Our springs here are marked by the arrival of such welcome sights as migrating warblers, budding flowers, and Vulcan. I’m not referring to Vulcan, the Roman God of fire and forges, I’m referring to the moorings vessel Vulcan owned by Brooklin Marine, LLC. Here you see Vulcan on Thursday laying mooring buoys in Great Cove for the WoodenBoat School's fleet and visiting boats.
You may have noticed that Vulcan is not exactly graceful with a slick racing profile. But, she’s built for tough jobs and apparently does them well. I’m told that she has a drum winch that is rated for hoisting 10,000 pounds. Moorings need to be heavy to be secure.
The basic parts of a mooring setup start with an anchor weighing hundreds to thousands of pounds, depending on the boat and water conditions. Where the sea bottom is soft and the boat is not huge, a mushroom anchor usually will do the job, but many prefer more permanent anchors in the form of a block of granite or concrete with a galvanized (rust-proof) eyebolt on top.
Galvanized chains run from the anchors to the mooring buoys/balls. Unless the boat is large, a nylon rope-like pennant usually is attached to the buoy to be hooked up to the boat via shackles and swivels. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on May 11, 2023.)