Navigation in the Mediterranean has its particularities. Hanging mooring is one of them. The ports are equipped with mother chains (a large chain anchored at the bottom of the port parallel to the quay) on which mooring lines are retrieved. And to find that mooring line left at the bottom of the harbor, we use a pendulum. This rope (often quite thin) connects the mooring line to the dock.
A manoeuvre that requires rapid action
So a boat that arrives to moor must come to the dock, stay in place. The time it takes for a crew member to grab the pendulum, follow it back on board and reach its end to catch the mooring line on which it will attach itself. It seems simple on paper, but less pleasant to achieve in reality.
Hanging often very dirty
The hanger spends its life at the bottom of the harbor. It is therefore colonized by algae, mud and shellfish. It doesn't really make you want to take it by the hand... Sometimes the fishermen's hooks stay in it too. Watch your fingers!
An accessory to simplify your life
Many solutions have been devised to remedy this problem. The latest one comes from a Slovenian company that offers the Ghook. It's some kind of big carabiner with a sheave in the bottom. By pulling the carabiner along the edge, the pendulum is brought back towards the end of the boat. All that remains is to grab the mooring line and turn it to the cleat.
Simple but not cheap..
The demonstration of the operation by a pretty blonde woman shows well the interest of the object. It remains to be seen if his 69,95 € price won't scare some of them away..
