http://ishtaryacht.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/for-our-next-trick.html
The intention was to finish the mooring before the winter chilled the water, but that never happened. A Caribbean holiday and moving house further delayed things, but we had to get on and finish the moorings if we were to use them this year. Our friends Sheila and Vince, of Alana were also taking a mooring there.
The design was as follows:
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Mooring design"]
[/caption]The idea was to get as much weight on the seabed as I could, subject to the constraints that I must be able to transport the components 90 miles, and then float them out from the bottom of a slip to my mooring.
Components:
3 x 4cwt concrete blocks. Just manageable by 2 men, 32mm chain embedded and galvanised pipe through the chain within each block as strengthening.
12m x 32mm 'Ground chain'. weight (est) 7cwt.
10m x 12mm riser chain.
1 x swivel, to stop the chain winding itself into a knot
1 x 2ft diameter head buoy.
3m x 12mm chain to attach to boat as a tail.
Pickup buoy
3m floating rope as second tail.
Great fun on the way down. I towed my trailer with my ground chain, Vince had his two concrete blocks in his van and his ground chain in his trailer and Louise towed the Rib with our camper van. The RIB trailer got a puncture on the way and wrecked the wheel. Good start.
Arrived at Dale just before low water, drove onto the beach and dropped off the chains and blocks. I attached the head buoys to the chains - it would help with the lifting.
2 hours later we bagan the moving process. Dive, attach lifting bag and fill, tow out to mooring, deflate lifting bag, dive, position, shackle and chain together, repeat. Finished just before 9pm, in time to get some food at the Griffin.
Back on the boat by 8am Saturday, diving to seize all the shackles with wire and fit the risers and buoys. Recovered the RIB just before 12pm.
Very, very tiring, and very cold. Water temperature 9 degrees. Won't fancy doing this again in a hurry.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Cold, and tired"]
[/caption]Now for some sailing.
