Ocean Bouys

[Fat Freddie]

I am planning a trip to the Caribbean and was looking at the Atlantic Pilot Chart and was surprised to see a bouy (Fl.Y) 80 miles east of Barbados in 3000 metres of water.
How does that work? I can't believe that it can be anchored to the bottom in that depth of water so how does stay there?

 

[glashen]

Not the particular buoy you are talking about, but I found this which gives some idea: Click Here

Having had some very limited experience anchoring race marks in 10 metres of water I'd say good luck to them, I'd imagine the 3 times the depth rule doesn't apply here.

 

[Twister_Ken]

No reason it can't be anchored if they've got a long enough piece of string. Considering it's possible to lay a telecom cable halfway around the world, a mere 3K of anchor cable shouldn't be too hard. Mind, it would need to be a pretty buoyant buoy not to sink under the weight of cable.

 

[capnsensible]

In late 2000, my wife and I were doing our first transatlantic on our Yacht. Imagine our surprise, when some 200 miles from the Cape Verdes, we had a very, very, close encounter with an ODAS buoy.

We were changing over the watch and still blame each other!!

 

[Poignard]

No reason it can't be anchored if they've got a long enough piece of string. Considering it's possible to lay a telecom cable halfway around the world, a mere 3K of anchor cable shouldn't be too hard. Mind, it would need to be a pretty buoyant buoy not to sink under the weight of cable.

Maybe they use a buoyant line. But then they would need a very heavy anchor to counteract the bouyancy of the line. And then they would need a very thick line to be able to raise the anchor ........... Oh, I don't know

 

[nonitoo]

Have a look at

http://www.marine.ie/home/aboutus/newsroom/news/WeatherBouyLaunched.htm

It mentions the anchor cable and anchor.

Tom

 

[Fat Freddie]

So they it is anchored, I am amazed.

Do you think it is on 3:1 scope, 9kms of cable? Or maybe 5:1 scope for 15kms of cable.

 

[geoid96]

It seem that deep water oceanographic buoys use submerged floats to take the weight of the cable with the surface buoy attached to this.
See: Oceanus - Outposts in the Ocean.

 

[doug748]

So they it is anchored, I am amazed.

Do you think it is on 3:1 scope, 9kms of cable? Or maybe 5:1 scope for 15kms of cable.

Yes, I understand they swear by a genuine CQR. Wouldn't have anything else.

 

[KellysEye]

It's a NOAA weather buoy, USVI George gives it's data in his weather forecast at 07.10 local on 7250 LSB. There is a another one north of Puerto Rico. You should be able to find a list of all the buoys on the NOAA site.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Don't see why it would need any scope at all (well, maybe a couple of percents to give a bit of catenary), apart from water depth plus a gnat's cock for big waves.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Don't see why it would need any scope at all (well, maybe a couple of percents to give a bit of catenary), apart from water depth plus a gnat's cock for big waves.

Here's a (not very good) piccie:

 

[capnsensible]

When refferring to the gnat's anatomy, would that be length or width?

 

[Conachair]

Google earth

There´s a google earth overlay with weather buoys here ...
http://www.justmagic.com/GM-GE.html#Anchor-00008
It´s at the bottom of section 9 , weather. Lots of other interesting bits here too.