Pretty noisy night at Bitter End as our mooring ball kept coming under the boat as we spun in the wind. Did we do something wrong or just a function of conditions. Did not have this issue anywhere else so far.
Where are you in the mooring field? Do you have two ropes, one from each hull cleat, tied to the ball?
We have found in many fields with variable wind that we need to tie directly to the ball to eliminate this (we run original lines then take dinghy and rerun directly to the ball). We have found this necessary at Cooper, some reserved balls at BEYC and Great Harbour JVD. Also balls in front of Ivan’s on White Bay. We anchor in many of our favorite spots to avoid this.
You were getting back winded. Common at the Bitter End. Take a ball close to Saba Rock and the problem is solved. If you don’t want to be there take the Mooring Pennant direct to one cleat. Run a line from the other side directly to the ball. Adjust as usual to center the ball. There will not be enough scope on the lines to allow the ball to hit either hull. Makes for a quiet night! This is also a recommended technique at Cooper as backwinding is common there along with current issues. G
Catamaran with standard two line bridle. I think it was the location close in. We were second row from the shore. Boat seemed two have kind of its own. No issue night one but last night I think the wind shifted about 15 degrees and was light. When I went up top to see what was going on, sometimes we were face to face with the next boat. I will go with back winded and stay on a ball further out next time. Longer dinghy ride, but better nights sleep.
Catamaran with standard two line bridle. I think it was the location close in. We were second row from the shore. Boat seemed two have kind of its own. No issue night one but last night I think the wind shifted about 15 degrees and was light. When I went up top to see what was going on, sometimes we were face to face with the next boat. I will go with back winded and stay on a ball further out next time. Longer dinghy ride, but better nights sleep.
Going out further will not necessarily help you. IMHO you have one of two issues...One issue could be that your boat is riding up on the mooring ball. This happens occasionally to any boat, anywhere. Typically it is in light winds and current where the boat is just kind of sitting on the water and floats up to the ball. If this is the problem you can do what others have suggested with pulling the ball in tight and balanced between the 2 hulls. Issue two could be caused if your bridle lines are coming from the cleat down the outside of the hull (instead of the inside of the hull). Then your line can get caught under the boat causing the ball to pull in close to the hull. This is not good for your bottom paint or the banging It is best to run the lines under the life line on the bow of the boat and then back to the same cleat. (We do not use the cleats on the crossbar but some people do.) Do this on both sides so you have a V shape with the bottom of the V attached to the mooring pennant and the two tops of the V going on the inside of the two hulls, under the lifeline, on top of the crossbar and back to the cleat it came from. Hard to explain in words but I've tried to attach a picture of how to do it.
So as George suggested, tighten up your bridle lines. Adjust as usual to center the ball. There will not be enough scope on the lines to allow the ball to hit either hull. Makes for a quiet night!
But if the painter is so long it allows mooring ball contact with the hulls, even with a tightened bridle, like in caribbeangirls pic, you might need to tie off closer to the mooring ball.
We set the bridle outside as instructed by TMM. On a Fountaine Pajot 45 there is a gap where the rope can get caught against a metal cross beam and get sawed away.
Good tips here. The other night there was little wind in Trellis Bay and our mooring was v close to another. Tied directly to ball, gave us a bit more room and stopped the banging on the hull. I did it by going in the dinghy and moving the lines from the pennant to the ball. Boat next to be used winch to winch ball right out the water and then tied to it - new one on me
It’s only money….lol. Can’t tell the other half about this - we seem to have a winch for everything else - haha. (Although it is super handy for pulling the docks and hoists each fall).
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