Thames Mooring

[boatone]

errr......steady on andrew......not been reading about mulberry harbours, have you? /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif



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[tripleace]

ref to idiots was about the fact that they couldn't moor up on anything other than a footpath and thus would need some help such as my triangle bag thing.

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[Andrew_Fanner]

Er, I confess

<hr width=100% size=1>Two beers please, my friend is paying.

 

[boatone]

Well apollo, I have put my money where my mouth is and been out and bought the bits - grapnel anchor about as heavy as I can sensibly throw out/manually recover with 2 metres of chain attached to which I have spliced 12 metres of 14mm rope.
Now, no doubt the purists will say there should be 5 metres of chain and someone will no doubt tell me the warp isnt long enough etc etc but we are talking the non tidal Thames here where 10 feet of water is quite a luxury and current is minimal though generally enough to gently carry you downstream.
So....all I need now is an excuse to play and maybe that will arise at the weekend.
I will report back...........but in Nick2 tradition I feel bound to ask....should I use an anchor buoy and tripping line.....?

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[adarcy]

<<I feel bound to ask....should I use an anchor buoy and tripping line.....? >>

Well it's obviously up to you but we ALWAYS do and, so far, have never had to trip it out. I am sure the first time we don't bother with buoy and line, we'll never be able to get it up. On the other hand, one has read here a few times this year alone where peeps had problems and had to abandon (? temporarily) anchors.

Yer pays yer money .......

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[alpha]

Hi Tony,

Might I be so bold as to say that I think you should probably use more chain, and have a longer warp... <big grin>.

Seriously, though, having anchored on the Thames quite often, I'd add that other users just have no idea about anchoring, and my reason for suggesting more chain would be to keep the exposed part of the rig as small as possible...

Otherwise, I fear other mobos, rowers, etc, will snatch on the rode and cause problems.

Also, of course, the chain is what holds the rig in place, not the anchor, and I would have thought that 2m was too little, especially as I'm guessing that you won't in fact be able to set the anchor properly (largely as it's a grapnel, pretty useless except in a few unique situations, but also because you won't have the scope to apply a good long drag on it).

I'd use as big a Danforth, Bruce, or CQR as I could get my hands on, lay it in the river before approaching the mooring (eliminates the need for throwing), have a chain of about 15m and then rope, use the last 5m or so of movement to set it by making fast, and aim to have only a tiny bit of rope going more-or-less straight down to the chain.

Another benefit is that with hardly any rope rode in the water, the likelihood of some sort of c**k up causing a rope round prop situation is minimised...

As always, only my opinion, and probably wrong!

ps I've got some lovely 'Do Not Touch' stickers somewhere... They're about the size of the buttons on your AP... Any use to you?

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[boatone]

I agree with everything you say but you must apreciate that I am approaching geriatricy and the weight and recovery issues are going to be a key issue for a little chap like me.

I am really just looking to have a bit of fun experimenting so there is no risk of me relying on inadequate gear....in fact it will be interesting to see just how much holding power is actually achieved with the limited setup. The grapnel with two metres plus of chain is actually quite heavy and I can see heaving it back by hand being quite strenuous enough without mechanical assistance.

As for the 'Do Not Touch' stickers I think there may be wisdom in leaving things as they are rather than actually drawing attention to things that are best not fiddled with. I think the gentleman concerned is suitably remorseful/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

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[Johnnygil]

Apollo / B1 and every one else

What on earth are we talking about.......

Still if we all meet on 11/12 sept no doubt you will enllighten me.

Looking forward to the mist becoming clear

John

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[coliholic]

Ah well JohnnyGil, I think they're having a quiet dig at me here with reference to buttons and do not touch signs.

Had an invite from that very nice doddery old B1 and his much younger SWMBO on Sunday and a jolly nice trip up the Thames it was too. Went below to get a drink and saw this flashing red buttton on the downstairs steering postion. Well of course it was just too tempting and I just HAD to push it and se what happened didn't I? Next thing B1's got all engines going hard astern and crying out "I've got no steeering I've got no steering, man the life boats, call the RNLI, send out a mayday, abandon ship, women and children first after me". So I pushed the button again, disengaged the autopilot and peace and calm returned.

And yes the word "plonker" did form heavily in both B1's vocabulary and Alpha's too when we met up with him later and B1 regaled him with the story.

Got quite worried when B1 started practising his knots on a piece of rope tied to this infamous kedge anchor and the other end to my leg.


Leastways I think this is what they're both snideily reffering to.

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[alpha]

Some practical stuff...

I had a go at kedging off a few times recently, as much to hone the technique and evaluate as anything else...

Tackle: 7Kg Danforth type, 5m of chain, loads of rope.

Technique: Approach the chosen berth, bows to, to evaluate where you want the bows to end up and what mooring tackle there is on the bankside. Then, motor off into the channel. Make a second approach, and about two boat lengths off, deploy the kedge over the stern with the chain and rope paying out as the boat runs forward. As the bank is neared, take a bow line off and make fast. Then add second bow line and any 'springs' desired. This was all done single-handed on a 32ft twin diesel boat - no problem, but then I am reasonably fit(!!!).

Result: A comfy night, the only two issues being (i) whether to deploy anchor ball and use light (decision:yes, even though most won't know what it means); (ii) whether someone passing very close by my stern would pick the kedge rope up in their props (this didn't happen!).

Conclusion: A worthwhile technique, and a possible solution to some river woes.

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