450: Swinging on a mooring buoy - how to use bridle?

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by Whomda

And what attachment do you use to connect the short mooring bridle to the ball? A long shackle?

We put a fixed bail snap shackle on the bridle, marked the center of the bridle, then tied a knot making a loop a couple feet aft of the center point. We feed the shackle and loop thru the eye on the mooring ball then attached the shackle aft of the knot. You'll noticed an additional knot aft of the loop, the shackle goes between the (2) knots. By putting the shackle between the (2) knots, if you are sitting where wind and current can be opposite, the second knot prevents the shackle from climbing the bridle and keeps the mooring ball off the hulls. We typically don't use the painter on a mooring ball, if it has one. In calm conditions, this can be done by laying over the front beam, if not nice conditions, we'll slip a line thru the eye on the ball and pull it up using the bow roller and winch on the mast.

I hope this makes sense. We've used this for years and it works well.

[BambooSailor]

For us, the mooring fees are well worth the peace of mind.

I do not consider mooring safer than well-set anchor. Quite the opposite. There are many documented cases where boats were lost because of mooring failures.

[doublewide]

A reminder to all those who think it is OK to tie a knot in the bridle. One of the properties of a knot is that it concentrates the tension on the line at the point of the knot in such a way as to reduce the safe working load of the line by, to be conservative, 50%. So if you want a knot in your bridle, buy a line of twice the safe working load of your chain and shackles.

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by doublewide

A reminder to all those who think it is OK to tie a knot in the bridle. One of the properties of a knot is that it concentrates the tension on the line at the point of the knot in such a way as to reduce the safe working load of the line by, to be conservative, 50%. So if you want a knot in your bridle, buy a line of twice the safe working load of your chain and shackles.

And to some extent, so do hawse pipes, fairleads, and cleats!

[Rickthesailor]

HI,

We made up a short second bridle with a large heavy carabiner to snap on to the mooring line... We can attach this to the existing bridle at the padeyes on the hull. Seems to work fine. Always dive the mooring to ensure lines are good...

Regards

[bvisailing32]

We also rig double bridles to the mooring line eye.

Now this is not a catamaran, it is a 36 foot monohull, but close to the same idea. This double bridle method is required by the bare boat charter companies in the BVI. Most all bareboat skippers and charter skippers use the double bridle.

We pick up the mooring with the port hand side bridle and bring in back and proper cleat it to the same port bow cleat. The eye is up close to the port bow hull.

We leave the eye up close to the port toe rail.

Then we reave the starboard line outside of the pulpit, thru the secured up close eye, hual it back around the bow and outside of the pulpit, then pay them both out until the eye is a about a foot or so for'd of the bow. Not much line to twist or tangle.

Winds up separate bridles . Port and starboard. I use proper cleat hitches to the bow cleats, and then flemish out any access line on the deck.

I like your method for the catamaran .

We see lots of catamarans in the BVI, and they have generally new crew, family and friends picking up the mooring and they do a great job. Heck of lot faster than we are.

We will have changing tides, and winds from calm to ripping, and changing directions, especially in mooring fields near canyons with windshifts and back winding.

So far, so good.

Ship rule : After checking that the mooring is secure and proper, it is time for our after mooring beer . Feels great after a sailing passage and easing into a new harbor or bay.

[chouliha]

Originally Posted by tdetten

Get two 30 (or so) foot lines with a loop in one end. Place the loop around each of the outboard cleats at the bow. Feed the line through the bow pulpit, through the pad-eye of the mooring ball and back through the bow pulpit to the same cleat. Repeat this on the other side. You will have a secure, redundant set. In addition the line won't cut through the pad eye by sliding on it. Set and lock the rudders amid ship and your vessel will ride steady.



I see many boats running only one line through the eye of the mooring ball. Eventually the line will cut through the eye not to mention the back and forth motion of the vessel.



Tim

S/V Pura Vida

Tims advice is spot on. We see many many boats in French Polynesia attaching to mooring with one line from one chock looped thru the mooring pendant eye and back to the other side of the boat. It not only ruins the line sawing back and forth but ruins the mooring pendant as well. New moorings just installed thru out French Polynesia last season are ruined because of people being clueless.

Grrrrrrrr

Safe sailing

Chuck
Jacaranda
Tahiti

[Two Drifters]

Originally Posted by Rickthesailor

HI,

We made up a short second bridle with a large heavy carabiner to snap on to the mooring line... We can attach this to the existing bridle at the padeyes on the hull. Seems to work fine. Always dive the mooring to ensure lines are good...

Regards

Have done the same, made a short bridal - the two sections together are slightly wider than than the boat. Have a shackle at each end that fits through the eye bolt where the main bridal is and the central section has a shackle and a big snap shackle.

This stops the chaffing on the deck.

We also run the mooring lines down, but loose as safety, until we trust the new set up.

But for preference we will always anchor and trust our ground tackle.

[On The Brink]

Hi everyone,
Lots of good info here. We use the bridle system from Mantus. It's two lines spliced together leading to a thimble. Shackles used to connect on the bow and a huge snap link. It works great, never a problem. But we do agree that a well set anchor is the best choice. With that said we spoke use it from time to time. https://www.mantusmarine.com/mantus-bridle/


Jeanette