Temporary Mooring 25D

[Dick Kobayashi]

Susan B is moored at Mattapoisett Boatyard not too far from my cottage in Mattapoisett. However, I would like to moor it on a temporary basis, 2 to 5 days, off the beach on the lee side of Angelica point in Buzzards Bay. This would not provide much protection from wind but would from waves. So why not just anchor in this location? Answer: wind shifts. I have had good luck with my danforth in BB but I am not so sure that would be the case if wind and current turned my boat in a 180 once or more than once. Can I use a small mushroom to serve as the basis for a temporary Mooring?. Remember I need to lift it. I have plenty of chain and stuff. What I am looking for is a simple effective TEMPORARY solution. Boat is a 25D. So why this question anyway? My grand children like to swim off it and eat lunch on it and can tolerate a 45 minute sail sometimes. Susan B would get more use if I could moor it for a bit in the lee of Angelica Point. In adverse forecast conditions I'd move it to Mattapoisett Boatyard

[steveg]

Hi Dick,

How deep is it? Any reason you could not use a spade anchor, such as a mantus 25#, with about 25 feet of chain and as much line as needed and be fine?

[PortTack]

Side question, how does one formulate what is the appropriate size anchor and amount of chain/rode you need for your size boat and anchoring depth?

[wikakaru]

Danforth-style anchors are notorious for not resetting after a wind or current shift. There are other anchor designs that work better under those conditions. Use a Claw, Spade, Mantus, Rocna, or something similar.

A mushroom is suited for use as a permanent mooring. Mushrooms rely more on their weight than shape to help them stay put and are typically for long-term usage (i.e. many years between resetting). "Removable" anchors (for lack of a better word) rely more on their shape than their weight to help them stay put.

You might use a 250-pound mushroom for that job, or a 25-35 pound Mantus. Compare these two sizing charts:

https://www.jamestowndistributors.com/u ... docId=1107
https://www.mantusmarine.com/mantus-anc ... or-sizing/

If you are going to haul the anchor up, as you say you plan to do, you would certainly NOT want to use a mushroom.

To answer your "side question", Google "anchoring scope" and you will find jillions of results.

Smooth sailing,

Jim

[John Stone]

What seems like a very wise approach to a temporary mooring is contained in the Pardey’s book Cost Conscious Cruiser. I have never used the technique but I cary the components to do it. Essentially, you anchor, let the chain out half way. Shackle on a swivel and attach a long mooring line to it. Let the chain out the rest of the way while you drift back. Shackle on another anchor with a trip attached to it to the end of the chain and lower it. Haul back to the swivel and raise it up to the bow. Tie the trip line off near the the chain short of the swivel. Lower it down. Your boat is now riding on a mooring line attached to a swivel secured to two anchors in opposite direction. Your boat is free to turn with the current. Both anchors remain set and never have to turn and reset with the change of the tide. You recover your anchors by hauling up the mooring line to the swivel. Untie the tripline and ease back to the aft anchor. Use the trip line to recover it. Now you are back on a single anchor which you recover in the normal way.

The book has pictures and detailed narrative on the technique I described. If you buy the book you’ll be rewarded with a wealth of knowledge, regarding a wide variety of topics, on how to affordably and safely cruise on small boats.

No one knows more about sailing or living aboard small bluewater boats the the Pardey’s. Their keep it simple approach may not be for everyone but you only have to adopt what works for you.

[Dick Kobayashi]

All, Thank you. and to John Stone - I sort of get the Pardy's approach as you described and am interested enough to have ordered their book - Arrives on Wednesday. Their two anchor system involving chain and swivel seems to make sense. I will study closely and if I implement will advise the board. The area I will try a temp mooring is not deep but I don't think this matters at all.

[Steve Darwin]

Dick,

If I remember right, Chapman's Piloting describes how a hurricane swept all the boats and moorings from a Long Island harbor - all moorings except two. The two survivors each consisted of three anchors deployed 120 degrees from each other with their chains leading back to a common, iron ring, which was also the attachment point of the top chain and buoy. The multiple anchors tend to hold the ring on or near the bottom such that the top chain pull, from whatever wind direction, is horizontal.

Steve

[wikakaru]

I used that method in anchoring a previous boat for two hurricanes: Ivan in 2004, and Dennis in 2005. We had 3 anchors on 3 separate chains laid 120-degrees apart leading to a swivel, with about a 25-foot length of nylon shackled to the swivel with an eye splice to absorb surge loads, then a chain shackled to the nylon leading to the boat so there was no nylon to chafe at the bow fittings. Ours was one of the few boats in the Pensacola area to survive either storm. The anchors were Bruces and Lewmar Claws.

After Ivan it took me a full day to retrieve all the anchors--they were buried so deep in the mud that it was a huge task to break them loose. I had rigged trip lines to the anchors to help tell where the anchors were and to help break them out afterwards, and when I came back after the hurricane all the trip buoys were gone. I thought that some boat that came in after me must have run over them and cut them with their prop, but when I retrieved the anchors, the trip lines and buoys were still attached, just covered in mud where they had been dragged under the surface of the mud. Those anchors must have dug 25 feet down into the mud to bury the trip lines!

After Dennis the anchors were buried so far that I could not retrieve them at all no matter how hard I tried (ran the engine full RPMs in circles over the anchors and they would not budge in any direction) so I had to abandon the rig. But the boat survived!

Needless to say, I can attest to the effectiveness of this method for storm anchoring.

Jim

[Dick Kobayashi]

Here's the plan. First, thanks all. I am only gong to anchor a few hundred yards off a beach in water that will be roughly 7-12 feet deep. Location is protected from wave action generated by prevailing SW winds, and a little bit from the wind. Location is just to the east of Angelica Point in Mattapoisett, for members familiar with the area. I will reside in a house a three minute walk from a clear view of the boat and anchorage. All very familiar territory for me. So the problem is principally one of a 180 or 360 turn of the boat dislodging the anchor (danforth type) which has previously set very well in this anchorage PROVIDED I avoid the eelgrass.

I have realized just recently that my dingy will serve as the float for my anchorline (foolish not to think of this earlier).I may tie on a separate line with a small float to use as a pick up line. I think this will work ok. I do have a delta anchor as an alternative.

So this is my tentative plan and I believe it will result in more family members joining me for short to medium sails. I will, of course, monitor the weather and move to my boatyard mooring if trouble is forecast, and I know how to take a bearing on my boat in this harbor.

Meanwhile I welcome any additional comments.

PS - I did buy and read the Pardy's book and enjoyed it - some good tips, even for me, one who is afraid of the ocean.

[Dean Abramson]

Here's the plan. First, thanks all. I am only gong to anchor a few hundred yards off a beach in water that will be roughly 7-12 feet deep. Location is protected from wave action generated by prevailing SW winds, and a little bit from the wind. Location is just to the east of Angelica Point in Mattapoisett, for members familiar with the area. I will reside in a house a three minute walk from a clear view of the boat and anchorage. All very familiar territory for me. So the problem is principally one of a 180 or 360 turn of the boat dislodging the anchor (danforth type) which has previously set very well in this anchorage PROVIDED I avoid the eelgrass.

I have realized just recently that my dingy will serve as the float for my anchorline (foolish not to think of this earlier).I may tie on a separate line with a small float to use as a pick up line. I think this will work ok. I do have a delta anchor as an alternative.

So this is my tentative plan and I believe it will result in more family members joining me for short to medium sails. I will, of course, monitor the weather and move to my boatyard mooring if trouble is forecast, and I know how to take a bearing on my boat in this harbor.

Meanwhile I welcome any additional comments.

PS - I did buy and read the Pardy's book and enjoyed it - some good tips, even for me, one who is afraid of the ocean.

I don’t know how big your Danforth is. But I am thinking that a heavier and better anchor is the simple answer. Maybe a 25 lb. Manson Supreme, and as much chain as you feel you can pull up when combined with the anchor’s weight. Our Manson seems like a great anchor (ours is 35 lb.), and I believe they are known to reset well when the wind shifts.

Do you mean to leave this temporary mooring in place for the whole season? If not, anything more complex than just a normal anchor and rode of the proper type and weight is just not practical.

Mushrooms are for permanent moorings. Ours weighs 500 lbs.

Best of luck with it.