Moorings with a fin keel.

[rickinnocal]

Originally Posted by a.g.turner

Thinking about it, although the tidal difference is massive in Caernarfon Harbour, the water is very calm and sheltered on one side by a massive castle and on the other side by a hill with trees. As a result, there are rarely or never large waves in the harbour its self.
Also there's pretty deep mud so, as pointed out earlier, one problem would be getting the keel stuck into the mud.

I've taken the mud in Carnarfon several times back in the late 70's - in a coastal oil tanker. I see from Google maps, though, that the oil terminal we used to deliver to has gone, although the pier is still there. (It's the flat open area just north of the yacht harbour)

The ship was specifically designed to ground, though - for example, each cargo tank had a suction in each corner so if you happened to dry out down by the head and listing to starboard, you could still pump the tanks dry.

What I do remember specifically about drying out in Caernarfon was how sticky the mud was. If we took the ground fully loaded and discharged, we'd be empty by the time the tide came back in - yes, a 'very' small tanker - but the water would come up almost to the loaded draft marks before she'd pull herself out of the mud with a great sucking and a mass of really foul smelling bubbles.

I'd hate to risk grounding a fin boat there. Even if she didn't sink the keel into the mud and dry out upright - puting all sorts of wrong stresses on the keel root - I'd be scared that when she lay on her side the mud would grip the hull firmly enough to allow the rising tide to flow over the side as it came back in.

Richard

Originally Posted by rickinnocal

I've taken the mud in Carnarfon several times back in the late 70's - in a coastal oil tanker.
.....................................................................
I'd hate to risk grounding a fin boat there. Even if she didn't sink the keel into the mud and dry out upright - puting all sorts of wrong stresses on the keel root - I'd be scared that when she lay on her side the mud would grip the hull firmly enough to allow the rising tide to flow over the side as it came back in.
Richard

Hence my comment:

Originally Posted by apex1

The latter Andy.
The boat can stick to the mud and be flooded with the rising tide. [SIC!]
Regards
Richard

The "other" Richard

[ancient kayaker]

Originally Posted by a.g.turner

Thinking about it, although the tidal difference is massive in Caernarfon Harbour, the water is very calm and sheltered on one side by a massive castle and on the other side by a hill with trees ... Also there's pretty deep mud so, as pointed out earlier, one problem would be getting the keel stuck into the mud ... Andy

Originally Posted by rickinnocal

... What I do remember specifically about drying out in Caernarfon was how sticky the mud was ... the water would come up almost to the loaded draft marks before she'd pull herself out of the mud with a great sucking and a mass of really foul smelling bubbles ... Richard

When I saw Caernarfon the habour opposite the castle had a large number of what appeared to be abandoned, rotting boat carcases. At the time I thought “what a horrible way to go” but now I realize just how horrible.