WO1992002407A1

WO1992002407A1 - Improved mooring and mooring system

Info

Publication number: WO1992002407A1
Application number: PCT/AU1991/000359
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christopher Harper; Benita Gay Rohl; Paul Charles Wong; Philip A. Pearce
Original assignee: Christopher Harper; Benita Gay Rohl; Wong Paul C; Pearce Philip A
Priority date: 1990-08-09
Filing date: 1991-08-09
Publication date: 1992-02-20
Also published as: EP0505517A1; EP0505517A4

Abstract

The invention relates to floating moorings and mooring systems for yachts and power boats wherein a support frame mounted to a plurality of floodable buoyancy and sealed stability chambers can be operated to lift the vessel substantially out of the water thereby preventing the growth of marine organisms on the surface of the vessel's hull. The device is submerged to a controlled depth to allow the docking of the vessel within the support frame, after which the vessel is secured by tie lines and the floodable buoyancy chambers are evacuated to cause the lifting of the mooring and the vessel. The invention also includes a plurality of these moorings in a system arrangement that allows the operation and ingress/egress of individual vessels within the system. Such mooring systems offer higher packing densities and at the same time protection of individual vessels from damage due to inter-vessel collisions.

Description

IMPROVED MOORING AND MOORING SYSTEM

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to moorings for marine vessels and in particular to floating moorings.

The invention has been developed primarily for use with small to medium sized pleasure craft βuch as yachts and launches and will be described hereinafter with reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to use with this particular class or size of vessel.

In the past, vessels such as yachts, launches and other pleasure craft have usually been anchored when not in use by conventional mooring means such as mooring piers at harbour-side mariners, or floating buoys secured to the bottom by permanent mooring lines. However, these conventional methods of mooring have several inherent disadvantages.

Firstly, the growth of marine organisms such as barnacles and algae on the bottom surface of the vessel hull necessitates fr-: .aent additional expenditure to periodicallly remove these organisms and then to clean and paint the hull. This undesirable marine growth also causes progressive deterioration of the hull and reduces the "race readiness" of the vessel by increasing hydrodynamic drag. Worse still, the widespread use of costly chemical anti-fouling agent3 in an attempt to ameliorate these problems has caused signif ant damage to local marine ecologies where large numbers of vessels are moored. Consequently, legislation against the use of chemical anti-fouling agents is being progressively introduced and the chemicals available are becoming correspondingly less effective. It is believed that as this trend continues, the use of anti-fouling chemicals will eventually no longer be a viable solution to the problem.

It will also be appreciated that maintenance below the water line, such as repairs to the propeller, rudder, or hull is difficult if not impossible on vessels moored by conventional means. In order to overcome this problem, it has been necessary for yacht clubs and mariners to install costly slipping facilities which are insightly and require the use of valuable foreshore real estate. In cold climates, it has usually been necessary to store vessels on land during the colder months when the water freezes over in an attempt to prevent damage to the vessel hulls. Once again, this is costly, inconvenient and requires valuable land area for storage.

Moreover, in addition to the substantial on-going expense involved in maintaining a moored vessel, it is well known in the art that the resale value of a vessel which has been permanently "wet stored" is substantially less than resale value of a comparable vessel which has generally been "dry stored"' , although dry storage has usually not been a viable option for most larger vessels. In environments such as harbour-side mariners incorporating a large number of moorings, it is desirable for the moorings to be as closely spaced as possible in order to maximise the packing density per unit area and thereby optimise the effective use of the limited available space for mooring vessels adjacent the harbour foreshore. However, in normal conditions, this is difficult to achieve since the boats tend to buffet and collide when closely packed as each behaves differently in response to particular wind and wave conditions. This problem has pervented the limited foreshore area adjacent mariners and other waterways from being utilised to full advantage. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved mooring and/or mooring system which overcomes or substantially ameliorates at least some of the above entioned disadvantages of the prior art.

Accordingly, in a first aspect, the invention consists in a floating mooring apparatus including locating means to locate a vessel to be moored, a ballast chamber having adjustable buoyancy to effect movement of the mooring between a lowered position substantially below the water line to permit the vessel to be moored to float generally above the mooring and into nesting engagement with the locating means, and a raised position in which the vessel is elevated substantially above the water line, control means operable selectively to alternately flood and evacuate the ballast chamber thereby to effect said movement of the mooring between the raised and lowered positions, and a plurality of discrete spaced apart buoyancy elements disposed toward the outer periphery of the ooring and configured to extend up¬ wardly above the water line in the lowered position to provide a positive buoyancy force maintaining the mooring at a predetermined level at least partially below the water line in the lowered position, such that the effective buoyancy contributions of the buoyancy elements act generally symmetrically to bia3 the mooring to¬ ward an upright position and provide a righting moment in response to pitch or -11.

The mooring preferably includes a pair of longitudinally extending generally parallel ballast tanks, spaced apart to define the longitudinal sides of the mooring.

Preferably also, the control means comprises a pump and valve system to alternately flood and evacuate the ballast chambers to effect movement of the mooring between the raised and lowered positions. The pump system is preferably powered from a source located within the vessel to be moored.

In the preferred embodiment, the mooring comprises four elongate buoyancy elements extending upwardly to define the respective corners of the mooring.

In an alternative embodiment, the mooring comprises a pair of spaced apart outer buoyancy chambers and a centrally disposed lifting section connected intermediate to the outer buoyancy chambers for vertical movement between the lowered and raised positions. The central lifting section is preferably connected with each of the outer buoyancy chambers by a parallel linkage mechanism.

Preferably, the locating means comprises a cradle assembly adapted to nestingly engaged the keel and lower portion of the hull of the vessel and thereby support the moored vessel in the upright position. The locating means preferably also includes a plurality of tie lines extending between the vessel and the mooring to firmly secure the vessel in the upright position.

The mooring preferably further includes means to automatically release one or more of the tie lines in the event of the mooring sink¬ ing below a predetermined lower level substantially below the lowered position, to prevent damage to the vessel if the mooring becomes unstable or 3inks. Preferably, each said buoyancy element incorporates an automatic tie line release mechanism in a cavity disposed in the upper terminal end protruding above the water line in the lowered position.

The tie line release mechanism, according to a second aspect of the invention, includes a releasable locking pin having positive buoyancy to selectively engage and captively retain a remote end of 5 the tie line, and detent means to retain the locking pin in releasable engagement with a base such the submersion of the buoyancy element below a predetermined lower level causes the resultant buoyancy force acting on the locking pin to overcome the opposing restraining force provided by the detent means whereby the locking pin is automatically released from the base thereby to release the tie line from the buoyancy element and permit the vessel to float free of the mooring.

According to a third aspect, the invention consists in a mooring system comprising a plurality of floating moorings, each mooring _0 including locating means to locate a vessel to be moored, buoyancy

» means to support the mooring at least partially above the wate" line, and a plurality of discrete spaced apart buoyancy elements disposed toward the outer periphery of the mooring and configured to extend upwardly above the water line to provide a positive buoyancy force, such that the effective buoyancy contributions of the buoyancy elements act generally symmetrically to bia3 the mooring towards an upright position and provide a righting moment in response to pitch or roll, the system further including connecting means to connect adjacent moorings together. 20 Preferably, the buoyancy means comprises a ballast chamber having adjustable buoyancy as previously described to effect movement of the mooring between a lowered position substantially below the water line to permit the vessel to be moored to float generally above the mooring and in*", engagement with the locating means, and a raised position in which cne vessel is elevated substantially above the water line. Each such mooring preferably includes control means operable selectively to alternately flood and evacuate the ballast chamber thereby to effect said movement between the raised and lowered positions.

In the preferred embodiment, the connecting means includes a 2/02407 P A

6 damped hydraulic linkage pivotally connected with the adjacent moorings. The damped linkage preferably comprises a hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly of variable length, being selectively extendable to accommodate relative movement of adjacent moorings between the raised and lowered positions and to accommodate relative movement in response to wave motion.

Each hydraulic cylinder preferably incorporates resilient bias means to urge the cylinder towards an equilibrium position correspond¬ ing to a predetermined spacing of adjacent moorings. The damping for the cylinder is preferably provided by sea water.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a floating mooring according to a first aspect of the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a vessel in position on the mooring of figure 1 in the lowered position;

Figure 3 shows the mooring of figure 2 in the raised position; Figure . is a diagrammatic end elevation showing the mooring of figures 2 and 3 in both the lowered and raised positions;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic end elevation showing the forces act¬ ing on the mooring in response to pitch or roll;

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the mooring of figure 1;

Figure 7 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the mooring;

Figure 8 is a selectional and elevation showing a vessel supported in both the raised and lowered positions on a mooring having a central lifting section according to a fourth embodiment;

Figure 9 is a cut-away perspective view showing an automatic tie line elease mechanism for use with a floating mooring according to a second aspect of the invention;

Figure 10 is a diagrammatic sectional end elevation showing conceptually a mooring system comprising a number of moorings inter¬ connected by hydraulic linkages according to a third aspect f the invention; Figure 11 is an enlarged diagrammatic sectional view showing one of the hydraulic linkages of figure 10

Figure 12 shows a first configuration of interconnected moorings embodying the mooring system according to the invention;

Figure 13 shows a second mooring configuration in accordance with the system of the invention;

Figure 1 shows a third configuration; Figure 15 show a rosette configuration;

Figure 16 is a plan view showing diagrammatically a single point mooring system comprising a number of moorings connectedd with a central support structure or vane;

Figure 17 is a perspective view showing in more detail the mooring arrangement of figure 16;

Figures 13 and 19 each show a pair of vane clusters in accordance with a preferred configuration of the mooring system and the comparative density relative to a corresponding single point swing moorin .

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring generally to figures 1 to 7, the floating mooring 1 includes locating means in the form of cradle assembly 2 to locate and support the vessel 3 to be moored in the upright position. A pair of spaced apart ballast tanks 5 of adjustable buoyancy define the longitudinal sides of the mooring and effect movement of the mooring between a lowered position (as shown in figure 2) substantially below the water line to permit the vessel to float above the mooring and into nesting engagement with the cradle assembly 2, and a raised position (as shown in figure 3) wherein the vessel is elevated substantially above the water line. The buoyancy of the mooring is selectively adjustable by control means in the form of a selectively operable pump and valve system (not shown) to alternately flood and evacuate the ballast tanks 5 and thereby effect the movement of the mooring between the raised and lowered positions.

Four discrete buoyancy elements 7 are disposed toward the outer periphery of the mooring and configured to extend generally upwardly to define the respective corners of the mooring. The buoyancy elements 7 extend above the water line in the lowered position (as best seen in figure 2) to provide a positive buoyancy force maintain¬ ing the mooring at a predetermined level substantially below the water line, such that the effective buoyancy contributions from the buoyancy elements act generally symmetrically to bias the mooring toward an upright position and provide a righting moment in response to pitch and roll. The effect of these buoyancy elements in maintaining the mooring in a stable equilibrium position is best illustrated in figure 5 from which it will be apparent that the resultant righting moment tends to restore the mooring to the upright equilibrium position in response to pitch or roll which may result from wave motion, uneven weight distribution, trim changes, and the like.

The control system is preferably powered from a source located within the vessel to be moored. In one form, the pump is a suitable petrol, diesel, or electric pump mounted within the craft and adapted for connection with suitable couplings associated with the mooring when required for use. However, in other embodiments, the vessel's bilge pump or a portable pump connected with the battery, generator, or fuel supply could be used. It is also envisaged that the pump and valve system could be housed in the mooring itself.

The ballast tanks 5 preferably include a number of internal longitudinally spaced baffle plates (not shown) to minimise destabilising surge in the tanks when only partially flooded

Alternatively, however, other baffle means such as steel mesh or wool, or a membrane or bladder could also be used.

In addition to the cradle assembly 2 to nestingly engage the keel and lower position of the hull, the locating means preferably also includes a plurality of tie lines 10 extending between the vessel and the mooring to firstly secure the vessel in the upright position and prevent relative movement between the craft and the mooring in adverse weather conditions. This is best illustrated in figure 3.

Each tie line 10 extends to an adjacent corner post 11 defined by a respective buoyancy element 7. The corner posts incorporate auto¬ matic release mechanisms 15 (as shown in figure 9) to release one or more of the tie lines in the event of the mooring sinking below a predetermined lower level substantially below the lowered position and thereby prevent damage to the vessel should the mooring become unstable or sink, for example as a result of mechanical damage or extreme weather conditions.

The automatic release mechanism 15 is housed within a cavity disposed in the upper terminal end of each corner post 11 extending above the water line in the lowered position. The tie line 10 is secured to the respective corner post by locking pin 16 which captively engages retaining ring 17 on the terminal end of the tie line. The locking pin includes a float 20 to provide positive buoyancy when submerged, and detent means 21 to captively retain the locking pin in releaseable engagement with base plate 25. Submersion of the respective corner post 11 causes the cavity to become flooded whereby the resultant buoyancy force acting on locking pin 16 over¬ comes the opposing restraining force provided by detent assembly 21. The locking pin is thereby automatically released from engagement with the corner post and this is turn releases the tie line and permits the vessel to float free of the mooring without damage.

Figures 6, 7 and 8 show alternative embodiments of the invention. Turning in particular to figure 8, the mooring comprises a pair of longitudinally extending spaced apart outer pontoons 29 and a centrally disposed lifting section 30 having adjustable buoyancy and connected intermediate the pontoons for vertical movement between the lowered and raised positions. The central lifting section 30 is connected with the ends of each pontoon 29 by a parallelogram linking mechanism 31. This arrangement maintains the predetermined orientation of the pontoons with respect to the central lifting section whilst permitting independent articulation of each pontoon to accommodate wave motion beneath the mooring. This embodiment also incorporates outer buoyancy elements substantially as described. However, these have been omitted from the drawing for clarity.

Each parallelogram linkage mechanism 31 preferably includes a viscous damping mechanism (not shown) to increase the stability of the mooring and to reduce the amplitude and duration of any transient oscillations of the pontoons which may arise in response to wave motion as the vessel is lifted between the lowered and raised positions. The system is preferably critically overdamped to minimise the posibility of a resonant mode of oscillation being set up due to the coincidence of the wave frequency and any natural resonant frequencies of the mooring.

Turning now to describe the operation of the mooring, the vessel is first manoeuvred into the cradle assembly 2 with the mooring in the lowered position. In this position, the cradle nestingly engages the keel and lower portion of the vessel hull to retain the craft in the upright position. The pumping system is then actuated to progressive- ly evacuate water from the flooded ballast tanks 5 or, in the case of the embodiment shown in figure 8, the central lifting section 30. As the water in the ballast tanks is progressively evacuated and displaced by air, the buoyancy of the mc ring increases proportion¬ ately and the craft together with the mooring is gradually elevated from the lowered to the raised position, wherein the hull is supported substantially above the water line. When the craft is required for use, the ballast tanks are simply flooded by appropriate manipulation of the valve system whereby the vessel is progressively lowered into the water and permitted to float free of the mooring cradle. ^In climates where the water freezes over during the colder months of the year, the mooring can be adapted for use as an effective alternative from storage of the vessel on land. In such situations,it is envisaged that the ballast tanks 5 could be suitably shaped so as to be progressively wedged upwardly under the pressure of the slowly forming ice so that as the water finally freezes over, the vessel is supported substantially above the ice. During intermediate climatic conditions, the ballast tanks would enable the mooring to rise and fall progressively, dependent upon the resultant expansion pressure from ice formation or thaw. A further aspect in the invention relates to a vessel carrying means which, instead of supporting the keel and hull by the conventional platform and strut means, respectively, the vessel is carried by hanging suspension means from its strongpoints, for example by its keelbolts, so that when the vessel is docked within the mooring in its lowered position, the said suspension means are attached between the vessel's strongpoints ans load carrying means on the mooring, so that when the mooring is raised, the vessel is thereby substantially lifted out of the water in a hanging mode. Preferably, vessel motion is restricted by securing means and motion dampening means are employed to isolate the vessel from wave induced motion of the mooring.

A further aspect of the invention relates to the use of the mooring as previously described, as part of an interconnectedd array of like moorings, for example, at a harbour-side mariner. Thus, according to this aspect, the invention provides a mooring system including a plurality of floating moorings 1 , each including a support cradle assembly to locate the vessel to be moored, buoyancy means to support the mooring at least partially above the water line, and a plurality of discrete spaced apart buoyancy elements substantially as hereinbefore described to bias the mooring towards an upright position and provide a righting moment in response to pitch and roll. It is preferred that the buoyancy means comprises a pair of ballast tanks 5 having adjustable buoyancy to effect selective movement of the mooring between the lowered and raised positions previously described.

However, it will be appreciated that this feature is not essential to this particular aspect of the invention.

As best seen in figures 10 and 11, each mooring is connected to an adjacent like mooring by connecting means in the form of a damped hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly 35. Each cylinder 35 is configured to permit a limited degree of telescopic extension and contraction to accommodate relative movement between adjacent moorings This concept provides for the interlinking of a multiplicity of moorings in a variety of different configurations and planar arrays, whilst permitting individual operation of each one. In particular, it will be apparent that the extensible hydraulic linkages accommodate relative movement of adjacent moorings in response to vertical movement between the raised and lowered positions and also in response to wave motion, without adversely effecting adjacent moorings. Each hydraulic cylinder 35 preferably incorporates resilient bias means (not shown) to urge the cylinder towards an equilibrium position or length corresponding to a predetermined optimum spacing between adjacent moorings for the particular system configuration. The damping for the cylinders in the preferred embodiment is conveniently provided by sea water in conjunction with a series of internal baffles thereby to abviate the need for a more costly system requiring special purpose hydraulic fluid.

Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the interconnection system provides supportive buoyancy for any particular mooring, in the unlikely event that it looses buoyancy, for example, as a result of mechanical damage to the ballast tanks. The interconnection system thus allows each mooring to remain in close proximity with adjacent moorings whilst permitting independent movement to accommodate wave motion, wind and current pressures and the like. The corner post 11 of the respective moorings conveniently act as bumpers to prevent damage to the vessels' hulls in the event of buffeting of the moorings in adverse weather conditions.

Figure 12 illustrates the mooring system in a first preferred parallel configuration which can be used to substantially increase the packing density relative to standard parallel multi-point mooring arrangements of the prior art.

Similarly, figures 13 and 14 show how the mooring system can be used in a single line or twin line angled configuration to provide an increase in density over and above the density of a comparable fore and aft configuration of the prior art.

Figure 15 illustrates a preferred rosette configuration which can conveniently be used to provide unique high packing density adjacent a single point mooring. This configuration exponentially increases the number of vessels which can be stored on a single swing mooring, but may require increased anchorage commensurate with the resultant increase in drag loading.

Figure 16 and 17 illustrate the mooring system in accordance with the present invention in its application to a so-called "vane mooring" configuration whereby, as best seen in figures 18 and 19_ι a substantial increase in packing density is achieved by the storage of vessels in spaced apart linear arrays 40 along a supporting vane 42 on a single point swing mooring 43. The vane mooring system is suitable for use in both sheltered and exposed water applications. A further advantage of the vane mooring is that it is ideally suited for sail boat access since the approach to the mooring is similar to the tacking angle of the sailing boat in any given wind condition. More¬ over it will be appreciated that in the vane system cluster, each additional boat only contributes approximately half the boat length to the effective radius of the swing circle.

By permitting "dry storage" of the vessel above the water line, the problem of marine growth on the vessel hull is substantially eliminated along with the associated problem of environmental damage caused from the widespread use of chemical anti-fouling agents.

Consequently, the maintenance costs for the vessel are significantly reduced while the resale value of the dry stored vessel will typically be substantially higher than that of a comparable wet stored vessel.

Furthermore, the present mooring substantially eliminates stress damage since the vessel is correctly supported by the keel, and stress from mooring lines is applied to the mooring itself, and not directly to the craft as is the case in conventional mooring systems. Thus, the vessel is stored in a substantially non-stressed condition and is not vulnerable to buffeting against other craft or adjacent moorings.

The invention is particularly suitable for use with racing yachts, si. ;e the hull can be maintained in a clean drag-free condition without the need for costly periodic de-fouling and cle^wing treatments which usually necessitate the use of expensive dry doc... facilities.

The use of the mooring system permits high density storage of vessels on waterways with significantly reduced risk of vessel damage.

Although the invention -as been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms. For example, the ballast chamber could comprise a flexible selectively inflatable tube, bladder, or similar resilient inflatable buoyancy element iich may be configured to surround, support and lift the vessel into the raised position.

In addition, the ballast tanks need not consist of single unitary structures, but could comprise a number of discrete ballast elements such as pontoons, interconnected to form a unitary articulated array.

Furthermore, the pump need not be associated with the vessel, but could be mounted with the mooring, or could be portable, adapted to be connected when required for use. It will aslo be apparent that compressed air from a pump, compressor, or storage cylinder could also be used to displace water from the flooded ballast tanks.

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. A floating mooring apparatus, which includes locating means to locate the vessel to be moored, ballast chamber(s) having adjustable buoyancy to effect movement of the mooring between a lowered position substantially below the waterline to permit the vessel to be moored to float generally above the mooring and into nesting engagement with the locating means, and a raised position in which the vessel is elevated substantially above the water line, control means operable selectively to alternatively flood and evacuate the ballast chamber(s) thereby to effect said movement between the raised and lowered positions, and a plurality of discrete spaced apart buoyancy elements disposed towards the periphery of the mooring and configured to extend upwardly above the water line in the lowered position to provide a positive buoyancy force maintaining the mooring at a predetermined equilibrium level at least partially below the water line in the lowered position, such that the effective buoyancy contributions of the buoyancy elements act generally to bias the mooring towards an upright equilibrium lowered position and to generally provide a righting moment in response to pitch or roll, and in which the said buoyancy elements are hydrostatically sized, so the when working in conjunction with the hydrodynamic damping of the submerged parts of the mooring structure, the mooring responds in a critically dampened manner to short-term wave motions such that the mooring as a whole does not pitch and roll with the same magnitude as the impinging wave motion.

Claims

2. The mooring apparatus in Claim 1, whereing hydrostatically the design is a pair of specially shaped spaced apart floats, in which the said adjustable buoyancy ballast chambers are disposed in two horizontal clusters to define the longitudinal sides of the mooring, and in which the said peripheral buoyancy elements are vertically disposed at the ends of each side, thus at each corner of the mooring apparatus, and such that when the mooring is in the lowered position, buoyancy equilibrium of the lowered mooring is provided by the said buoyancy elements, and that the above water line portion of the said buoyancy elements are so hydrostatically sized, in conjunction to the hydrodynamic damping of the submerged parts of the mooring, as to be substantially unresponsive to short term wave motion.

3. The mooring apparatus in Claim 1 , wherein hydrostatically the design comprise a pair of spaced apart outer buoyancy chambers, and a centrally disposed adjustable buoyancy ballast chamber which is mechanically connected by linkage means to allow symmetrical vertical movement of the said ballast chamber between a lowered and raised position, such that when the said ballast chamber is lowered, the vessel to be moored may float into nesting engagement with the vessel locating means before being lifted into the raiβed position by the evacuation of the said ballast chamber, and wherein the stability of the raised mooring is provided by the said spaced apart outer buoyancy chambers.

4. The apparatus in Claims 2 and 3 . where-n the vessel, apart from being supported by the keel and lower hull oy the said vessel locating means, is additionally secured by a plurality of tie lines which secures the vessel to strong points on the mooring, and wherein the said mooring strong points comprise automatic tie line safety release means which are activated by a predetermined submersion in the water.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET 5. A mooring system, preferably comprising multiple mooring apparatuses of Claims 2 or 3_> in which each mooring is connected by flexible linking means into an array which allows individual moorings to be lowered and raised without affecting its neighbouring moorinng(s), and any individual vessel to freely enter and depart the said array, and in which the said connecting linkages will preferably allow the said mooring array to flex in preferably dampened response to wave and wind motions.

6. The mooring system of Claim 5, which the said flexible linking means between neighbouring, preferably side-by-side mooring aparatuses, comprise one or more damped hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies of variable length, being pivotally connected and selectively extendable to accommodate relative movement of adjacent moorings betweem raised and lowered positions and relative motions due to wave motion, but in which resilient bias means urge the cylinder towards an equilibrium position corresponding to the predetermined spacing of adjacent moorings, and in which the hydraulic medium employed by the said damped piston and cylinder assemblies is preferably sea water.

7. The mooring system of Claim 5, wherein the array is substantially linear, with mooring elements substantially in long line(s) astern or abreast, and in which the array is held in a substantially fixed position by anchoring means, such as to the seabed or to piles.

8. The mooring system of Claim 5, whereing the array is in a rosette, a chevron, or in short linear form (shortened form of Claim 7), and in which the array is allowed to swing with the wind and tide movement from a single or two point anchorage means, such as to the seabed or piles.

9. The mooring system of Claim 5. wherein the array is in a chevron

SUBSTITUTE SHEET form and connected to the anchor lines in such a manner that the said chevron array is always pointing into the wind, such that any vessel entering its mooring within this said chevron array, will sail close to the wind and luff into position into the mooring, making this chevron array particularly amenable for ease of docking and egress.

10. Any of the above mooring systems, wherein the ballast chambers or additions thereto, are so geometrically shaped as to function as wedges so that in cold climates when the water in which the mooring is floating progressively freezes, the forming ice under the mooring will raise the said mooring above the frozen water surface.

11. Any of the above mooring systems, wherein the vessel is alternatively supported by means of hanging suspension from the strongpoints of the said vessel to load carrying means on the mooring structure, and wherein motion dampening and steadying means are employed to isolate the vessel from the wave induced motion of the moorin .

12. An apparatus for the mooring and moored dry docking of vessels, and elements parts thereof, substantially as described with references to the accompanying drawings and descriptions herewithin.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET