Hurricane Ian got me thinking; what is (generally) the maximum load/wind speed that mooring systems can withstand? There exists quite a bit of variables to this question such as vessel size, displacement, windage, state of mooring system, etc.
At what forecasted wind speed do the experienced salty dogs say “that’s too much for my mooring ball. I’m going to Plan B.”
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The ball is irrelevant, it’s the size of the ground tackle, how it’s attached to the bottom, and how well it’s maintained.
A properly rigged mooring puts no strain on the ball, the ball simply floats the mooring chain. Now…how good and big is the ground tackle, chain, block, etc…should be double pendant with chafe gear…in a hurricane add 5-8000lb safety lines…a storm mooring should feature a 6000lb block, 3/4″ chain and American made shackles and swivels, not Chinese, and 1.25″ x 25′ pendant lines…