A METHOD AND A DEVICE FOR ANCHORAGE OF A BUOY

Abstract: A method and a device for anchoring a water-buoyant buoy on a seabed comprise the use of a water-permeable container that has a filling neck whose length exceeds the depth of the water at the chosen site of the anchorage device. The container is filled with ballast material, such as stone, from the surface of the water via the neck of the container. The neck of the container is connected to the buoy when filling of the container has been completed.

Description: A METHOD AND A DEVICE FOR ANCHORAGE OF A BUOY The invention relates to a method and to a device for anchoring a buoy and being of the kind defined in the preamble of the independent method Claim 1 and the independent apparatus Claim. The problem of providing a buoy anchorage is well known. In this regard, it is also well known to provide a buoy anchoring body (for instance a stone or concrete body provided with an anchoring ring, or an anchor-like metal construction provided with an anchor ring) . This body is lowered onto the sea bed at the place where it is wished to locate the buoy, and a chain or line is connected between the anchor ring on the body/buoy anchor and the buoy itself. When a chain is used between a buoy and its anchorage, the chain should be inspected after 5-10 years. When the chain should be replaced, it is not unusual to lay both a new buoy anchor and a new chain. As a result, a large number of discarded buoy anchors and chains have collected on the sea bed, particularly in the vicinity of boat jetties, boat landing stages and the like. This discarded "junk" is considered to constitute environmental contamination of the sea bed. In addition to ruining fishing implements, the presence of old buoy anchorages can also constitute an aesthetic nuisance or inconvenience, especially in clear water areas and/or relatively shallow waters. Pre-manufactured buoy anchors also involve wear and tear on the environment, due to the fact that they must first be manufactured and then transported to their place of use. Because of this, it is known to use a container filled with stone material as a buoy anchor. JP-A-58214488 teaches that a buoy anchor can be constructed by placing a cloth sack in a desired position on the seabed and pumping a scream of water and sand into the sack from a place in the proximity thereof, wherewith the sack functions to separate the sand from the water. The sand-filled sack is then sealed and connected to a buoy by means of a chain or wire. One drawback with a buoy anchor of this kind is that a pumping means must be placed on the seabed and sand must be found locally, in the vicinity of the sack, and pumped thereinto. The sack lying on the seabed must then be sealed and coupled to an anchor wire. This buoy anchor and anchor wire thus creates the aforementioned problem. The object of the invention is to facilitate local establishment of a buoy anchorage and connection of the anchorage to an associated buoy that shall float on the surface of the water. This object is achieved with the method set forth in the accompanying independent method Claim 1. The object of the invention is also achieved with the device defined in the independent apparatus Claim. Further embodiments of the invention will be apparent from the dependent Claims. The invention is based on the fundamental concept of using a water-permeable sack that has a neck whose length exceeds the depth of the water at the place where the buoy anchorage shall be established. This enables the sack to be laid out in the desired position, even from a small boat, and the sack filled step-wise with ballast material, for instance with stones carried in the boat. The end of the neck of the sack can be connected temporarily to a float and the boat rowed ashore several times in order to re-load with ballast material, which is then conveyed to the sack and emptied thereinto through the neck of the sack available on the surface of the water, this being done until the sack has been filled with the required amount of ballast. The neck of the sack and also the actual sack that accommodates the ballast are produced from a material that has a long useful life in water and which will retain its considerable strength, wherewith the neck of the sack and its connection with the ballast-filled sack will possess sufficient tensile strength with respect to the loads which the buoy can be expected to exert thereon. The neck of the sack will also preferably be flexible, i.e. have a low bending resistance. In one embodiment of the invention, the sack/container may be openable, for instance may have in the container wall an opening device which can be actuated to expose an opening through the wall of the container/sack. When this opening is sufficiently large, the sack can be lifted with a limited force so that the ballast will fall out through the opening. The opening device may include a release device that is connected to a pulling line which triggers release of said device when pulled. The line may be carried by a float which lies at a limited water depth, for instance a depth of 3 metres, so as to enable the float and therewith the line to be captured with the aid of a boat hook, wherewith the mechanism can be triggered by applying a pulling force with the boat hook from a point above the surface of the water, for instance from a boat. In another embodiment of the invention, the buoy can be provided with a connecting device that includes a conical body and a ring whose diameter is somewhat smaller than the largest diameter of the conical body. It can be assumed that the narrow end of the conical body will face towards the buoy. The container neck can be threaded over the conical body and through the ring to a desired relative position in which the ring is displaced axially and firmly clamps the neck between itself and said body, around the full perimeter. The ballast material used with the inventive buoy anchor will preferably be naturally occurring stone, gravel or sand. The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of the construction of an inventive buoy anchorage . Fig. 2 illustrates schematically a filling funnel that can be used to fill an anchorage container with ballast through its throat opening. Fig. 3 illustrates schematically an inventive buoy anchorage connected to a buoy and including a container opening device. Fig. 4 illustrates schematically a device for coupling the container neck to a buoy. Fig. 1 illustrates a net-like container 1 that has a filling neck 11. The container 1 rests on the seabed 3 at a desired location and with respect to the depth concerned is given a neck 11 that reaches to a point above the surface of the water 4. The free end 12 of the neck 11 of the illustrated embodiment is provided with a float 13 that prevents the neck 11 from sinking when said neck is comprised of material that will sink in water. A boat 6 is shown schematically on the surface of the water. An operator can collect ballast material in one or more stages and empty the ballast into the container. The ballast will preferably consist of sand, gravel or stones having a size which is greater than the meshes of the sack 1. The ballast can be emptied into the sack through the free end 12 of the neck 11, and therewith fall down onto the bottom part of the sack/container. Subsequent to having filled the sack/container 1 with an appropriate amount of ballast, the neck 11 can be connected to a buoy (Fig. 3), wherewith the neck 11, which can be assumed to be empty, forms a flexible pulling line between the ballast-filled part of the sack 1 and the buoy 8. Fig. 2 illustrates the possible use of a funnel 10 that has a low density which allows the funnel to float in water and therewith facilitate filling of the sack with ballast through the end 12 of the neck 11. The base edge of the funnel may be toothed and the neck 11 may consist of net material, therewith enabling the end of the neck to be drawn up over the buoyant cone 10 and allow the meshes of the neck at the neck or throat end to be hooked firmly onto the teeth of the funnel 10. The funnel 10 may, of course, be removed upon completion of a sack filling operation, if so desired. As will be seen from Fig. 3, the illustrated sack/container 1 includes a large opening in the vicinity of its bottom part, this opening 20 being gathered together with a release line 21 in a manner which enables the gathering points 22 to be released successively, by applying a pulling force on the free end of the line 21 and therewith expose the opening 20. In Fig. 3, the free end of the line 23 is shown connected to the float 25 that holds the free end of the line 21 at a chosen water depth, for instance a depth of about 3 m. Thus, when wishing to remove the sack/container 1 and its neck 11 (i.e. when wishing to empty the container 1 of its ballast) the end of the line 21 can be captured with the aid of a boat hook for instance and subjected to a pulling force so as to expose the opening, wherewith the neck 11 can be subjected to an upwardly acting pulling force so as to empty the ballast from the container 1 through the opening 20. The container 1 and the neck 11 may then be reused if desired. As shown in Fig. 4, the underpart of the buoy 8 carries a conical body 30 whose narrower end faces towards the buoy 8. The body 30 is surrounded by a clamping ring 31 whose inner diameter corresponds roughly to the outer diameter of the body 30 approximately at half the length. The tubular neck 11 of the sack is drawn up over the body 30 inwardly of the ring 31. The effective length of the neck 11 up to the body 30 can be adjusted, by pulling the neck up past the body 30 until the desired effective net-length 11 is reached. The ring 31 is then pushed down so as to clamp the neck 11 firmly between the ring 31 and the body 30 around the full perimeter.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A method of anchoring a buoy floating on the sea surface in which an anchorage device is established on the seabed by placing a container comprised of water-permeable material on the seabed at a chosen position and filling said container with ballast material through a container neck, and the ballast-filled container is connected to the buoy, characterised by using a container that has a neck whose length exceeds the depth of water at the chosen anchorage site; and filling the container with ballast from the surface of the water via the neck of said container; and connecting said neck to said buoy. 2. A method according to Claim 1, characterised by using a container that has an emptying opening which is closed with the aid of an openable closure device; and by including in said closure device a release device which functions to expose the emptying opening when actuated. 3. A method according to Claim 2, characterised in that the release device includes a line which gathers the opening together through the medium of releasable couplings, wherewith said ties are adapted to be opened by applying a pulling force through said line. 4. A method according to Claim 3, characterised in that the ties have the form of a series of knots en said line. 5. A device for anchoring a water-buoyant buoy comprising a water-permeable container which when lying on the seabed in a chosen place can be filled with ballast material through a container neck, and further comprising means for connecting the ballast-filled container to the buoy, characterised in that the container has a neck whose length exceeds the depth of the water at the chosen anchorage site, wherewith the container can be filled with ballast from the surface of the water via the container neck extending above said surface; and in that the connecting device is formed by the neck of said container. 6. A device according to Claim 5, characterised in that the container includes a container-emptying opening which is closed by means of an openable closure device; and in that the closure device includes a release device which is adapted to expose the emptying opening when actuated. 7. A device according to Claim 6, characterised in that the release device includes a line which gathers said opening together through the medium of releasable ties, said ties being adapted to be released by applying a pulling force on said line. 8. A device according to any one of Claims 5-7, characterised in that the ties are knots. 9. A device according to any one of Claims 5-8, characterised in that the neck of the container is provided with a detachable float. 10. A device according to any one of Claims 5-9, characterised by a filling funnel which is detachably connected to the free end-part of the container neck.

Inventors: WILLERS HENRIK, WILLERS, HENRIK
Applicants: WILLERS HENRIK, WILLERS, HENRIK
Application year: 1999
Main classification: B63B22
IPC codes: B63B22