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Regional differences are interesting. We are on the Chesapeake. Based on their experience over the years with pennant failures caused by chaffe in two-pennant systems or by bridles, our marina specifically asks that boats on moorings use a single pennant. In Annapolis Harbor, the moorings are similarly configured with a single beefy pennant.
I was skeptical at first, but after a decade of safely mooring our boats like this, I'm pursuaded. Accounts from relatives and friends in New England waters suggest they are always battling chaffe and twist, and frequently need to renew their pennants despite the short season. Granted, the Chesapeake is a generally more sheltered region than the rugged coast of New England, but our boat is in the water year-round and our pennant only gets replaced when the cover begins to show signs of UV degradation -- not because of chaffe.
The INAMAR document is a bit ambiguous, but seems to suggest having the boat ride to a single pennant with another safety pennant as a back-up. I would just right-size the single pennant for the majority of conditions and have a super beefy storm pennant that I could swap when the big storms threatened. When Hurricane Isabel hit the Chesapeake a few years back, there was a fair bit of damage to boats on the bay. A retrospective article by BoatUS Insurance Group featured our marina prominently for the LACK of damage that occurred to boats moored there -- on single pennants (of course, they upped our insurance rates anyway!).
I have found the best prices and variety of sizes for Yale premium mooring pennants at Hamilton Marine in Maine (available on-line). They will even make a custom size for you if they don't have what you need in stock. Upon further reflection, you probably want a pennant well upwards of 1" in diameter for such a large boat as the Formosa 51. (1.5" ??)
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