a simpler alternative, which we used when we had a half-boat, was simply to haul the strop up tight, lifting the buoy a couple of inches (not out of the water, the weight would be too much). This kept the bow well clear of the buoy. I don't think you could do this with chain though. We had two 2.5in rope strops.

 

[doug748]

A very common problem, and one that I have not managed to solve. A lot of folk use a long line to the buoy but this only moves the point of impact aft and increases the danger of collision with your neighbours. Bringing the Hippo type up short is fine in flat water but waves will drive your stem down hard on all that ironmongery. A shackle attached below, to a round buoy, tends to focus the damage furter down - perhaps under the water. I always use plastic pipe etc, but if there is a weak link the action of tide, wind and waves always seems to find it. I have often thought of a bowsprit but to be effective, in a lively spot, it really needs to be almost a strong as the real thing. What is needed is a stiff plastic tube that in extremis will bend and not destroy the deck fittings supporting it....a sort of super PVC pipe, but dead straight. At the moment I am experimenting with a skirt round the bow, I know it looks daft and will be foul and green in no time but what can you do?