Mooring Bridle?

[Bill Root]

During the entire 10,000 miles we traveled on the Great loop I never had to tie to a mooring ball. I either anchored out or stayed in a marina. Now, though, many cities are turning their anchorages into mooring fields. I expect I will be encountering several of them when we cruise this summer, and to add to the anxiety, the boat we have now is considerably larger than the 43' DCMY we had for doing the loop.

I've read through the earlier posts on proper procedure for tieing to mooring balls. It was a great discussion. Most of it centered around using one line that was secured to one of the bow cleats with the bitter end passed through the bow chock, then through the eye of the mooring ball or attached painter, and secured to the oposite side bow cleat. There was little or no discussion about making a mooring "bridle" that would be carried on the boat and presumably setup on deck prior to approaching the ball.

What do those of you who use mooring balls frequently think about using a bridle? I seem to see a lot of sailboats in particular using them. What would be some of the rules to follow when making one up, ie how long should it be? What to use make the final attachment of the bridle to the ball/painter?

Thanks for sharing yo0ur knowledge.

 

[Canuck Dennis]

One thing that bothers me about a bridle is any mooring line should always have the bitter end on the boat, the bridles I have seen have loops for the boat cleats.

 

[REBrueckner]

I've always pulled the mooring ball painter loop(s) aboard and used my own line as a bridle threaded thru the loop(s) as you describe...I used the spliced loop of my own line on one cleat and a KNOT on the other end. With two half hitches on a cleat, for example, you can always release the line from that knot end even if under tension as required in an emergency.

Before shutting down the engines, I'd always back down in idle reverse on at least one engine to be sure the mooring would at least hold that strain. Two engines if I expected bad weather. Some mooring fields are properly maintained, like those in Nantucket Harbor, others haven't been touched in years as evidenced by the crud on the ball and chain...as in remote anchorages in Maine. I'd always picked the largest ball I could find hoping it had the heaviest tackle. You had no choice because many times there was no room to anchor and protocol is to use any available ball and move if the owner arrives. In the State of Mass I was told by a cop I could not anchor in a mooring field...even though I thought I had plenty of room...He made me move at night to a distant point via a really narrow winding channel.

In some storm situations, I've tied to a pair of mooring balls for extra security. That can be problamatic if the wind substantially changes direction, but works great for, say, a three day Nor'easter forecast. Because of length, I've sometimes been unable to double back on the lines as described but you can always just throw a knotted nylon line end overboard (and it will sink) if the wind direction changes and retrieve or reconnect the line via dinghy. In fact I sprung a hoop 1/4" SS bolt on my anchor pulpit that way one time...I heard it "go" and wondered what the dickens had happened...took me a few minutes to find that.


In Nantucket I tied to a 4 ft diameter steel ball....it looked like hell and had been there for years with about a 50 ft or so 3" diameter line attached and floating around..I almost ran over the line when passing one year. I had thought it for tugs/barges but turned out it was for the Lightship Nantucket, now privately owned,when anchoring away from the marina and it sported, if I recall, a 6,000 lb mushroom according to the Lightship Captain who said I could use it. For some reason he dropped an equally large mushroom type anchor directly from the lightship when anchoring in the vicinity...single handing the lightship!!!

 

[captainwjm]

I use two lines: each is attached to a cleat on the bow, passed through the eye on the ball, and then back through the same chock and attached to the same cleat. That give me an adjustable bridle, no problem with "sawing" chafing where the line passes through the eye, and the security of 2 lines.

 

[Fanfare]

Doug Shuman showed me this nifty device for threading a line through a mooring eye on a buoy. It goes on to/replaces a boat hook. He showed me that it works, but as I am unable to understand knitting or weaving it was above my pay grade. He said it was called the "Happy Hooker" and so it was when I just Googled it. Try "happy hooker boat mooring" or you may be surprised at what comes up. Or maybe not.... WM had it, plus another from Wichard which looked a bit more substantial. You put your line into this sort-of-heart-shaped plastic device, shove it at the mooring eye, and it threads the eye and returns the line to you as you pull it back. It's magic! I've been meaning to get one myself. It would be better if you get one and write a review here as it could save me $$.

 

[GJH]

We have used moorings extensively in our travels, on this boat up and down the east coast, and a variety of boats on the west coast. We lived on moorings for months at a time in Marathon, FL and Westport MA. One issue is that there are a number of mooring designs, so you are confronted with different retrieval and tie-up methods.

Some, like our mooring on Westport, had the bridle on the mooring with a floating pennant that floated it while we were away; the float had a nice long stick on it so we just came along side and lifted it; there was a mooring ball that helped float the assembly as well, and came up to the boat:

Vero Beach also had the bridle on the mooring, but you needed a long boat hook to lift it up through the ball, which in turn stayed in the water. I once had that bridle break while I was pulling it by hand up to my bow cleat. In Vero, you are often rafted up to other boats; if you are the second or third boat on, you raft to the "mother boat" as instructed by the harbor master, then secure your boat to the mooring via your tender.

Then you have the style that has a ring attached to the float and you ran your lines through that; or the float; or the style where the ring is on a chain that then comes up through the float, etc. Cuttyhunk has the ring on the end of a nice tall pole on top of the ball. We have a "Happy Hooker", which works on some of these designs, but have never deployed it. I could go on about the nuances of the moorings at Santa Catalina Island, or Ayala Cove in SF Bay or up in the San Juans... all different (though the San Juans are mostly chain-through-float. Notice i sometimes use the term "float" instead of ball; out a common float is a tire around a pyramid shaped metal structure.

Your best tool is a long extendable boat hook. Because of the freeboard of our boats, you often have to come along side the ball with the bitter end of an already secured-to-the-bow-cleat line and then walk it to the front. As mentioned above. the proper method for attaching to a ring is to bring the line back to the same cleat, preferably a line coming off each bow cleat.

So what's the point here? Call the harbormaster well in advance and find out how the moorings are designed, and for tips on how to secure them! Also, there are often just certain moorings (or none) that are designed to hold boats this size. For instance, there are only a dozen "big boat" moorings at Marathon for boats 45ish to 60ft. The limit is about 45ft at Key West's Garrison field. Nantucket has a variety, all labeled. And don't be afraid to ask if the launch, if there is one, can come help you, or appeal to any nearby fellow boaters in their dinghy who are usually quite helpful, its part of the social code.

 

[Bill Root]

Sorry I haven't acknowledged all these great repsonses sooner. I went to the boat yesterday morning to do a quick clean-up and found that the brids had been having a field day. Wound up staying overnight to get her all cleaned up.

This has been very helpful information. I appreciate the detail and time you all took to give me the benefit of your mooring ball experience. The suggestion to use two lines, each secured separately to the mooring, is a great one. I was concerned about chafing if I used only one line passed through the ball ring. The pictures from George are particularly helpful.

With regard to the 'Happy Hooker", I had looked at one of them in a West Marine store a while back. After reading the instructions and trying to visualize exactly how it would work, my head began to hurt so I put it back on the shlef. Maybe I'll spring for it this time and write a review as was suggested.

Our cruising this year will be up the east coast from Florida as far as our fuel budget will allow, hopefully to Chesapeake Bay. Thanks again for all your help.

 

[GJH]

Bill, you are welcome to try mine for awhile if our paths ever cross. Or PM and I will mail it to you before you head out.

 

[Pascal]

Using a single line from one cleat thru the mooring painter and onto the other cleat is ok for a short time otherwise it will result in significant chaffe on the mooring painter.

Some mooring fields frown upon such practice (exumas land n sea park for one)

Ideally, run on line from each bow cleat thru the eye and back to the same side. A little more work but better

But indeed almost every mooring field is different. For instance in Nantucket the bridle is part of the mooring with large eyes so you don't have anything to rig. On the other hand in Newport RI the larger moorings 65+ dont even have a painter so you have to rig your own line thru the float steel eye... A lot of fun when you re alone!!

 

[Bill Root]

Thanks, Pascal.

 

[ron6785]

Thanks, Pascal.

There are alot of different ways to tie to a mooring ball but you want to try to avoid chaffing the pendent on the mooring, which is what happened to some friends of ours on their sail boat in late december in dinner key . They only had one line run thru the ball pendent and it sawed it thru and their boat went on a walk about found it heading towards key west. Better to run two lines one from the starboard bow cleat and back to it , and same on port bow cleat. It's the easiest to drop and better that running your boat anchor bridle to the ball.

I trust my Rockna more than most balls I've seen especially in the Bahamas.

 

[Bill Root]

Ron:

Two lines to avoid chafing makes great sense to me. Thanks.

 

[Nonchalant1]

Sorry I haven't acknowledged all these great repsonses sooner. I went to the boat yesterday morning to do a quick clean-up and found that the brids had been having a field day. Wound up staying overnight to get her all cleaned up.

This has been very helpful information. I appreciate the detail and time you all took to give me the benefit of your mooring ball experience. The suggestion to use two lines, each secured separately to the mooring, is a great one. I was concerned about chafing if I used only one line passed through the ball ring. The pictures from George are particularly helpful.

With regard to the 'Happy Hooker", I had looked at one of them in a West Marine store a while back. After reading the instructions and trying to visualize exactly how it would work, my head began to hurt so I put it back on the shlef. Maybe I'll spring for it this time and write a review as was suggested.

Our cruising this year will be up the east coast from Florida as far as our fuel budget will allow, hopefully to Chesapeake Bay. Thanks again for all your help.

Bill,

The Happy Hooker works fine on a 53MY with all that freeboard. If the mooring ball has a harness, you don't need it, but if it's just a ball with an eye on top, you really do. I always attached a 50 ft. 1/4 inch line to the Happy Hooker and you just shove the Hooker clasp against the mooring ball eye and pull it back and it passes the line through the eye and returns it to you. I had a 3/4' mooring line attached to the 1/4 inch leader butted together with duck tape so I could pull the big line through the eye smoothly. In rough weather, use 2 lines returned to their cleats by re-rigging with your dinghy after you have one attached with the Happy Hooker.

Also, carry a 15 ft. 1 inch mooring line for harnesses in saltwater because you don't want to put them on your cleats (oysters, shells, crud, etc.). Just pass the big line through the harness and back to the opposite cleat so the harness never touches the boat.

Doug

 

[Bayside Bert54]

A pair of these work very nicely.

http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse.cfm/mooring-pennant-3-4-20-polydyne-s-s-147083-/4,32991.html

The nice little extra blue 1/8" line is connected near the loop and used to lock out the loop so it doesn't come free inadvertently ... excellent system.

Mike

 

[Bill Root]

Thanks, Doug & Mike.