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Dual or single bow chock?
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Thanks guys.  Good point James to keep the shrouds, halyards and main sheet tight when on the mooring.  Nick makes an excellent point about the windage of a cover and I’m using a full boom tent so that is probably making the problem worse.  I like the roominess of the current tent but a simple cockpit cover with a lower profile might do an adequate job of shedding rain, blocking UV and deterring pests such as birds and thieves.  I’m tempted to just go with Doug’s suggestion of using two chocks BUT both Nicholas and James stress the importance of centering the rudder and while I’m certainly do that I’m now thinking maybe there is just a lot of play or backlash in the rudder (between tiller itself and shaft – “tiller head assembly”?) and maybe I should look into that first.  I’ll check it out and report back! 


I have two chocks and a bridle from my mooring. Works well. 
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Doug Hanks


When on a mooring you want the ruder tied to centerline and a firm backstay and firm mainsheet and halyards tied form and in a manner they do not slap back and forth in waves and wear stuff out. 
 It's suprising how much wear and tear the thousands of little waves in a day can cause.   If you do the two lines to the mooring ball ,it's possible to get one of the lines caught under the ball in a lazy wind, then when it blows you might get chafe. We solved that problem by putting swimm noodles on our pendant so they float over the top of the mooring ball rather than under. 


Regarding having two chocks on the bow and using both, I do not think this is needed.  A single pennant from the mooring buoy to the foredeck cleat is adequate.  It does not matter on which side the chock is located and "centralizing" the load with two chocks will not change the issue.  The chock is not far enough aft to cause one side of the boat to present itself to the wind more than the other.

Question:  Do you tie down, tightly, the tiller in the midship position when on the mooring?  A loose rudder could cause some of the "sailing" while on the mooring.  Related, would be the windage of the cockpit cover.

Nick Lubar
Ensign 1556
Fleet 29 Cleveland, Ohio

My post has merged with another on all things mooring security which is an excellent subject.  My specific question however is whether it is worth the trouble to use both a port and starboard bow chock to minimize the back and forth swing in high winds and waves?  My existing port bow chock (standard?) is maybe 6 inches from the centerline of the boat which is close to center but might still be causing it to clock quite a bit.  Some experienced sailors have told me 6” is close enough and all sailboats are going to swing a lot regardless so a single (strong) line is sufficient and in some ways advantageous.  Has anyone used both a single line and a bridle so they have been able to compare?  Does it make a big difference in swing?  Should I (re?install) a starboard chock? 

 

I think I’d rather have a bow eye – perfectly centered and closer to water level but access is crazy and it would bugger the lines.  Has anyone done that?

 

For what it’s worth my mooring is a Hazelett .  For those unfamiliar with these “conservation” moorings they are very different from a conventional ball mooring.  Instead of a mushroom, chain and ball there is a concrete block, a very strong marine grade bungie cord and a vertical tube instead of a ball.  Boats are tethered directly to the top of the vertical tube.  On a conventional mooring the chain drags 360 degrees and scours a lot of seabed.  A Hazelett floats completely off the seabed.  Anyway with that direct to seabed connection it probably behaves a bit differently than a mooring with a long and heavy chain perhaps leading to more swing than I would like?  I can start another post if that makes sense.      

I suspect there is a greater chance that the mooring line will fail than the bow chock will fail.  If you plan to put a line around the mast as a backup, perhaps it should be a separate line to the mooring ball.  

 

One around the mast sounds like good medicine for hurricane-proofing; that may seem melodramatic, but we actually do get those here. One of them was named Sandy. It made something of an impression on me, since we had to find a new place to live after that one…. but really, any storm that necessitate a dumpster will get your attention.


I ’m actually now sitting here pondering how we might be able to use some dock lines led back to the winches to provide some triple-redundancy… or more


Not something that you need all of the time, of course, but maybe one of those things that are worth doing when you know that a big blow is headed your way?




Matt Bailey

#1473 TEETEETOO

A spliced bridal is a good idea, passing either side of the forestay to the bow cleat, with a secondary, redundant tie around the mast.

Ephemeral (#1047) has only one bow chock (port). Originally there might have been one on starboard but judging by the absence of a starboard rub rail cap I think it might have been lost in a little incident over the last 60 years. Question; would the use of dual chocks and some kind of bridle/yoke to center the mooring line significantly reduce the amount of zig zagging (there must be a better nautical term) Ephemeral does on her mooring when the wind and waves whip up? When pointed straight upwind in 30 knots the mooring line tension is minimal (I can pull the boat up) but once the boat tracks sideways the line gets very taut before tacking back around. Still probably far below breaking strength but enough to make me worry on stormy nights.


Thanks, John

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