Advice please (re anchor chain)!

[coopec]

I have read the end of the anchor chain must be secured to the yacht so that when fully extended it is not possible to lose the lot over the side. One suggestion was to use rope so that in the event of the anchor becoming stuck and the need to leave an anchorage urgently the rope can be cut.

Although my anchor locker is very strong I don't think it is strong enough to tether the anchor chain to.so I plan to tether it to the for'd under sole rib(?) using a s/s rod. The rod would be attached to the chain using a "D" shackle. (The floor/sole in the for'd cabin would have to be raised slightly to do this.)

Is there anything wrong with this plan?

View attachment 40901

 

[vyv_cox]

As you say, the intention of having rope at the end is so that it can be cut, from on deck, in the event of an emergency, or have a length of rope attached to it for very strong wind anchoring. I don't think the plan is ever to anchor the boat on it, so a heavy fitting seems unnecessary. Mine is tied off to a D-ring screwed to the back of the bulkhead, which has been perfectly satisfactory. If you do not have a windlass you could have a short length of chain attached to your stainless rod, then shackle the remainder of the chain to that on deck, where it could be unscrewed if needed. With a windlass of course the shackle will not pass through and you could be doubly stuck.

In my case I have an opening locker lid. If I run all my chain out until the rope is on deck, which has happened a couple of times, it is a major task getting it back sufficiently that the gypsy can begin to feed the chain. I am therefore considering having a very short length of rope that terminates below the windlass. It could still be cut if necessary but avoids the re-threading problem.

 

[coopec]

vyv-cox

I do have an anchor winch on deck and a very heavy 75mm nylon chain-pipe down to the chain locker. I have a lid on my chain locker so could detach the tether from the chain

 

[philip_stevens]

As Vyv says, you need to have the end of the rope long enough to see it on deck. You don't want to have to scrabble below deck to cut it away in a panic.

The rope at the end of the chain on my boat comes up and over the windlass. Reading what Vyv says, it could be an advantage to have it terminate just before the windlass, not over it. Food for thought.

 

[coopec]

As Vyv says, you need to have the end of the rope long enough to see it on deck. You don't want to have to scrabble below deck to cut it away in a panic.

The rope at the end of the chain on my boat comes up and over the windlass. Reading what Vyv says, it could be an advantage to have it terminate just before the windlass, not over it. Food for thought.

So the s/s rod is not a problem but it should be attached to a length of rope long enough to go up the chain-pipe but stop short of the winch? I have a hefty Samson Post and intend using a "devil's claw"

 

[NormanS]

In my case I have an opening locker lid. If I run all my chain out until the rope is on deck, which has happened a couple of times, it is a major task getting it back sufficiently that the gypsy can begin to feed the chain. I am therefore considering having a very short length of rope that terminates below the windlass. It could still be cut if necessary but avoids the re-threading problem.

That is precisely the way that I have mine. So far, I've never had to slip the chain, but having attached a line and a buoy, it would be easy to reach down into the chain locker with a knife, and cut the securing line.

 

[noelex]

A rope that reaches on deck so that it can be easily cut is very sensible.

As Viv says the securing of the bitter end in the locker should not be used to hold the boat, when anchoring normally. However, there is the situation where the anchor drops by accident in deep water. The weight of the anchor and chain gains considerable speed and energy in this situation. If the chain has jumped off the gypsy there is no way to slow this down.

It will come to a mighty dramatic stop at the end if you have a lot of chain. There seems two solutions. Make the connection in the locker relatively weak and accept the chain and anchor will lost to the deep, or have a very strong connection with some nylon to provide some stretch and shock absorption.

The worst situation is something in between where the force damages the boat as the attachment point is ripped out and the anchor/chain is lost.

 

[prv]

The worst situation is something in between where the force damages the boat as the attachment point is ripped out and the anchor/chain is lost.

Exactly. One of the Pardeys' books describes a wooden boat where this happened, with the end of the chain shackled to a ring-nut that was screwed onto one of the bolts holding the stem together. The word they use for what happened to the bow of the boat when the chain fetched up short: "imploded". The boat apparently sank more or less immediately.

I favour the "letting it go" approach in the unlikely event of a runaway chain in deep water, so my bitter end is some thinnish (8mm?) three-strand intended only to stop me accidentally dropping the end through clumsiness. The last few metres of the chain are painted red so that I know it's coming. If the whole 60m ran out at speed, I assume the 8mm rope would part without doing further damage.

I do have it long enough to come onto the foredeck through the windlass; from loading the chain on and off a couple of times I know it's reasonably easy to get the inboard end of the chain started in my windlass and feeding into the locker, so the problem Vyv describes is not universal.

Pete

 

[TradewindSailor]

The are some occasions where you might want to add more rode quickly. I would certainly have the chain rope connection on deck to make this possible.

Chain and anchor disappearing into the deep? Yes it happens to the unwary : the windlass circuit is left live and the down switch is shorted out with sea water while under way ..... and there's no securing line on the anchor.

Another time it happens is when anchoring in deep water and the combined weight of the anchor and chain is too much for the windlass.

 

[coopec]

A rope that reaches on deck so that it can be easily cut is very sensible.

As Viv says the securing of the bitter end in the locker should not be used to hold the boat, when anchoring normally. However, there is the situation where the anchor drops by accident in deep water. The weight of the anchor and chain gains considerable speed and energy in this situation. If the chain has jumped off the gypsy there is no way to slow this down.

It will come to a mighty dramatic stop at the end if you have a lot of chain. There seems two solutions. Make the connection in the locker relatively weak and accept the chain and anchor will lost to the deep, or have a very strong connection with some nylon to provide some stretch and shock absorption.

The worst situation is something in between where the force damages the boat as the attachment point is ripped out and the anchor/chain is lost.

Thanks guys: we've got that one sorted out.

I'll have a rope going up to the deck but short of the winch. The point I am tethering from is incredibly strong because after making up the rib(?) with one layer of WR and 4 layers of CSM I then f/g it into the hull. So how thick is the point I am tethering to?!! (mind you the rib is quite small so it is not heavy)

 

[onesea]

Thanks guys: we've got that one sorted out.

I'll have a rope going up to the deck but short of the winch. The point I am tethering from is incredibly strong because after making up the rib(?) with one layer of WR and 4 layers of CSM I then f/g it into the hull. So how thick is the point I am tethering to?!! (mind you the rib is quite small so it is not heavy)

for all this prep how many people have seen the biter end of there chain, in anything less than controlled circumstances?

Use a line that is just weaker than thew securing point and will not rot. Make it long enough to get to deck, paint last bit if your feeling keen. Remember the limitations of what you have, is it really worth stressing any more over it?

 

[coopec]

for all this prep how many people have seen the biter end of there chain, in anything less than controlled circumstances?

Use a line that is just weaker than thew securing point and will not rot. Make it long enough to get to deck, paint last bit if your feeling keen. Remember the limitations of what you have, is it really worth stressing any more over it?

Onesea

I'm going to have a life raft, fire extinguisher and epirb even though I don't expect to have to use them. I don't believe it hurts to plan for "less than controlled circumstances?" .

 

[vyv_cox]

for all this prep how many people have seen the biter end of there chain, in anything less than controlled circumstances?

Quite a regular occurrence for me, it just depends on what you call 'controlled circumstances'. When berthing stern-to it is necessary to estimate four boat lengths from the wall, or so, when dropping the anchor. If adjacent boats are bigger, if the weather is testing, or if I am just a lousy estimator, it is easy to arrive just short of the wall with all the chain plus bitter end on deck. It can be quite difficult to reverse the procedure, especially in poor weather.

 

[charles_reed]

Quite a regular occurrence for me, it just depends on what you call 'controlled circumstances'. When berthing stern-to it is necessary to estimate four boat lengths from the wall, or so, when dropping the anchor. If adjacent boats are bigger, if the weather is testing, or if I am just a lousy estimator, it is easy to arrive just short of the wall with all the chain plus bitter end on deck. It can be quite difficult to reverse the procedure, especially in poor weather.

Been there, happened to me and, even more amusing, 4 times to a professional skipper with a Russian charter crew - he swore they were lying when they said they understood English.
Of course most people anchor only occasionally and usually to swing.
I tend to prefer bows-to, because I'm single handing with no electric winch, in forward you can usually drag the anchor forward. There was one embarrassing occasion in Finikounda when I lost the bitter end overboard and had to hunt for it (all 25m of chain and 50m of octoplait) in 5m of water.

 

[onesea]

Onesea

I'm going to have a life raft, fire extinguisher and epirb even though I don't expect to have to use them. I don't believe it hurts to plan for "less than controlled circumstances?" .

Less than controlled circumstances normally come from and supply situations you do not expect. Hence I said remember the limitations of what you have... I think sensible precaution is required, some times on the forums I think some details and precautions can get over played.

Then I do not know the sailing you intend to do. Vyv hand you that one I did it to on charter holiday, although I think my precautions would be adequate.