Anchor lines

[Simon B]

Do forum members take their anchor lines direct to the D ring in the anchor locker or to a rope(s) with an eye or snap hook on that is spliced onto the D ring to allow more rapid un coupling if they are changing lines or rigging mulitiple anchors?

Float-wise do these just hang about in the boat(like ours do) or are they attached to certian lines and not moved. Been meaning to ask this for a while but got caught up reading the HMS thread!

Tell you what, anchoring ropes and organisation would make a cracking article for that Rib Int mag!

[Simon Hawkins]

As long as the end of the anchor line is attached to a strong point on the boat cant really see what difference if would make. If want to attach more line then all you would do would be to tie the other line to the anchor line by way of a reef knot. Of course you will know how much line to put out before dropping the anchor and therefore cant see the need to be adding more line once the anchor is down.

[Swifty]

Originally Posted by Simon B

if they are changing lines or rigging mulitiple anchors?

How many anchors do you carry?

For me I have eye spliced the warp with a ss shackle. It is attached onto the inner ring for convenience. I also have a thicker second painter tied to the outer ring. The reason being if I anchor in a rough sea or am being towed I don't want the towline attached to the inner ring because of chafe, but the problem is you cannot reach the outer ring! So I would attach the towline or anchor to my second painter . It has a clip half way up it so I can clip it to the grab line which stops it falling overboard. The whole thing works very well.
There is method in my madness

Tim'mers.

[Simon B]

Clearly we try to follow best practice! We have 2, a fold flat(ish!) Danforth and little grapnell folding anchor. The reason for the post was to find out how others deploy thier anchors, on our dive rib it can a bit confusing 2 anchor lines and another shotline making 3 different sets of gear, as you may imagine unless you turf the whole lot out you dont know what you have connected to.

I had toyed with the theory of splicing on to the anchor locker D ring 2 maybe three traces or leaders or whatever they might be called in a different colour so you know for sure if you connect to it its connected on to the boat.

Good point about the painter ours tends to get used as a maid of work including temporary anchoring or tieing up when perhaps it should be going to the anchor D ring.

Might just splice on a second heavy duty painter and form an attaching point on the other thin one.

Thanks swifty.

[jim68585]

Originally posted by Simon Hawkins
If want to attach more line then all you would do would be to tie the other line to the anchor line by way of a reef knot.

Might be better using a sheet bend or a double sheet bend, as a reef knot used in this way could well capsize and come undone. Incidentally, we find using one of these knots to attach the painter to the anchor warp (once sufficient is paid out) a good way of avoiding chafe without the hassle of attaching a second painter to the external U bolt (which would be a struggle on ours given its size)

[Simon Hawkins]

Jim.

I was going to go into detail about using the painter but thought this was outside of the question being asked.

[Simon B]

No it's all part of it to me, so please detail any ideas, the whole ropes tied onto the pointy bit needs some clarity for how we operate our boats, we've already had one lovely Danforth consigned to the deep.

[Simon Hawkins]

So this is how it would be done.

1. Check the depth of water where you want to anchor. Then measure out 5 times depth for rope and chain. This is how much you will require.
2. Tie the end of your line to a strong point on the boat (this is only a safety point), then make sure the line which will be sent out of the boat is free from obstruction on the boat and not tangled.
3. Then pay the line out to the amount already measured.
4. The next stage is then to attch the anchor line at the required point where you measured to, to the painter which presumably in attached to the D - Ring on the hull, by way of a sheet bend (ideal for attaching two ropes of different thicknesses). This painter will then take the stress, and therefore your anchor line will not rub on your sponsons.
5. When at anchor take a transit to establish if you are dragging.

Rememeber that say you put out 15 meters of lines then you will have a swing radius of the same.

This is just the basics, so make sure the sea bed is suitable for anchoring and that you have taken tides etc into considertion and also what direction of travel will your boat be going at the time of dropping the anchor.

[jim68585]

Simon,

Whereupon we get into the thorny issue of not stranding ourselves on the beach in the middle of a fast dropping tide (East Head at Chichester springs to mind! ) See also the thread re bungy lines also on this page http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8985

[Simon Hawkins]

You are correct and this is why I suggested taking the tides into considertion !.

[pettal]

All good advice!

To be honest I carry probably a little more anchor chain (20m) than I need and it's also larger chain (8mm), I also have 50m of decent sized warp which again is probably more oversized than it needs to be to as the tide around Guernsey can be a bit ferocious at times.

Anyone moor off Rosiere Steps in Herm and had to reset their anchor half a dozen times will know what I'm on about as the tide rips through their on a spring tide.

Anyway going back to the question. I have the anchor attached to inside cleat near the bow (if you have one......if not it's worth getting either a small sampson post or large cleat fixed there as they are dead handy!). I then tie off an anchor bend to the d-ring on the front.......

Or use a bowline and high strength carabina/clip and clip it to the d-ring which to be honest saves me going red in the face trying to lean over the bow and tie a knot whilst remembering to breath!

Never had a problem doing this over the years and the only time I lost an anchor was dropping the anchor onto a dive site wreck which got caught on the wreck itself and not realising until everyone was back up from the dive! Couldn't do anything about it except wait until someone decompresses or cut the line!

Mr impatient had to go and buy himself a new anchor rig!

[Seb]

Simons scenario seems pretty much what i would do also.....

Calculate suitability of location etc etc and fake out the required length of line in the boat ensuring that you have a few metres excess.

Drop the hook making the line off on a cleat or D ring on the deck (ensuring that there is still that extra few metres slack inside the boat).

Take your painter which is securely made off to the very strong D ring on the bow externally and tie the end of it to the already streamed anchor line with a rolling hitch (make sure it rolls and holds in the right direction!).

Ease away the main anchor line which is made off internally untill the strain is all on the bow painter, D ring and rolling hitch.

Leave some slack and make the internal line off again.

This sounds more complicated than it is however, this method will ensure that the tubes are not being rubbed against by a taught line and of course it means that the line is made off on what is probably the boats strongest point whilst illiminating difficulties of leaning over the bow and trying to clip a shackle on.

If then, either setup should fail, there is always a back up which is secured and could save loosing that expensive anchor and warp!

It is also always very useful attaching a trip line to the anchor just in case its snags - whatever the chart says the seabed is like! This is very easy to rig and again could save an anchor!

Hope this helps.

[Seb]

Oh -- having a line still attached internally makes recovery a breeze too and prevents the possibility of an MOB when leaning over the bow trying to untie a knot or unclip a shackle!

[Bill S]

Best of both worlds IMHO - Have a shackle/caribiner permanently on end of painter. Anchor warp can be attached at correct length in comfort and safety of boat, then paid out till painter takes the strain as Simon says. Haul on anchor warp when retrieving, and unclip from painter - again inside boat. My rope to rope knots (especially with cold & wet hands) are not the best in the world, so I find it easier with a shackle/caribiner which I can open.

Just my 2 cents worth....

Bill

[Swifty]

Originally Posted by Seb

tie the end of it to the already streamed anchor line with a rolling hitch (make sure it rolls and holds in the right direction!).

You should not be relying on a rolling hitch. It is not secure and needs tension on all 3 ends to work effectively. Use a bowline or similar non constricting knot. A carabiner is ok but be aware they can be sprung open.

A few years ago I lent my boat to a yachty friend of mine to get out to his anchored yacht after a session in the pub. It had a long line clipped to the D ring with a snap shackle. During the night the snap shackle sprung undone and the boat drifted away. Next morning all my friend had was a bowline on the end. The boat was found next day on margate sands some 15 miles away.

There is excellent advice in this thread and goes to show there is more than one way to skin a rabbit.

Tim'mers.

[Seb]

You'd be surprised at the 'power' of a rolling hitch!

It wont need any load on the 'tail' to keep is tight once pulling tension in both directions is working (which there should be loads of from the anchor).

This will work with no problem but as said, there are loads of methods...you could tie a bowline with a bite in the anchor line where the rolling hitch would be and then tie the painter to it with another bowline, sheet bend or even a shackle etc.

Just needs some imagination!

Either way, its still handy to have that slack end of the main line made off in the boat as its likely to prevent scenarios like yachts floating away

[Swifty]

Seb,
Absolutely right arolling hitch can work wonders under load, but as I said it is not secure and you cant do one in the middle of the warp, only at the end!

Tim'mers.

[Simon B]

Well I'm all fired up with enthusiasm and propane and hydrogen; I will:

Splice on a heavy duty painter for towing (come on it's a dive RIB we have a bridle at the stern why not similar at bow?) Will keep lighter duty one for clipping on mid point as "hawser recovery aid"
Splice on two leaders from the anchor locker D ring with good carabiners on the ends

The three lines will be in a contrasting colour to all other lines in the boat, so if you are anchoring and it isnt tied to a black?/blue? rope you are not secure. Will also endeavour to phase out the having to do hang over the bow thing. Not easy in the morning following some of our "dive planning evenings"

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by Simon Hawkins

As long as the end of the anchor line is attached to a strong point on the boat cant really see what difference if would make. If want to attach more line then all you would do would be to tie the other line to the anchor line by way of a reef knot. Of course you will know how much line to put out before dropping the anchor and therefore cant see the need to be adding more line once the anchor is down.

I use a rode with thimbles at both ends. To lengthen, I use a quicklink (not a carabiner, but the screw-closed chain link replacement thingie) as it is less likely to accidentally open. For securing to the boat, a carabiner.

Anchor, shackle (wired closed) chain, shackle (wired closed) rode, knot to get correct scope), carabiner, excess rode, float, carabiner attached to boat.

One other thing I do (which I feel is fairly imprtant for a dive boat) is to put a float on the boat end of the rode. Should something happen (injured diver, drifting diver in current, etc.), unclip the rode from the boat, toss the mess overboard, and motor off to handle the situation. Come back, recover the float, and there's your anchor. It also makes an OK ascent line for remaining divers in case you have to leave for whatever reason.


jky in California