Lost Our Boat Due To A Bad Mooring Swivel...

[lordgeoff]

Originally Posted by motion30

This is exactly why I only wish to swing on my own gear

Absolutely correct.
Also “........only as strong as the weakest link”

[Paul L]

You might prefer to hang on your own anchor, but there are places where taking a mooring makes more sense. Among them the anchorage is 60 or 80 feet deep, the mooring field consumes all the good anchoring areas leaving only marginal spots, the press of too many boats in too small an area.

[alansmith]

That blows my mind. Most of us wouldn’t have known either.
I have learnt several things from your trrrible loss. First, is how easily it is to be fooled by someone else’s mooring fields. No idea how well they have been set up or maintained. Secondly, how much risk an owner has when he is off the boat and no one to watch after it. Thirdly, I’m either going to make up a cable pendant or a dynemma pendant as an emergency go to when using a mooring.
Once again, I’m so sorry that this happened to your family. Wish I the best.

[zeehag]

i have seen way too many reports after swivels fail. sad to hear of your surprise, and i hope folks learn from these issues.
best of luck to you.

[unbusted67]

Happens ALL the time. My family owns a boatyard and we maintain hundreds of moorings. Absolutely zero swivels on any of them. Think about this. Why would you need a swivel? Is your mooring block rotating? Is your boat?

I almost lost a boat to a blow with a swivel once. Put it on the mooring, rowed into the dock, didn't feel right, rowed back out, pick up the mooring and out went the swivel pin. Always trust your gut.

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by Benz

I wonder if the people who rent the moorings have any liability if the mooring fails? It seems like if you're renting something you have a responsibility to maintain it.

I wondered this, too.

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by NYSail

I have a back up pendant that I attach to every mooring I use be it for one night or 2 weeks.. I attach directly to the main chain...... takes about 5 minutes. highly recommend. Sorry to hear.

Greg

Exactly.

[NahanniV]

Originally Posted by Benz

.......
I wonder if the people who rent the moorings have any liability if the mooring fails? It seems like if you're renting something you have a responsibility to maintain it.

This was not a rented mooring, it was loaned to us in good faith by our friends. All the gear was about one year old.

This brings up another question I had: If we had had insurance would it have paid out in this circumstance ? And then, the follow on question is: if they had paid, would the insurance company have gone after the mooring owner ? Our friends; We would not have allowed that to happen.

[NahanniV]

Originally Posted by unbusted67

.......
Why would you need a swivel? Is your mooring block rotating? Is your boat?
.......

Yes the boat would sometimes rotate around the non rotating block.
Twisting the bridals and the chain.
But maybe that's not really a problem ?

[Jim Cate]

Use of swivels is a common practice here in Oz, and many other places we've been. The mooring areas are sometimes subject to reversing tidal streams or daily land/sea breeze reversals, and I suspect that is the reasoning for the swivel. I'm not sure of the necessity myself.

Often the swivel is placed at the bottom of the riser chain where it lies in the mud much of the time... bad outlook for them, and rendering the backup pennant useless (relative to swivel failure).

At any rate, I'm so sorry for your loss, and compliment you on your attitude in such a hard time... and for raising such a smart daughter!

Jim

PS Stories like yours are why we too prefer to lie to our own tackle when ever possible.

[Bambooboat]

I'm sorry for your loss as well. It is the stuff we are all scared off. Many of us are here on this forum to learn about how to do things right and stay out of trouble. In this case it seems such a random, bad luck situation, but it does point out the weak links in the system to watch out for.

Your attitude to the loss and your young daughter's wisdom is admirable!

I do not wish to take the thread off topic but do have a question. I'f I were sitting in my boat at an anchorage and see an unattended boat drifting by, I would not want to just sit there and watch the drama unfold. So if I were to jump in my dinghy and board the boat and try to help, what situation would I be facing? What could a person do with no keys? No access to the power circuits? Limited time? Radio for more help? Try and drop the anchor? Tie up to the dinghy and tow? What if the efforts are unsuccessful and I end up on the beach with the boat? Might the owner feel inclined to sue my pants?

Maybe we have an opportunity here to mentally prepare for a similar situation here.

[NahanniV]

Originally Posted by Bambooboat

I'm sorry for your loss as well. It is the stuff we are all scared off. Many of us are here on this forum to learn about how to do things right and stay out of trouble. In this case it seems such a random, bad luck situation, but it does point out the weak links in the system to watch out for.

Your attitude to the loss and your young daughter's wisdom is admirable!

I do not wish to take the thread off topic but do have a question. I'f I were sitting in my boat at an anchorage and see an unattended boat drifting by, I would not want to just sit there and watch the drama unfold. So if I were to jump in my dinghy and board the boat and try to help, what situation would I be facing? What could a person do with no keys? No access to the power circuits? Limited time? Radio for more help? Try and drop the anchor? Tie up to the dinghy and tow? What if the efforts are unsuccessful and I end up on the beach with the boat? Might the owner feel inclined to sue my pants?

Maybe we have an opportunity here to mentally prepare for a similar situation here.

In our case:

Our Anchor was ready to deploy.

The bridal was attached to the mooring cleats, so the boat could easily have been tied to another mooring.

We also had a spare aluminum spade anchor ready to go, with short chain+ long nylon rode attached in the anchor locker, for ourselves or to loan out to someone who needed it.

I'm fairly certain if someone had seen our boat drifting they could have secured it. Although boarding once the boat was away from the protecting shore would have been difficult.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Paul L

You might prefer to hang on your own anchor, but there are places where taking a mooring makes more sense. Among them the anchorage is 60 or 80 feet deep, the mooring field consumes all the good anchoring areas leaving only marginal spots, the press of too many boats in too small an area.

I left out the best reason to use a mooring. You are over live reef.

[Rorzech]

I'm really sorry for your unfortunate stroke of bad luck that caused such a disaster. Thank's for showing us all ,what can happen when you put your faith in somebody's old gear. I'll think twice from now on. That looked like a beautiful yawl. Way better than my scow !

[NSboatman]

John, it still breaks my heart to see those pics, and I've gone back to look at them many times. You guys are such wonderful people and so undeserving of such bad luck; it s truly horrible that this happened to you. Most folks probably don't know that the reason you took the mooring in the first place was to park the boat temporarily and get home to deal with a family illness... and is a such it was a double blow at an already difficult time.

Your family's wonderful attitude, resilience, care for others and generosity to visited communities are a credit to yourself and Kathryn, and a model to be followed. I am so impressed with your emotional and physical stamina through this time.

For those who don't know john and Kathryn, they are very experienced sailors and cruisers who were on their second major escape - this time with their wonderful kids.

I feel privileged to call them friends.