On Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:05:54 -0700 (PDT), Roger Long
wrote:

My mooring really isn't in an place appropriate for a mooring but it's
off a beach a few minutes walk from my house. In bad weather, I take
the boat to a protected cove and stay on it or move it around into
town. That's what I'll be doing first thing in the morning, probably
in the rain, ugh. It's going to blow 40 knots later straight up the
harbor mouth which doesn't happen too often.

One of the oldest and most respected clubs on Long Island Sound uses
no mooring balls at all. The chain rests completely on the bottom
when not in use and the rope pennants are semi-suspended with a small
floating pick-up whip. They've been doing it that way for many years
and it totally solves the issue with mooring ball chafe on the
topsides. The only downside is that if you lose the pickup stick
someone has to dive down and retrieve the pennants or grapple for
them.