Adjustable boat mooring system for a flexibly-supported tension leg platform

A tension leg platform and a boat mooring system, comprising:

• a floating platform having secured thereto a plurality of substantially vertical flexible tendons, the lower ends of which are anchored to the ocean floor at spaced-apart points outside a defined well drilling area, said tendons extending to the ocean surface to be held in tension by the buoyant platform in a manner such that the center of the platform is moored substantially over the center of the well drilling area;
• at least four lateral platform-mooring anchor lines secured to the lower part of the platform at at least four spaced-apart compass points thereof and extending to ocean floor anchors a distance from the platform at least as great as the depth of the water;
• buoy means secured to said anchor lines outboard of said platform to form multiple catenaries in each anchor line to increase the lateral force component on the platform;
• at least one of said buoy means being an intermediate buoy positioned on an anchor line outboard of the platform for a distance greater than the length of a boat to be anchored;
• a submerged buoy;
• a buoy line secured at one end to the submerged buoy and operatively connected at the other end to a platform anchor line at a point adjacent said intermediate buoy;
• a second buoy line secured at one end to the submerged buoy and being of a length sufficient to extend from said submerged buoy to the ocean surface;
• a slidable second buoy supporting the other end of the second buoy line at the ocean surface, said second buoy being slidably mounted on said second buoy line for movement between the ends thereof;
• and
• connector means on the other end of said second buoy line and outside said sliding buoy for connecting thereto the end of a bow hawser from a boat.