Scratches on swinging moorings

[Nina Lucia]

Shamaya

Friend just advised to hang bucket from the stern, any thoughts on that?

 

[sailorman]

Friend just advised to hang bucket from the stern, any thoughts on that?

yes its quite common

 

[vyv_cox]

Friend just advised to hang bucket from the stern, any thoughts on that?

It can help the boat to lie to the tide in little or no wind. Most damage from the mooring chain occurs when stronger wind opposes the tide, causing the boat to ride forward or lie across the tidal flow. In these cases a bucket will do next to nothing for you.

 

[flipper]

This has come up before and the solution was a piece of old carpet lashed to the stem.

 

[Nina Lucia]

We have a big bow fender, but all scratches arise by fender rubbing close to the water line.
I did call Langston Harbour Master for advice and he said they bought those buoys especially because they are soft. Wonder what the hard are like?

I think that sort of temporary bowsprit, as parsifal suggested looks like solution….
I will try this weekend if wind ease a bit.

 

[Nina Lucia]

Did you mean this?

Hi,
This is what I have manage to make this weekend, lets see if is works!
Sound like a good solution.

A method I have used is as described and illustrated in 'Cruising Under Sail' by Eric Hiscock.

Rig the spinnaker pole as a sort of temporary bowsprit so it sticks out about 4 or 5 feet over the bow.

The main buoy rope/chain is brought over the bow roller and secured on the sampson post/bow cleat, as normal.

Rig another line from the buoy, through a block on the end of the pole and brought back to the foredeck where it is belayed. (Hiscock calls it a 'bullrope')

Adjust the bull rope so that the buoy can come near the bow but not touch it.

When the wind and tide are together the boat lies to the main buoy rope, as usual, and the bullrope does nothing.

When the wind is opposed to the tide, and the wind is strongest, the bullrope comes into play but the load on it is quite light.

I have used this during a NE force 9 on a visitor buoy in L'Abervrac'h with a strong flood tide and it worked fine and protected my topsides from the attentions of a barnacle encrusted buoy. I didn't use it once in a similar gale against tide situation in Omonville, where the buoys are big and barnacle encrusted, because I was too exhausted to set it up, and suffered some bad scratches on the topsides.

 

[Poignard]

That's the idea. I'm sure Eric Hiscock would have liked the spring.

 

[Nina Lucia]

Thanks parsifal,
regards
Ivan

 

[Seajet]

Rather than risk bending an expensive spi pole, I'd have tried a length of stiff plastic tubing over the chain or rope ( plastic 'food grade' tubing as supplied by chandleries ); if long enough to reach from buoy to near the boat's stemhead, the stiffness should keep her off the buoy.

I've found that the boat & buoy hit in light to moderate winds over tide; in stronger conditions the boat will stream away from the buoy.

Good luck, whatever method you try.

 

[doug748]

Rather than risk bending an expensive spi pole, I'd have tried a length of stiff plastic tubing over the chain or rope ( plastic 'food grade' tubing as supplied by chandleries ); if long enough to reach from buoy to near the boat's stemhead, the stiffness should keep her off the buoy.

I am sure this could work very well. The problem is finding a length of suitable, very rigid, thick wall poly tube that is dead straight.
I assume the stuff is extruded and coiled down when still in the plastic state and it takes on that shape.
Unless you contemplate extreme measures, the curved tube always seems to fret it's way to pointing downward. This is the very opposite of what is needed, although it still works to a certain extent.
The whole "pole" and gear is left on the mooring so no particular stowage is required on the boat. There is good little product here for someone who would like to sort it out.

 

[Seajet]

Doug,

yes the tube will be curved, but this stuff is quite rigid; the curve acts a bit like a spring ( as in coil not berthing line ) and shock absorber as the boat coasts towards the buoy, pushing her back away from it.

Really just the same as anti-chafe tubing, just make it a bit longer.

 

[doug748]

Perhaps I should have been more explicit, Seajet. I am not guessing here, I have tried it

The longer you extend your "pole" the more it dangles down (eh up!). The curve takes a lot of the utility out of the set up. There comes an early point where extra length has a negative effect.

I have used tube of up to roughly 1/4 n wall, say 2 1/2in dia; this is a good choice; if it were straight. If it could be brought up to the plastic temperature and drawn out again that might do the trick.

The latest iteration in still in use, it still works. a bit. But see my earlier post.