Mooring device

Abstract

The invention relates to a mooring device (1) for a boat in a drying area, comprising: a hollow tube (10) having an open upper end (100), the hollow tube being intended to be buried in the ground (S) of the drying area so that the upper end is substantially continuous with said ground (S); a mooring line (11) comprising, at its upper end (11.1), a mooring member (110) adapted to float, and, at its lower end (11.2), a counterweight (111); slidably mounted in said hollow tube (10) so that the density and mass of the counterweight (111) are greater than the density and mass of the mooring member (110). Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig. 1

Description

Title of the invention: Mooring device Technical field.

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of boat mooring devices, particularly in areas likely to be subject to tides. State of the art.

[0002] In the maritime domain and even more so on the ocean coast, boats moored at the edge of the coast and the shore find themselves subject to the phenomena of rising and falling tides. Thus, boats moored in this area can be subject to strong tides between the highest point called high tide and the lowest point called low tide. This zone between high tide and low tide is called the intertidal zone or foreshore, that is to say the zone corresponding to the part of the coastline located between the extreme limits of the tides. The foreshore constitutes a specific biotope which can shelter numerous natural sub-habitats in particular for shellfish, certain fish and plants.

[0003] It is known to moor boats using a mooring line comprising a float and an anchor. The anchor is installed in the ground of the foreshore and the boat is attached to the float. Most of the time the mooring line consists of a chain whose dimensions allow the boat to be held in its location and limit drifts and a dead weight placed on the seabed.

[0004] However, when the tide passes from high tide to low tide, the water gradually recedes, causing a reduction in the tension exerted on the mooring line, which gradually touches the bottom of the foreshore. The mooring line touching the bottom of the foreshore and under the effect of the currents, causes a displacement of the mooring line on the ground, around the dead weight and a scouring phenomenon damaging the seabed and therefore the ecosystems found there. Thus, the fish which help to depollute and filter CO2, the flora which provides a habitat for many animals and the creation of dunes by capturing sediments can be damaged or destroyed.

[0005] The invention therefore falls within this context and seeks to resolve all of the aforementioned drawbacks. Thus, the invention seeks to propose a boat mooring device making it possible to avoid the mooring line moving with the currents on the seabed and causing a phenomenon of chafing on the seabed during tides. Presentation of the invention.

[0006] The subject of the invention is a device for mooring a boat in a drying area comprising a hollow tube having an open upper end, the hollow tube being intended to be buried in the ground of the drying zone so that the upper end is substantially continuous with said ground and; a mooring line comprising, at its upper end, a mooring member adapted to float, and, at its lower end, a counterweight; slidably mounted in said hollow tube so that the density and mass of the counterweight are greater than the density and mass of the mooring member.

[0007] The mooring device may allow boats to be moored outside a port, for example in a maritime area subject to tides, in particular a drying area.

[0008] The hollow tube may for example be of round or square cross-section. The hollow tube may be buried in the ground forming the seabed of the drying zone so that the tube is entirely in the ground. The upper end of the hollow tube may be open and continuous with the ground. The open upper end may be arranged to receive a mooring line.

[0009] The mooring member may be a buoy adapted to receive a rope from a boat for mooring. The mooring member may be above the open end of the hollow tube, i.e. above the ground surface of the drying area. The counterweight may be mounted in the hollow tube so that it can be slidable between a so-called low position and a so-called high position.

[0010] The lower position may be one in which the counterweight may be positioned in a lower portion of the hollow tube and the mooring member may be positioned proximate the open upper end. The upper position may be one in which the counterweight may be positioned in an upper portion of the hollow tube and the mooring member may be positioned away from the open upper end.

[0011] Under the effect of a rising tide, the density and mass of the mooring member being less than the density and mass of the counterweight, the rising water can cause the mooring member to float, causing the counterweight to move from the low position to the high position. Under the effect of a falling tide, the density and mass of the counterweight being greater than the density and mass of the mooring member, the counterweight can slide down in the hollow tube, causing the mooring member to move vertically towards the open end of the hollow tube. The use of the counterweight can allow the mooring line to move from the high position to the low position so that the mooring line is inserted into the hollow tube. Therefore, when changing from high tide to low tide, the mooring line can avoid chafing phenomena.

[0012] Advantageously, the mooring line comprises a rope connecting the mooring member and the counterweight.

[0013] The rope and counterweight may be mounted in the hollow tube so that the mooring member may be above the open upper end of the tube.

[0014] The rope may be an abrasion-resistant polyethylene fiber, in particular of the Dyneema® type. Advantageously, the rope may have a diameter of between 10 mm and 20 mm, in particular between 15 mm and 17 mm.

[0015] The rope may include shackles which can allow the said rope to be connected to the mooring member and to the counterweight.

[0016] The counterweight may have a diameter whose dimensions allow it to slide in the hollow tube while allowing it to avoid snagging against an internal wall of said tube and while sliding vertically easily.

[0017] Advantageously, the lower end of the hollow tube comprises a ground attachment member.

[0018] The attachment member can be sized to allow the hollow tube to be held in the ground even when drift forces from waves, wind and current are applied to a boat moored to the mooring member. Therefore it is possible to define the dimension of the attachment member by knowing the bottom depth and the maximum draft that a boat can have in the area of ​​installation of the mooring device.

[0019] The hollow tube has a dimension adapted to correspond to the water height corresponding to a high tide. Thus the dimension of the rope and the counterweight can allow the mooring member to follow the tide.

[0020] Advantageously, the ground attachment member comprises a shape widening from a lower end towards an upper end forming a base, said base being adapted to be fixed on the lower end of the hollow tube.

[0021] In one embodiment, the attachment member may have a conical shape, the base of said cone having a diameter substantially greater than a diameter of the hollow tube. In another embodiment, the attachment member may have a pyramidal shape, the base of said pyramid having dimensions substantially greater than the diameter of the tube.

[0022] The fact that the base of the attachment member has dimensions larger than those of the diameter of the tube can make it possible to keep the tube buried in the ground.

[0023] The ground anchoring member may be hollow and adapted so that the hollow is concreted. Thus, the strength of the anchoring member may be improved to keep the hollow tube buried in the ground.

[0024] Advantageously, the device comprises a sealing element mounted on a plate; said sealing element being arranged to seal the volume of said hollow tube and comprising a bore adapted to be crossed by said mooring line, said plate being adapted to at least partially close the upper end of the hollow tube.

[0025] The sealing element may prevent mud or sand from entering the hollow tube and may prevent or make it difficult for the counterweight and rope to slide in the hollow tube.

[0026] The sealing element may comprise a plurality of seals.

[0027] The plate may comprise at least one removable attachment member. In one embodiment, the plate may comprise a plurality of holes adapted to receive attachment members, for example screws. The attachment members of the plate may be removable, particularly when winter storage is desired, so it is possible to remove the plate when the tide is low.

[0028] Advantageously, the device comprises a damping member arranged on the mooring line in the hollow tube, so that when the mooring member drives the mooring line from the low position to the high position, said damping member comes into abutment against the plate.

[0029] The damping member may comprise rubber. The damping member may be movable on the rope. Thus, when the counterweight causes the mooring line to descend, the damping member may remain fixed on the rope and follow the downward movement of said rope. In addition, when the rising tide causes the mooring line to rise, the damping member may be movable on the rope since it may be held in abutment against the plate even if the rope continues to rise through the plate. The damping member may make it possible to reduce the pressure exerted by the counterweight against the plate. The damping member may make it possible to diffuse the compression energy experienced by the plate.

[0030] The invention also relates to a method for installing a mooring device comprising the following steps: burying the hollow tube in the ground of the drying zone; inserting the counterweight and the rope into the hollow tube; fixing the plate and the sealing element on the hollow tube; fixing the mooring member on the upper end of the rope.

[0031] The invention also relates to a method for winterizing a mooring device comprising the following steps: removing the mooring member from the upper end of the rope; removing the plate; removing the rope and the counterweight; fixing the plate to the open upper end of the hollow tube; fixing a lifeline and a float to the plate.

[0032] The wintering process can allow the mooring line to be removed for repairs. This makes it easy to carry out maintenance on the mooring device.

[0033] The installation of a lifeline and a float in place of the mooring line, can make it easy to find the location of the hollow tube at the end of the wintering period, even if mud and / or sand have covered the plate over the tides. Brief description of the figures.

[0034] Other advantages and characteristics of the present invention are now described with the aid of examples which are purely illustrative and in no way limitative of the scope of the invention, and from the appended drawings, drawings in which the various figures represent:

[0035] [Fig-1] schematically represents a sectional view of a mooring device in a low tide embodiment.

[0036] [Fig.2] schematically represents a sectional view of a mooring device in a high tide embodiment.

[0037] [Fig.3] schematically represents a mooring device in an embodiment at high tide

[0038] In the following description, elements that are identical, by structure or by function, appearing in different figures retain, unless otherwise specified, the same references. Description of the embodiments.

[0039] [Fig.l] shows a mooring device 1 at low tide. The mooring device 1 is also described in connection with [Fig.2] and [Fig.3] showing two embodiments of said mooring device 1 in a position at high tide.

[0040] [Fig.l], [Fig.2] and [Fig.3] describe a mooring device 1 comprising a hollow tube 10. The hollow tube 10 is intended to be buried in the ground S forming the seabed of the drying zone so that said tube 10 is entirely in the ground S. The hollow tube 10 has an upper end 100 open substantially in continuity with the ground S. The tube 10 has a lower end 101 opposite the upper end 100.

[0041] The tube 10 comprises at its lower end 101, a member 102 for attachment to the ground. The attachment member 102 has a shape widening from a lower end towards an upper end forming a base. In the embodiments described in [Fig.l] and [Fig.2], the attachment member 102 has a conical shape. In the embodiment described in [Fig.3], the attachment member 102 has a pyramidal shape. The base of the attachment member 102 is adapted to be fixed on the lower end 101 of the hollow tube 10. The base of the attachment member 102 has dimensions substantially greater than the diameter of the tube 10.

[0042] The device 1 comprises a sealing element 12 mounted on a plate 103.

[0043] The plate 103 is adapted to at least partially close the upper end 100 open of the hollow tube 10. The plate 103 comprises a plurality of holes and a plurality of removable holding members 103a, each holding member 103a being adapted to be inserted into one of the holes.

[0044] The sealing element 102 is arranged to seal the volume of the hollow tube 10. The sealing element 102 comprises a bore 120, described in [Fig. 3]. The sealing element 102 comprises a plurality of seals.

[0045] The mooring device 1 comprises a mooring line 11. The mooring line 11 comprises at its upper end 11.1, a mooring member 110 and at its lower end 11.2, a counterweight 111. The density and mass of the counterweight 111 are greater than the density and mass of the mooring member 110. The mooring line 11 is arranged to cooperate with the upper end 100 of the hollow tube 10. The mooring line 11 is arranged to pass through the bore 120 of the sealing member 12.

[0046] The mooring line 11 comprises a rope 112 connecting the mooring member 110 and the counterweight 111. The rope 112 and the counterweight 111 are mounted in the hollow tube 10.

[0047] The mooring member 110 is above the open upper end 100 of the hollow tube 10, i.e. above the surface of the ground S of the drying zone. The mooring member 110 is a buoy adapted to receive a rope from a boat for its mooring.

[0048] The counterweight 111 is slidable in the hollow tube 10 between a low position and a high position. The counterweight 111 has a diameter whose dimensions allow it to slide in the hollow tube 10 while avoiding snagging against an internal wall of said tube 10 and sliding vertically easily.

[0049] The low position is that in which the counterweight 111 is positioned in a lower portion of the hollow tube 10 and the mooring member 110 is positioned near the open upper end 100. The high position is that in which the counterweight 111 is positioned in an upper portion of the hollow tube 10 and the mooring member 110 is positioned at a distance from the open upper end 100.

[0050] Under the effect of a rising tide, the density and mass of the mooring member 110 being less than the density and mass of the counterweight 111, the rise of the water causes the mooring member 110 to float, causing with it the passage of the counterweight 111 from the low position to the high position. Under the effect of the falling tide, the density and mass of the counterweight 111 being greater than the density and mass of the mooring member 110, the counterweight 111 slides downwards in the hollow tube 10, causing a vertical descent of the mooring member 110 towards the open upper end 100 of the hollow tube 10. The use of the counterweight 111 allows the passage of the mooring line 11 from the high position to the low position so that the mooring line 11 is inserted into the hollow tube 10.

[0051] The mooring device 1 comprises a damping member 113 arranged on the mooring line 11 and in the hollow tube 10. When the mooring member 110 drives the mooring line 11 from the low position to the high position, said damping member 113 comes into abutment against the plate 103. The damping member 113 is movable on the rope 112. Thus, when the counterweight 111 causes the mooring line 11 to descend, the damping member 113 remains fixed on the rope 112 and follows the downward movement of said rope 112. When the rise of the tide causes the mooring line 11 to rise, the damping member 113 is movable on the rope 112 since it is held in abutment against the plate 103, even if the rope 112 continues to rise through the plate 103. The damping member 113 makes it possible to reduce the pressure exerted by the counterweight 111 against the plate 103.The damping member 113 makes it possible to diffuse the compression energy undergone by the plate 103.

[0052] The foregoing description clearly explains how the invention makes it possible to achieve the objectives it has set itself, namely to propose a boat mooring device making it possible to avoid the phenomenon of chafing on the seabed during tides, by proposing a boat mooring device comprising a hollow tube having an open upper end, the hollow tube being intended to be buried in the ground of the drying zone so that the upper end is substantially continuous with said ground and; a mooring line comprising, a mooring member adapted to float and a counterweight slidably mounted in said hollow tube, the density and mass of the counterweight being greater than the density and mass of the mooring member.

[0053] In any event, the invention cannot be limited to the embodiments specifically described in this document, and extends in particular to all equivalent means and to any technically effective combination of these means. In particular, it may be envisaged that: - The attachment member 102 can be hollow to be filled with concrete; - The rope 112 comprises shackles to make the connection between said rope 112 and the mooring member 110 and between said rope 112 and the counterweight 111; - The damping member 113 may comprise rubber.

Claims

Claims

1. Mooring device (1) for a boat in a drying zone comprising: - a hollow tube (10) having an open upper end (100), the hollow tube being intended to be buried in the ground (S) of the drying zone so that the upper end is substantially continuous with said ground (S) and a lower end (101) comprising a ground attachment member (102), said ground attachment member (102) having a shape widening from a lower end towards an upper end forming a base, said base being adapted to be fixed on the lower end (101) of the hollow tube (10); - a mooring line (11) comprising, at its upper end (11.1), a mooring member (110) adapted to float, and, at its lower end (11.2), a counterweight (111) slidably mounted in said hollow tube (10); the density and mass of the counterweight (111) being greater than the density and mass of the mooring member (110).

2. Mooring device (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the mooring line (11) comprises a rope (112) connecting the mooring member (110) and the return member (111).

3. Mooring device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a sealing element (12) mounted on a plate (103); said sealing element (12) being arranged to seal the volume of said hollow tube (10) and comprising a bore (120) adapted to be crossed by said mooring line (110), said plate (103) being adapted to at least partially close the upper end (100) of the hollow tube (10).

4. Mooring device (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises a damping member (113) arranged on the mooring line in the hollow tube, so that when the mooring member (110) drives the mooring line (11) from the low position to the high position, said damping member comes into abutment against the plate (103).

5. Method of installing a mooring device (1) according to one of the preceding claims comprising the following steps: a. Burial of the hollow tube (10) in the ground (S) of the drying zone; b. Insertion of the counterweight (111) and the rope (112) into the hollow tube (10); c. Fixing the plate (103) and the sealing element (12) on the hollow tube (10); d. Fixing the mooring member (110) on the upper end of the rope (112).

6. Method for winterizing a mooring device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4 comprising the following steps: a. Removal of the mooring member from the upper end of the rope; b. Removal of the plate (103); c. Removal of the rope and counterweight; d. Fixing the plate on the open upper end of the hollow tube; e. Attaching a lifeline and a float to the plate.

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