Nasty guest mooring pennants: Idea

[CLucas]

On several occasions I've arrived at a guest mooring only to find the pennant heavily encrusted with marine growth and sometimes with an eyesplice too small for my bow cleat or line too heavy for my bow chocks (or both). The marine growth makes a mess of the deck and the other issues make for what is sometimes a less than optimal mooring.

Here's my idea... why not use an 'extension' of sorts using a length of triple braid with a proper sized eyesplice and chafing gear at each end and additional chafing gear in the center. The 'extension' could be attached to the fouled/wrong-sized pennant using a cow hitch (larks head) and be protected by the anti-chafe in the center of the line. Not a long-term solution, of course, but how about for the occasional overnight?

I know I'm not the only one who has encountered this... A recent weekend at a prestigious YC on LIS left me with a single pennant using 1.5" line (too big for my chocks and bow cleat), a too small eyesplice and a reef-load of marine growth which looked really nice all over my deck.

Flame away...

[imagine2frolic]

You sir, have already solved your own problem.......i2f

[donradclife]

Just run a dock line from the bow, through the eye in the mooring, and back to the bow--It shouldn't be any problem overnight unless gales have been forecast.

[sailingdog]

I'd second Don's suggestion, and point out that you can run it from the port side chock, through the eye in the pennant, and then back through the starboard side bow chocks, and put a bit of tubular webbing over the line to protect it from chafe. If the webbing is lashed in place, casting off is very easy—just uncleat one side, and let it go....pull the line through the pennant's eye on the other side and you're free. Using a lark's head is much more of a PITA to deal with, and provides very little additional benefit.

[JT1019]

I keep a large carabineer onboard for just such an occasion. It is a large D style with a lock on it. I clip to the mooring pennant then to two dock line eyes creating a bridal to my boat. The carabineer is stainless and naturally very smooth plus is allows me change a single mooring line into a double. (Something important to a 42’ sailboat)

[DropTop]

Originally Posted by JT1019

I keep a large carabineer onboard for just such an occasion. It is a large D style with a lock on it. I clip to the mooring pennant then to two dock line eyes creating a bridal to my boat. The carabineer is stainless and naturally very smooth plus is allows me change a single mooring line into a double. (Something important to a 42’ sailboat)

I was just about to suggest the same thing before reading your post.

The company I used to own did alot of tower climbing (installation of 2 way microwave communications gear on towers) and we always used very large aluminum carabiners to clip around the angle iron struts and tower legs. After years of abuse and climbing in every weather condition possible from sun rain to sleet to snow to ice, they never rusted. Even though they were proactivly replaced after 3 years along with all climbing and saftey gear, I still felt they were safe to use.

Aluminum Carabiner, 2-1/4inch Twist - Miller Fall Protection - Mfg# 18D-2

these should work great for a mooring line.

[CLucas]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

I'd second Don's suggestion, and point out that you can run it from the port side chock, through the eye in the pennant, and then back through the starboard side bow chocks, and put a bit of tubular webbing over the line to protect it from chafe. If the webbing is lashed in place, casting off is very easy—just uncleat one side, and let it go....pull the line through the pennant's eye on the other side and you're free. Using a lark's head is much more of a PITA to deal with, and provides very little additional benefit.

My only thought on using a lark's head was to prevent (or greatly reduce) the two lines sawing against each other, but I'm all for simplifying Even with a lark's head, I wanted to incorporate some tubular webbing as an anti-chafe measure, but simpler is (often, but not always...) better.

Thanks.

[gtod25]

on deck. Instead you used your own dock line, cleat off one end, run the other through both pennant eyes, taking a round turn to prevent chaff, and secured your dock line back inboard. This system can be slipped easily and prevents chafe on the mooring pennants. You can use two docklines, one on each pennant if necessary. The extra length (pennant + dockline) should not increase your swing room by more that 2 or 3 ft.

QED

[CLucas]

Originally Posted by DropTop

I was just about to suggest the same thing before reading your post.

The company I used to own did alot of tower climbing (installation of 2 way microwave communications gear on towers) and we always used very large aluminum carabiners to clip around the angle iron struts and tower legs. After years of abuse and climbing in every weather condition possible from sun rain to sleet to snow to ice, they never rusted. Even though they were proactivly replaced after 3 years along with all climbing and saftey gear, I still felt they were safe to use.

Aluminum Carabiner, 2-1/4inch Twist - Miller Fall Protection - Mfg# 18D-2

these should work great for a mooring line.

Carabiner is a great idea, DropTop and JT1019. I will confess to my admittedly irrational paranoia which makes me a little nervous knowing that I might not be able to see metal fatigue in a biner as readily as I can see fatigue or wear in a nylon pennant. Climbing and professional/industrial "Fall Protection" gear is obviously constructed against rigorous standards. Great idea -- thanks!

[gtod25]

Aluminum Carabiner, 2-1/4inch Twist - Miller Fall Protection - Mfg# 18D-2

Has as 400 lbs. (181.4kg) maximum capacity. Even assuming that its breaking strength is 5 times that, why would you want to introduce such a weak link into any mooring system. 1/2 inch anchor line has a breaking strenght of 7,500 lbs, 3/4 inch anchor line has a breaking strenght of 16,700 lbs.

Even a stainless steel carabiner will make slipping more complex in heavy winds.

Obviously you experts can do what you wish ( I can heartily recommend the WM new "Mooring ball harpoon"), but for any newbie trolling for advice;

Keep it simple stupid. Follow the advice of "donradclife", sailingdog and my humble self. The second turn through the eye will reduce chaff unless you are staying for a month, in which case it will hardly be a guest mooring.