BLUEMOMENT

really concerned That I have still got some issues.
Should I join the top shackle to the chain with an anchor connector or not?

The top shackle has the 3 strand line to the pick up buoy and the 2 mooring strops shackled to it which makes it quite full - a connector seems to save a bit of space on the shackle.

I would put a decent sized bow shackle thro the top link (mouse the pin with galvanised wire) & you will have tons of room for attachments. Simple is always best.

Arghiro wrote: Simple is always best.

Are you speaking from the left hand side of a bell shaped curve by any chance?

claymore wrote:really concerned That I have still got some issues.

fer feks sake, sneek up there and hae a look whit every ither's daeing ... harrumph ... whaurs the initiative these days .. hus the auld goat finally bought it?

Onyways, ra Laird wull shurely hae a wee man, yer man servant the wee james surely, available to haund oer the strop tae yer Lairdship. Ye'll be needing him onyways tae switch oan ra magnet?

claymore wrote:really concerned That I have still got some issues.
Should I join the top shackle to the chain with an anchor connector or not?

The top shackle has the 3 strand line to the pick up buoy and the 2 mooring strops shackled to it which makes it quite full - a connector seems to save a bit of space on the shackle.

FFS your lairdship.

Jist tie it up and gang awa' hame - yir tea's in the oven and it'll be burnt offrins in a meenit.

.
What is the point of having two mooring stops shackled to the same link on the riser?

Why not shackle then to different links,thus increasing the redundancy?

Thank you for the care and concern to a fellow Mariner that you have expressed through your communications.
Arghiro does give a measured response and his advice is noted but I sense an uncharitable tetchiness from the rest of you.
This does irk a little -- especially from the poisoned keyboard of P.Handy. The very same P Handy whose life I extended through my deft navigation skills returning fae ra hoos o troos and who seems to take singular delight in corkscrewing my little boat and T- boning t'other.

My esteemed and respected friend Gardenshed has yet to respond. I believe he is currently engaged in purveying Sassparilla along the length of the Ho Chi Min trail - but his will be a measured response - you'll see.

As for the rest of you, I hope you get left with all those awful strawberry creams when the pick of the quality street have gone.

And can we get rid of these fekkin snowflakes.

Having finally searched through some old photos to remind myself or the arrangement that I used in Dunstaffnage, I can now add a constructive, on-topic reponse to the original question:

Hippo buoy which has a ring at the top
a large swivel is attached to the ring on the top of the Hippo
the primary mooring strop is shackled to the swivel
a secondary mooring strop is also shackled to the swivel

The swivel was attached and checked at the beginning and end of the season by North West Marine. In terms of redundancy, every individual link in the chain is a potential single point of failure, but shackles are the weakest link as they can unscrew if not properly moused. Each of my mooring strops was individually shackled to the swivel. The secondary one was left loose and it was black, so that if the primary one broke, then it was easy for the guys at the marina to see that the boat was now being held on the back-up strop.

Steve Clarkson at North West is the guy to speak to and for peace of mind, it is worth having them (or someone similar) inspect everything for you at the beginning and end of the season and to give you the benefit of their experience from inspecting hundreds of moorings!

A few years ago, I laid my own mooring in Howth. I used two old forklift truck balance weights (2t cast iron) as the anchors with a chain between them, a swivel joining them to a riser chain and then a buoy with another swivel that the mooring strops were shackled to. The chains loooped through the middle of the FLT weights (bought from a scrap yard) and were joined using a hammer-link shackle that fishermen use to attach their nets to the hawsers.

As for the Ho Chi Minh trail. Been there four time since mid november and six times in total this year. Much vending of dandelion & burdock and sasparilla to be done. Its an amazing city, much more charm than Manila, Jakarta or anywhere in China. When you see the energy and get on with it attitude, then you realise why Europe is stuffed!

Now then you band of errants - read that and get a flavour for a sensible reasoned, researched response.

Gardenshed - again, I find myself indebted. Will you accept 5 camels?

5 camels no, some advice would suffice:

On my travels this year I have acquired a few bottles of malt. From the following list, which should be for
A) guests
B) friends
C) afternoon
D) pre dinner
E) late evening

caol ila, bunnahabhain durach ur, highland park, glenlivet 12yo, singleton 12 yo, glenfiddich 15yo, glenlivet nadurra, clynelish 14, laphgoaig 10, ardbeg blasda, talisker 10 ,chivas.

Or do I need a cooking whisky for any English intruders?

Your learned views would be appreciated

claymore wrote: Gardenshed - again, I find myself indebted. Will you accept 5 camels?

Ah'd hing oan tae yer camels if ye've twa tons tae lift. Dae these drommies float? If they do there's yer answer fer the perfect mooring ... Yon hump'll be Jist magnificent tae attach orra yer buckles

Apart from going easy on the more pungent Islays after dinner, I'd say the collection ought to be for personal consumption.
They'd need to be very good friends if the Singleton or Highland Park were to make an appearance.
P. Handy once turned up to a chents cruise with an Old Pulteney in a presentation box, the tight old skinflint had already been into it so the liquid barely made the bottom of the label.
I've always found the SurveyOne team to be the most generous of hosts - Mandy did for me one evening in Dunvegan with a squadron of B52's

A bottle of Claymore for English intruders will suffice - it really is dreadful!

Get rid of the Chivas on people who want mixers in it.

Gardenshed wrote:5 camels no, some advice would suffice:

On my travels this year I have acquired a few bottles of malt. From the following list, which should be for
A) guests
B) friends
C) afternoon
D) pre dinner
E) late evening

caol ila, bunnahabhain durach ur, highland park, glenlivet 12yo, singleton 12 yo, glenfiddich 15yo, glenlivet nadurra, clynelish 14, laphgoaig 10, ardbeg blasda, talisker 10 ,chivas.

Or do I need a cooking whisky for any English intruders?

Your learned views would be appreciated

You've came a long way from advice on moorings!

Fullcircle might be the man for an opinion on this subject.

viewtopic.php?t=6234

Ash

PS - I hope that there are no "hotlinks" in my quoted post - only joking

Harrumph ... To accompany the hippo, the twa camels, would there be room for a panda or two on this mooring. It seems de rigueur these days ....