Mooring with a chain.

When picking up a mooring buoy as a visitor you may find that there is no rope on the buoy to moor to.

Most people just use one of their own ropes and loop it through or tie it to the ring in the top of the buoy.

This is find in most conditions, but in areas where the rope is constantly being worked by the boats motion this rope can chafe through in a surprisingly short time.

One place where this is common is Bray harbour in Alderney. Boats rarely sit steady in Bray and are constantly pulling and jerking on their mooring lines. On several occasions I have seen lines chafe through in a couple of hours.

A useful piece of equipment to carry is a 5m length of chain with a large bow shackle. Once the buoy has been picked up, this chain should be shackled to the ring and then becomes the main mooring system. There is no way that will chafe through. A suitable length of chain only costs a few pounds, but will greatly increase your security.

It maybe worth securing the shackle pin with a length of wire or a small electrical cable tie.

Don't rely on someone passing by your boat noticing that the rope is chafing through, if they work locally and it is a common occurrence, they may just be waiting for it to snap so they can claim for rescuing the boat!

 

 

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