Mooring Pendant
 

All the mooring pendants I see are rope. Why? Rope chafes through. Why don't we use wire or chain? Obviously, the attachment for wire or chain wouldn't be to an on-deck cleat, and would have to use some kind of shackle, but eliminating the threat of chafe in a storm seems most important.

Energy absorbtion. The impact loading on a mooring in a storm is pretty impressive. Every boat in Hyannis that broke loose during Irene that I looked at had been on a helix, short scope to accomodate a more crowded mooring field, with fancy new no stretch fibre pendents like kevlar. Where the cleats were not ripped out, the short scope meant a sharp angle over the chocks and stuff exploded at the bend.

There are problems managing energy, of course. Internal chafe on the line structure and melting within the chafe gear are common problems for those who don't think clearly.

Impact damage can be massive even if the boat stays on the mooring - stem damage and all that.

Mooring Pendant
 

So maybe a chain with a rubber snubber from the morring to an eye protruding from the bow.