Mooring Options

I am in the midst of Spring Break this week.  Here, on the south coast of Massachusetts along upper Buzzards Bay, we have had several days of glorious weather.  Most of the snow and ice has melted, although nightly frosts remain the norm for now.  But the song birds are starting to return, and my feeders by the kitchen windows have been very busy.  In fact, I will have to refill them today. The fair weather and sunshine has also made it difficult not to think about the boat, as spring draws near.  I still have plenty of work to do, both on the boat and for the boat.  Yet I am hoping to get it in the water sooner rather than later.

Yesterday, being Spring Equinox, I headed into town in the hopes of securing a mooring.  I never really gave any consideration to the town harbor, much less to joining the local yacht club (whose dress code requires a collar shirt at all times).  Marion harbor is a spectacularly dense forest a masts in the summer.  Though picturesque, it is crowded with large and expensive boats and there is a waiting list for slips and moorings.  My preference is for something a little quieter, and closer to home.  The O'Day draws 2'3" of water when its centerboard is raised (and 5'4" with it lowered), which means it can negotiate shallower areas that are inaccessible to larger keel boats.

There were two specific options I was considering.  Both were close to home (the area of the red box), and both opened to the southeast.  While still exposed to wind and waves, each was somewhat sheltered by peninsular headlands from the prevailing southwesterly winds characteristic of Buzzards Bay.

Upper Buzzards Bay and the approaches to the Cape Cod Canal.  The town of Marion is located on the west (left) shore.  Two mooring options under consideration were on the Weweantic River (Mooring A) and in Wings Cove (Mooring B).

One available spot was at Wings Cove ('Mooring B'), about a mile from the house, where the boat had been moored by my friend, the previous owner.  That old mooring was available, and my friend urged me to take it.  His newer boat is also moored at Wings Cove, although much farther out in deeper water.  In considering a mooring location, he advised me to think about how long I would have to motor out from a mooring before I could raise sail.

The other spot, on the Weweantic River ('Mooring A'), was offered to me by my next-door neighbor, who used to moor a powerboat there.  This location was much closer to home -- easy walking distance -- and came with access to a dock where I could tie-up a dinghy (the Wings Cove location has a dinghy rack).  I have kayaked off that dock, both upriver and down to the open bay.  While the current can be a factor under certain conditions, the small mooring field is somewhat sheltered from the river by some exposed rocks to the north, making its waters are relatively calm.

Mooring site B, on the Weweantic River, off Dexter's dock.  Great location, but lots of rocks.  Will river current be an issue?

The mooring was very close to the dock.  Whereas at Wings Cove it might take upwards of ten or fifteen minutes to prep the dinghy and motor out to the sailboat, here the boat was close enough to swim.  The idea of mooring on a river appealed to me.  I also hoped that the freshwater current might impede the growth of marine life on the bottom of both sailboat and dinghy.  There are, however, a lot of rocks in that area, and those hazards make this site arguably a bit trickier than Wings Cove.  Yet once out in the channel and clear of Cromeset Point, I should be able to raise sail long before I clear Great Hill.

Mooring B off Dexter's dock

My neighbor also offered me his old mooring tackle, which includes a 250-lb. mushroom anchor, fifteen feet of half-inch US Long Link 43 chain, fifteen feet of 3/8-inch US hot galvanized 43 chain, shackles, swivel, an eighteen-inch mooring buoy, a 5/8-inch three-strand rope pendant, and a pickup buoy, as well as an inflatable dinghy.  It is good to have great neighbors.

Yesterday, to celebrate the Rites of Spring, I paid a courtesy call on the town Harbormaster and filed my application for a mooring ($15 application fee, $60 "personal fee," and $92 in per-foot-fees: total: $167).  There was no wait list for the mooring area that I requested, but I will need to pay the local property owner an annual fee for access to the (private) dock.  The mooring is also overdue for inspection.  The Harbormaster gave me a list of certified mooring inspectors, and now I just need to find a diver on that list crazy enough to go in the water while it is still so cold.  I am told that mid- to late-May is the busy period for spring recommissioning of boats in this area.  It is my hope to have the O'Day in the water by early May, if at all possible....