Chapter VII) so that you will know the exact spot where the mooring is

located.

There are many forms of moorings for small boats, among them large stones, heavy pieces of iron or metal, such as old furnace-pots, old car-wheels, old railroad-rails and discarded machinery, while large anchors, and especially “mushroom” anchors, are widely used.

It doesn’t make the least difference what is used for a mooring as long as it is heavy enough to hold the boat securely, but it must be borne in mind that an object under water weighs far less than when out of water and hence you should always use an object which you are sure is large and heavy enough to hold your boat in any wind or weather. A mooring should weigh at least three times as much as an anchor and six or eight times as much is none too heavy.

From the mooring a heavy iron chain should lead to a buoy and the chain should be long enough to allow for the rise and fall of tide and yet have some slack at all times.

Galvanized chain should be used and the buoy at its upper end should be large and buoyant enough to support the entire weight of the chain.

There are metal buoys, made for the purpose; a strong keg, such as a beer keg, makes a good buoy; a spar buoy or a cork float may be used. If a keg is used it should be provided with brass or galvanized hoops and should be kept well painted and spars, metal buoys or cork floats should also be taken up, dried and painted at frequent intervals to prevent them from becoming overgrown with marine plants, waterlogged or destroyed by teredos.

The buoy is intended to support the chain and to make the location of the mooring plain. You are _not_ supposed to make your boat fast to it. For fastening the boat a ring should be provided on the chain below the buoy and the buoy left floating or it may be placed on the deck or inside the boat when the mooring is in use. Have your mooring buoy painted in bright colors so as to be easily visible and see that it is always kept in such good shape that it floats high and plain above the water. It’s a very easy matter to miss a buoy in a fog, at night, or even with a sea running, and the higher it floats and the more brilliant the colors, the more readily you can “pick it up.”

When you come to the mooring you may catch the buoy by hand or by a boat-hook. To make this easier a large loop of rope or a ring should be provided on the buoy and the buoy left floating or it may be and you use a boat-hook, be very careful not to punch a hole in the buoy as you reach for it with the hook.

While getting your boat ready for the water, while sailing her, and, in fact, whenever you are handling or working about boats, you will find it necessary to tie many knots.

Everyone can tie some sort of a knot, but comparatively few can tie really good knots and as they are very important and useful, you should learn how to tie all the common, and some of the fancy, knots and should know how to splice. There is a good portion of the year when you cannot use your boat and during this season you can employ a great deal of your time to good advantage in studying the next chapter and following the directions for making knots, ties and splices.