Chafing mooring lines.

When a boat is left moored up for any length of time it is prudent to protect the mooring lines with anti-chafing gear. This may be a piece of hose pipe or cloth placed around the rope at the points of contact.

However, research has shown that when a rope is continually stressed by being loaded and unloaded by swell (such as from a nearby hurricane), a major cause of failure can be the heating of the fibres from the middle outwards.

One of the contributory factors to the rope heating up can be the waterproofing protection provided by the anti-chafing gear. This is especially the case when plastic pipe.

In extreme conditions it may be worth ensuring that the ropes are kept wet to keep the internal temperature down. Of course in the UK this in not normally a problem!

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Sea Survival

The Captain's Guide to Liferaft Survival should be stored in every ocean voyaging yacht's liferaft.

It covers the techniques necessary for long term survival in a liferaft in terms easily understood by the layman. Included are survival tips for when you do reach land and what equipment to have aboard the yacht in case the worst does happen.

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