Give your boat a safe home

Posted by jmurrant on June 6, 2010 under Boat Handling, mooring, mooring buoy, mooring line, moorings | Comments are off for this article

Last Friday, a vigorous storm hit Sydney. A number of boats in Manly Cove were driven from their moorings and later towed to safety by the Water Police.

It was a timely reminder that boat owners should check get their moorings checked, preferably every year. If your mooring is owned by a marina or club, it should be maintained as part of your mooring agreement.

Just because you’re paying for someone to service your mooring doesn’t remove your responsibility to check and care for the line that you attach to your boat. Look for signs of wear on the mooring line. If chafe is developing where the line comes over the bow, use a piece of garden hose pipe over the line to protect it.

After picking up your mooring, make sure you stow the mooring buoy correctly. Don’t allow it to drop over the side or bang against the mast.

After a big blow, you should visit your boat to ensure that it is safely moored, exactly as you left it when you were last aboard.