Anchor fouls something......techniques

[sailaboutvic]

That would only work as in the video in which case and in a few other situation you don't need to spend money on another toy , just rise the Chain high enough to slide a rope around it will do the job.

Some years back we had to anchor in what we know was a Rocky anchorage in the dark knowing there a chance of getting foul , it was one of them time we used a tripping line , and lucky we did ,
I the morning and in day light we could see The chain drop in between to very high rocks, throught a gap not much bigger then the chain it self ,
we much had spend an hour with one in the water given direction trying to get the chain back out of the gap .
in the end the only way was to drop all our chain while pull the anchor out and feeding the Chan through the gap, remover the anchor then haul the chain .
no toy would had helped in that situation.

 

[dom]

......no toy would had helped in that situation.

Do you not remember Thunderball?

 

[noelex]

That would only work as in the video in which case and in a few other situation you don't need to spend money on another toy , just rise the Chain high enough to slide a rope around it will do the job.

Some years back we had to anchor in what we know was a Rocky anchorage in the dark knowing there a chance of getting foul , it was one of them time we used a tripping line , and lucky we did ,
I the morning and in day light we could see The chain drop in between to very high rocks, throught a gap not much bigger then the chain it self ,
we much had spend an hour with one in the water given direction trying to get the chain back out of the gap .
in the end the only way was to drop all our chain while pull the anchor out and feeding the Chan through the gap, remover the anchor then haul the chain .
no toy would had helped in that situation.

If you have a good quick setting anchor snagging the chain I suspect is much more common than snagging the achor. Obviously even an anchor that regularly sets in its own length can still be unluckly enough to become caught, but with so little movement the chance of it catching an obstruction is low. Fortunatly chain snags are usually easier to clear but a tripping line is of little use unless, as in this case, you are lucky enough to be able to raise and unshackle the anchor.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Do you not remember Thunderball?


View attachment 124031

Now she a toy worth having ?
Althought she probably be the last toy I ever play with .

 

[tico]

Like Duncan , that's what the tank and scuba gear is for. <smug>
And yes, I am qualified!

 

[sailaboutvic]

Like Duncan , that's what the tank and scuba gear is for. <smug>
And yes, I am qualified!

Talking on behalf of others who many are not divers or got gear on board ,
any encouragement anyone give ( not saying you ) that people should dive on their anchor is bad news .
Just diving to reach the anchor is enough without equipment , let alone then trying to move it away from where it's fouled .
We carry a power dive which on The odd time I have used it for a foul anchor,
Mostly it used if we foul the prop or clean the bottom .
I am a trained BSAC port diver and even I wouldnt bother going down unless I really couldn't release it fro, above .
As most experience diver knowv a lot can happen which is why people dive with a buddy.
So someone free diving any more then a couple of metres could easily find him self I
trouble

 

[dom]

Talking on behalf of others who many are not divers or got gear on board ,
any encouragement anyone give ( not saying you ) that people should dive on their anchor is bad news .
Just diving to reach the anchor is enough without equipment , let alone then trying to move it away from where it's fouled .
We carry a power dive which on The odd time I have used it for a foul anchor,
Mostly it used if we foul the prop or clean the bottom .
I am a trained BASA sport diver and even I wouldnt bother going down unless I really couldn't release it fro, above .
As most experience diver knowv a lot can happen which is why people dive with a buddy.
So someone free diving any more then a couple of metres could easily find him selfmin trouble

Top post and great advice!

 

[Barnacle Bill]

I am not a diver but plenty of recreational snorkelling. Is there a "safe depth" for mere mortals to pull themselves down a chain before equalising ear pressure ? When I snorkel I often go down a couple of meters before my bouyancy and inclinination take me back up. Just curious, I'm not after a safety lecture ....... my instincts are that I could go down maybe 4m but that would start to feel risky?

If you've done plenty of recreational snorkeling, carrying a wetsuit mask and snorkel on board is very sensible. With snorkeling there is no risk associated with depth, apart from your own courage and practice: as long as you are not breathing compressed air under water, you cannot hurt your lungs by holding your breath, going down (to any depth) and coming back up again.

Clear your ears as soon as you go under water: don't wait until they feel uncomfortable, because they are harder to clear then. So clear your ears (pinch your nose and blow gently into your nose) more or less continuously. Hold onto the anchor chain and pull yourself down: hopefully you'll be able to see what the problem is when you're still a fair way from the bottom.

(Don't hyperventilate to hold your breath for longer: there is a danger that you could pass out under water, which isn't good!)

The last time I did this was when I hooked a cable (charted - no excuse) near Drake's Island in Plymouth sound. Once I saw what the problem was it was clear I'd need some slack in the chain before it could be unhooked, so I got the crew to let out 5m more chain when I'd been under for 10s. Success!

If you're in a popular diving area hail a passing RIB and someone will pop down for a few beers!

 

[dom]

If you've done plenty of recreational snorkeling, carrying a wetsuit mask and snorkel on board is very sensible. With snorkeling there is no risk associated with depth, apart from your own courage and practice: as long as you are not breathing compressed air under water, you cannot hurt your lungs by holding your breath, going down (to any depth) and coming back up again.

Not being confrontational, but I totally disagree with this. There are still multiple risks: pre-existing health conditions, equalization issues, environmental risks working down there, panic attacks, dehydration, and potentially blackouts.

And nobody should underestimate the risks of shallow water blackouts which the untrained may not see coming. Disaster may subsequently beckon without a buddy.

BTW, I say that as someone who routinely keeps compressed air and dive gear aboard.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Not being confrontational, but I totally disagree with this. There are still multiple risks: pre-existing health conditions, equalization issues, environmental risks working down there, panic attacks, dehydration, and potentially blackouts.

And nobody should underestimate the risks of shallow water blackouts which the untrained may not see coming. Disaster may subsequently beckon without a buddy.

BTW, I say that as someone who routinely keeps compressed air and dive gear aboard.

I couldn't agee more , many experience divers have got In to trouble and many have drown too,
Diving can't be compared to snokeing
Yes sure some can free dive for long periods but there been doing it for years and slowly worked their way up to holding they breath for long periods.
Bloody stupid I say for some one to dive to any depth especially in cold water as this seen what this posting about .
As for wearing a wet suite , that's going to make you more buoyant which mean you going to fight harder to get down even using the chain.
and I totally disagree with someone dropping any chain while under the water ,
One would thing if you want to slacking the chain you lay a second anchor first to take any stran, ( tide , wind )
I suppose you could tied the spare anchor to you to help you down .

 

[Barnacle Bill]

"If you've done plenty of recreational snorkelling" is quite clear. Some of us have.

 

[SaltIre]

"If you've done plenty of recreational snorkelling" is quite clear. Some of us have.

Do you have Professional Indemnity Insurance to support the advice issued?

 

[dom]

"If you've done plenty of recreational snorkelling" is quite clear. Some of us have.

But you said:

"Once I saw what the problem was it was clear I'd need some slack in the chain before it could be unhooked, so I got the crew to let out 5m more chain when I'd been under for 10s. "​

​

There is no way on earth recreational snorkeling equips one to mess around in deeper cold water, with possibly a tide running, while having pre-arranged heavy chain drops with no ability to signal STOP!!

You sure this isn't a wind-up?

 

[Barnacle Bill]

You sure this isn't a wind-up?

No, it's not: it happened exactly the way I described.

Look, I realise some of us are more used to going into the water than others: and obviously what you do depends on your own experience and capability and the conditions, visibility, warm water or cold, and whether you have done anything like it before. (Actually, learning that kind of risk assessment is a pretty fundamental part of diving training.)

The real point of my post was to point out that if you have that training/capability/expertise/practice, even as an amateur, it can be extremely handy in a number of situations, the one in discussion among them. So if you like snorkeling, why not practice a bit and build up your experience. The hazards are a great deal less if there is no compressed air involved.

I'm also convinced that it makes you a better skipper if you have seen for yourself what goes on underwater. In warm water I used to snorkel to my anchor as a matter of routine (it's amazing to see how the chain lifts almost all the way to the anchor when there's a bit of wind blowing; nothing will better convince you why you need to let out enough chain).

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Do you have Professional Indemnity Insurance to support the advice issued?

By the sound of you lot, I'd be hard pressed to get life insurance! ?

 

[Kukri]

I have successfully used the loop of chain trick.

Twice.

Note - this does not work with a Danforth type anchor.

A heavy loop of chain kept for the purpose (big fat short link chain is much less likely to hang up on the way down!) with a length of wire rope on it for the lifting part (less stuff to snag on things). The idea is to get the anchor rode as taut as you can, shackle the loop of chain round the rode, and drop it fast, so it has some momentum as it gets to the anchor.

Slack its line.

Slack the anchor rode fast. Try to dump a pile of chain on the anchor. Pull the line on the loop up as taut as you can. All going well, your anchor is now free. If not, repeat.

 

[Stemar]

My only experience with a stuck anchor was in Portsmouth Harbour. Coming off the mooring under power, the engine died. There was too much tidal current and not enough wind to sail out of trouble, so to avoid bumping the boats around us, I dropped the anchor to sort the problem. A new filter and it was time to haul the anchor up. No, not going to happen. I tried all the tricks I knew but to no avail. In the end, we had to buoy the rode (one advantage of mixed rode is that you only leave a few metres of chain down there).

I came back at low springs to try and free the anchor; I could get down to touch it and see that I'd hooked a trot, but not to do anything useful, so I went up to prepare a hook to attach, but the first dive had taken too much out of me, and I just didn't feel safe forcing things, so the anchor's still down there.

One final comment. Not long after this incident, I read of a couple who'd been at anchor. When the time came to move on, the anchor wouldn't come up, so hubby dived down to free it. He didn't come back up. When divers went down, they found him in no great depth of water, the anchor was free, but he was in the mud up to his knees, stuck there.

We grumble about the price of anchors and chain, but they're far too cheap to take risks over.

 

[Kukri]

That is why l, to the amusement of many, I carry a spare anchor.

 

[dom]

That is why l, to the amusement of many, I carry a spare anchor.

Snap: I like Spade's so when cruising carry 2.

The oversized one is a spare and hardly ever used.

 

[SaltIre]

That is why l, to the amusement of many, I carry a spare anchor.

Logically, your spare will be the same size/weight and type as your main anchor.
Is it?