Adding rope to anchor chain

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pcatterall

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Currently I have 60m of 8mm chain ( newly galvanised !!) I am considering adding some anchor plait. But...

I have a 'spare' anchor with about 10m of chain and no rope at all.
I am short of a good length of substantial rope for 'emergencies'
Would I be better to simply get a good length( 50m?) of, say, 14mm rope and just have it available ( with fastenings to hand) to add to either anchor or use for emergencies.
(10m Neptunian)
Grateful for your advise.
 
That's close to what I have. My kedge anchor has about 8 metres of chain and 50 metres of 16 mm anchorplait, shackled together with a steel thimble on the anchorplait. It can easily be transferred to the bower chain if needed, although it never has been. I also carry a spare anchor along with various lengths of chain and around 30 metres of three-strand nylon, just in case.
 
vyv_cox said:
That's close to what I have. My kedge anchor has about 8 metres of chain and 50 metres of 16 mm anchorplait, shackled together with a steel thimble on the anchorplait. It can easily be transferred to the bower chain if needed, although it never has been.
Click to expand...

Thats' what I have and I too keep it shackled on.
On a coded boat the anchorplait doubles as the tow rope.

However you have made me think.
Transferring to bower not easy for me as on the kedge the shackle goes through the last link, it would need to go on an intermediate link on the bower as I'd need to connect it forward of the windlass. I don't think it would fit. On my list for the new year now.
 
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Really depends on how often you think you will need to use more than 60m on your bower. The main disadvantage of shackling the rope on is that it won't run over the gypsy or through a hawse pipe. I have 50m chain and 50m 3 strand spliced onto it, but very rarely use all the chain. Previously had it shackled on, but the rare occasions needed it, was a pain to recover.
 
pcatterall said:
Currently I have 60m of 8mm chain ( newly galvanised !!) I am considering adding some anchor plait. But...

I have a 'spare' anchor with about 10m of chain and no rope at all.
I am short of a good length of substantial rope for 'emergencies'
Would I be better to simply get a good length( 50m?) of, say, 14mm rope and just have it available ( with fastenings to hand) to add to either anchor or use for emergencies.
(10m Neptunian)
Grateful for your advise.
Click to expand...

I would recommend that you have on hand the 50 m of line that you propose with a hard eye on one end. It increases the functionality if not permanently made up to the main anchor chain i.e. available as a tow rope and independent of the main anchor chain. As you imply it would also be available for the spare (kedge) anchor.

You need to think about how you can connect the line to your anchor chain. For example I carry a chain hook on a long line. This is used to hold the deployed chain while I free off the bitter end. You don't need a chain hook as a rolling hitch is suitable, but it is easier to attach. The chain hook has a long line to run back to a sheet winch which allows a lot of play athwart ship compared to say, making off on a bow cleat. This helps to keep the chain in line with the gypsy as well and makes transfer from the gypsy to the cathead quite straight forward.

The rope on the bitter end of my chain is long enough to pop through the hawse pipe but stops short of going around the gypsy. The last 5 meters of my chain is painted orange in case I lose track of the scope deployed. The paint has not survived well and I was thinking of using some small sections of heat shrink on the links.

Obviously establish all connector sizes on land for both your bower and kedge anchor warps. On my own I need two sizes of shackle because the hard eye is quite large, not good, but it works. So size the hard eye to suit.

I would prefer to be able to deploy two anchors than only one. If I am on a lee shore with both anchors deployed, I'll accept a tow line floated down to me, if the situation warrants it!
 
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pcatterall said:
Thanks guys good pointers as always. So.... 50m of 16mm (not my suggested 14mm) anchorplait and consider the operational drill and provide the bits to facillitate flexible use.
Cheers
Click to expand...

You don't need 16 mm for strength, I guess that as little as 10 or 12 mm would be strong enough, but it's much nicer to handle in larger diameters. If you are happy to haul 14 mm I would buy that.
 
pcatterall said:
Currently I have 60m of 8mm chain ( newly galvanised !!) I am considering adding some anchor plait. But...

I have a 'spare' anchor with about 10m of chain and no rope at all.
I am short of a good length of substantial rope for 'emergencies'
Would I be better to simply get a good length( 50m?) of, say, 14mm rope and just have it available ( with fastenings to hand) to add to either anchor or use for emergencies.
(10m Neptunian)
Grateful for your advise.
Click to expand...

That's pretty close to what I have:

  • Bower anchor: 35lb CQR with 65 metres of 8mm chain
  • Kedge: 20lb CQR with 5 metres of 8mm chain permanently shackled on
  • Kedge warp: 48 metres octoplait with hard eye spliced in one end. Not permantly shackled on so it can be used as track line/horse line if required.

That seems to suit my purposes, ie cruising UK South coast, CIs, and Brittany
 
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