Mooring
Wave Sentry Mooring Requirements
Mooring designs are dependent on a number of factors, including water depth, currents, tides and waves. While no single design is suitable for every situation, below are some suggestions and examples of typical Wave Sentry moorings.
Wave Sentry Buoy
In order to produce accurate wave measurements, it is important that the Wave Sentry buoy be allowed unrestricted motion within the field of waves. This can be accomplished by either allowing the buoy to free-float, or by use of a compliant mooring section (e.g. bungee cord). This elastic section will de-couple the buoy from the mooring and allow it to move in an unrestricted fashion. The compliant section is usually attached directly to the buoy. For protection against breakage, it is suggested that a slightly longer safety line be used in parallel with the compliant mooring section.
A simple mooring system in water depths of 30 meters or less could include a 1/2-inch diameter polypropylene mooring line running from a compliant section to a Danforth anchor with a 10-foot chain. The length of the mooring line should be 2 to 2.5 times the total water depth.
Mini Wave / Current Sentry Buoy
In order to measure surface currents, the Mini Sentry must be allowed to float freely. However, the buoy can be moored if current measurements are not needed. The picture to the right illustrates a simple shallow water mooring using a Danforth anchor. The sea anchor is intended to de-couple the buoy's motion from the mooring.
Micro Air-Launched Expendable Wave Buoy
The buoyancy of the Micro Sentry is critical and is not intended to be moored.