Like to know about mooring . Are there any tricks to it? Does a bob stay interfere?
Flyer has a large block shackled to the six o’clock position of the Cranse iron. From the Sampson post on the port side, I run a half inch nylon line (spliced loop) to the block and back through the starboard hawse hole when not in use. I use this with a rolling hitch to the chain as a snubber. When mooring, simply pick up the mooring line on the starboard side and fasten the end of the snubber to it with a bowline… Bob’s your uncle.
Being at the end of the bow sprit makes for less pitch and you don’t have to worry about interference from the bobstay.
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Similar arrangement on Calypso and Mischief. We use a large low friction ring hanging on a webbing strop from the tip of the bowsprit. Taking anchor or mooring loads to the tip of the bowsprit keeps the boat VERY feathered and reduces “sailing” at anchor and resulting loads.
That is a great idea. I am going to make the same setup on my FC22.
Any pictures?
On Zygote, a BCC with two anchor rollers - one at the stem and one on the bowsprit and forward of the stem - we started with our anchor snubber set-up similar to that described by Flyer:
- snubber made to the starboard mid-ships deck cleat (NOT a bitt: you want a long run of dry nylon for snubbing)
- run to a snatch block shackled to the cranse iron; and thence
- to the anchor chain.
About 3 years back, we changed that set up:
- snubber still made to the starboard mid-ships deck cleat:
- snubbing line then turning over the stem anchor roller and falling to:
- a low friction ring cow-hitched to the lower hole of the bobstay fitting; and from there to
- the anchor chain.
That change takes the lever arm of the bowsprit out of the question and takes transient tension away from the jib stay. It also puts the surge/pull from the anchor rode + snubber down close to the waterline.
Hard to give an objective take on the different performance at anchor: I think I’d really need two BCCs (or FCs) anchored in the same anchorage to do a comparison. Zygote has roller reefing on the jib and that, I have always supposed, is a major contributor to her sailing at anchor.
I attach an image, taken when Z was on the hard in a work pen. The worn laid nylon is her anchor snubber.
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My understanding is that a snubbing line needs to be long and elastic to do its job. I use laid nylon rope for the job. When wet, laid nylon elongates and, I suspect, loses much of its elasticity.
On a BCC, the deck allows a fair lead from the starboard midships deck cleat to the starboard sheave of the stemhead anchor roller (on Z, the anchor chain runs over the starboard stem anchor roller and turns and falls down only from her forward anchor roller).
I figure I need more than one hull length (just over 8 metres) of snubbing line in play to absorb transient shock in the anchor rode. So about half of the snubbing line is the run from the anchor chain back to the stemhead anchor roller, and the other half (about 4 metres) is the run from the stemhead anchor roller to the starboard midships deck cleat. Without rain and much spray, some part of the forward run is dry and most or all of the run on deck is dry or at least dry-ish (to copy our friend and model in all things, G Santos).
Zygote’s current anchor snubber set-up does mean:
- two near 90 degree turns of the snubbing line: one at the stem anchor roller and one at the low friction ring; and
- a need to examine the low friction ring installation regularly - something that can be done from the dinghy or from the marina pontoon after we have berthed Z.
Those two 90 degree turns are the scariest part of the setup. I figure that failure of the snubbing line or of the low friction ring will be inconvenient, but not fatal to the rig. Failure of the bobstay, bowsprit, jib stay, or cranse iron would likely be fatal to the rig.
Since changing to using the LFR on the bobstay, I’ve thought I could do the same with a stainless steel D shackle to replace the low friction ring. Less expensive.
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Thanks. I will try it out.
This is the setup on BCC Mischief. We used an Antal 20x14 ring hanging on a Dyneema loop, cow hitched to a webbing loop, cow hitched to the tip of the bowsprit. The load on the snubber keeps it from sliding off the bowsprit, but there is a small soft shackle there too.
I like Bil’s idea of running the snubber back to the beam cleat. More stretch is good.
We also keep both 1/2” and 5/8” snubbers on board to use according to conditions.
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