Strop for 'overnight' mooring

[pcatterall]

My previous boats have both had long term moorings and,after experimenting a bit I was happy with the system I arrived at.
We are now looking at cruising further afield and using 'visitor' moorings where we can.
Bearing in mind the different mooring types we may find and the different wave/current/wind/ situations at various moorings is there a 'touring' strop and connectors/methods of making fast that you may recommend. I guess that ease of attachment and letting go will be important plus the usual protection at rollers and fairleads.
What do you do/advise.

 

[vyv_cox]

I have a strop made up specifically for this. It is three-strand nylon, about 14 mm diameter, with about 1.5 metres of 8 mm chain spliced into the middle. Copes with rusty shackles on buoys admirably, and can be used for retrieving fouled anchors.

 

[Juggler7823]

I think Vyvs construction is about right. I made one with 20/22mm 3 strand and 6/8mm chain. It would not go through the shackle attached to the buoy!

 

[Searush]

TBH, I grab a handy bit of old climbing rope to pass thro the bare eyes of visitor moorings. They tend to be in fairly sheltered places where I cruise & if it isn't sheltered in current or forecast conditions, I go where it will be & anchor if no moorings.

If in doubt, put a second bit of heavier warp thro & leave it a little slack as a stand-by. I've never had a rope damaged by chafe yet. I presume you are probably only stopping over night? If not, check every morning & adjust the potential chafe spot.

EDIT: Just re-read your post & it seems you may be planning to leave her unattended for a while between cruises. If that is the case, then the rope/chain/rope idea is good, but I might even consider a proper strop & moused bow shackle for periods of a week or more. It would only take a minute to swop from/to a temp rope before you leave & then again when you return ready for the next stage of the cruise.

 

[Elessar]

I have a strop made up specifically for this. It is three-strand nylon, about 14 mm diameter, with about 1.5 metres of 8 mm chain spliced into the middle. Copes with rusty shackles on buoys admirably, and can be used for retrieving fouled anchors.

excellent idea. I shall be copying this.

edit, in fact mine will have 2 eyes on the rope ends that can plop over the windlass. Easy, and a low chafe, straight route.

 

[rob2]

I like the chain part to be long enough to come through the fairleads either side for chafe protection and the tails cross to the cleats - I believe that windlasses aren't supposed to be used for mooring strains. Easy enough to set up eye splices to suit the freeboard of your boat, though.

Rob.

 

[Robin]

We carried a length of chain which was long enough to reach the buoy and double back on board and would tie a warp to each end of this to form a closed loop. To use, thread the warp through the buoy ring and pull back on board (we had a line threader) then attach to the chain ends and shuffle until the chain is through the buoy ring and both ends of the chain are just over the bow roller and tie off the doubled warp either on one cleat or on two if that suits your foredeck layout better. Slipping was simply a matter shuffling the chain all back on board, untying the warp and slipping the warp.

We always used the chain unless the buoy was really sheltered. Years ago I left a boat just 30 minutes on a buoy with a doubled warp, just long enough to row 100yds to the chandlers for a new gas cylinder and the warp was chafed almost through in the wind over tide. We also saw a Co32 go walkabout in Alderney and put back on the buoy by some local fishermen, for a fat fee I heard too, the owners were ashore.

 

[Juggler7823]

It might not be possible to get an eye through the shackle. One eye for a cleat is useful and a bare end to pass through the shackle.

 

[vyv_cox]

I like the chain part to be long enough to come through the fairleads either side for chafe protection and the tails cross to the cleats

If you do this with rope it can wear through in minutes as the boat yaws. If you put both sides of the line through the same fairlead, or over the bow roller, there is no sawing action and the rope will last far longer.

Some years ago YM carried an article by a man who lost his boat on Gigha. He had moored to one of the Highlands and Islands buoys there using this method. His boat went onto the rocks and was lost, despite heroic effort by him. Sorry, forgotten the names of both him and his boat, but he was a fairly famous long-distance sailor.

 

[Elessar]

I like the chain part to be long enough to come through the fairleads either side for chafe protection and the tails cross to the cleats - I believe that windlasses aren't supposed to be used for mooring strains. Easy enough to set up eye splices to suit the freeboard of your boat, though.

Rob.

I don't have fairleads either side the cleats are right outboard and offer a fair run to a dock.

I often hear it said that the windlass isn't strong enough. I'm happy that it is on mine, it might not always be the case.

The chain coming up long enough to not chafe in the roller is a good idea but may increase the risk of topside damage on my boat on the turn, it is a strange arrangement. The only fairlead I have is on the bow, again it wouldn't protect the front from chain damage. Pipe covered chain up through the bow roller may be the best.

Still the chain and rope is an excellent idea.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

My previous boats have both had long term moorings and,after experimenting a bit I was happy with the system I arrived at.
We are now looking at cruising further afield and using 'visitor' moorings where we can.
Bearing in mind the different mooring types we may find and the different wave/current/wind/ situations at various moorings is there a 'touring' strop and connectors/methods of making fast that you may recommend. I guess that ease of attachment and letting go will be important plus the usual protection at rollers and fairleads.
What do you do/advise.

Its useful to have a length of chain ( say about 2m) with rope at each end so you can drop the chain over a buoy which hasnt got a pick up rope and tie off both ends to your cleats whilst you sort out something better. Also useful to have a length of decent nylon with a stainless or nylon thimble in the end and placcy tube where it will come aboard. Then you need a longer length of 10 / 12 mm nylon to use as a snubber rope.

 

[prv]

I often hear it said that the windlass isn't strong enough. I'm happy that it is on mine, it might not always be the case.

I think the usual concern is for the mechanism and axle of the windlass, rather than its mounting to the deck. If you're planning to drop a strop around the whole thing, you won't be stressing those parts.

Pete

 

[SHUG]

Some years ago YM carried an article by a man who lost his boat on Gigha. He had moored to one of the Highlands and Islands buoys there using this method. His boat went onto the rocks and was lost, despite heroic effort by him. Sorry, forgotten the names of both him and his boat, but he was a fairly famous long-distance sailor.

I hope I am not committing a libel here but I think it was the famous Frank Mulville and his beloved boat Iskra.
PS I think the boat was stranded and not wrecked. It may still be afloat.....somewhere!

 

[pcatterall]

Thanks guys. I'm ashamed to say that there is actually one on the boat (rope chain rope)
I thought "thats a good idea for lasooing buoys" The brain didn't consider that I could then use it for the actuall mooring !! Other tips v useful as ever.

 

[vyv_cox]

I hope I am not committing a libel here but I think it was the famous Frank Mulville and his beloved boat Iskra.

Yes, you are right. It's worth Googling his name, he was a remarkable sailor.

 

[snooks]

What do you do/advise.

We have one of these:

It's a nylon strop with a large caribiner spliced on the end....above you can see the caribiner clipped to my chain hook for anchoring. Two jobs out of one bit of rope

It has a bit of plastic tube top protect it where it goes through my bow roller.
All the strain will be taken up on this line, then a slack second line will be threaded through the buoy....just in case

So coming up to a mooring it would be: lasoo, clip on, unlassoo and thread through the loop at the top of the buoy with a round turn and cleat off slack.