Anchor Buoy

[nickfabbri]

As we are now spending far more time at anchor I would like to ask the relative merits and pitfalls of using anchor buoys. I just purchased one and 10m of 5mm line to attach to my anchor. I see that they have uses for marking an anchor site, allowing additional purchase of tripping a snagged anchor, but what are the pitfalls?
My friend says that they are forever snagging in the chain and can cause horrendous problems when they get caught up. Also, we watched the barge match last weekend at anchor, and a yacht hoved into view and attempted to pick up someones anchor buoy believing it to be a spare mooring.
All thoughts gratefully received

 

[Robin]

We have always had one but always avoided using it wherever possible. It only really is needed if you expect to have a problem recovering the anchor because of a foul bottom (water not mine) and such places are best avoided full stop. However there are some spots where we know of problems but still want to anchor there, one has some old telephone cabling in one spot that acts like a boat magnet.

We marked our buoy in both English and French 'Anchor buoy do not pick up!' and attached some fishing weights to the line about 2.5m down to keep it below keel depth even though the line was a non-floating one. We would also try and take out any excess line over what was needed for the HW depth. We used a simple sheepshank but you can run the line through a shackle under the buoy and add a weight (heavy shackle maybe) so it adjusts itself to the depth more or less.

The potential problems are as you said, getting tangled around the chain, getting wrapped around your keel rudder or prop, or worse still someone else's, or some twit mistaking it for a free mooring. Then of course it complicates the anchoring and de-anchoring processes. It does have the merit however of showing new arrivals roughly where your anchor is on those wind over tide occasions or when the wind is so light you swing round a pile of chain rather than leaning on the anchor.

 

[Coaster]

We usually use a tripping line when anchoring, except in places where we know that it's unnecessary. The buoy has a carbine hook on a very short line. I have several different length tripping lines so as to minimise surplus, each with a carbine hook at the anchor end and a soft eye at the other.

Prior to releasing the anchor the buoy is clipped to the chosen tripping line soft eye. The line is then flaked out on deck and its carbine hook clipped to a permanent shackle fitted to our bower anchor stock. We allow the tripping line to run out with the anchor chain.

Typical depths anchored in are 6 to 15 metres, on various bottoms. The tripping line is rarely needed to dislodge the anchor but there are a few occasions when it has been used, perhaps 1 in 50.

I had reservations about using carbine hooks but they've worked for us, over about six years now. Their speed of use makes deploying a tripping line very easy.

We rarely stay at anchor for more than 3 or 4 tides and have never had a significant problem with line wrapping around chain. I hope these comments are useful.

 

[Richard10002]

On the one occasion I used an anchor buoy, I spent a few hours warning other boats off it, as they approached it thinking it was a mooring.

Didnt bother again, and would only consider it if I thought I may need to trip the anchor.

 

[blueglass]

agree with previous posters - they cause more problems than they solve and best left.
Out here in the med fouled anchors are usually sorted out with a mask and snorkel anyway.

 

[Coaster]

...would only consider it if I thought I may need to trip the anchor.

Is there any other reason for using a buoy above a set anchor?

 

[CaptainBob]

We used one once in Barn Pool - a notorious fouling anchorage. It's also got a bit of an eddy in it, so we ended up going around and around the tripping line. We got a nice inward spiral drawn on the GPS by morning - and had a hell of a job untangling it. The anchor came up without incident. We were lucky I think that the tangled mess hadn't caused the anchor to get pulled out as we'd ended up with what was effectively a very short rode.

There is a method I've read about for freeing fouled anchors. Not tried it so not sure how effective it is. But it involves working a loop of rope down your rode, all the way to the shaft of the anchor, and then working it back along the shaft too, effectively giving you a tripping line after you got fouled. Probably quite difficult in practice, but it's what I'm planning on doing rather than messing about with buoyed ones.

 

[Sy-Revolution]

Everytime I've used one I ended up wishing I hadn't. Once I had two anchors out the front, one buoyed. It got wrapped around the keel, pulling my main bower out, leaving us laying to a 9kg danforth on 10m of 8mm chain and 40m 16mm warp in F8s off Dungeness. Another, it got wrapped around the rudder.

Never again. Unless pushed........

 

[dmmbruce]

It's really quite simple, and needs to be used if you suspect there could be problems. Assuming that you can swim down and fix things is not realistic except in shallow, warm, tideless, med conditions.

All you need to do is attach the tripping line to the crown of the anchor in whatever is the appropriate way. All anchors have a hole or ring etc. Then attach the line to the anchor chain every 2 or 3 metres with something breakable, traditionally a thin bit of wool.

You should NOT leave the buoy or the tripping line floating about to catch on your, or someone else's propeller. It stays on deck.

If you have to use it, you slacken the anchor chain, pull the tripping line using quick snatches to break the wool. Pull up over the anchor, or better still motor just past it if you have power. then pull hard (winch) to 'upset' the anchor and lift it to the surface.

The buoy is only there to prevent you losing the line if you drop it.

.

However, nowadays there is a fashion in some places to use a line that matches the depth of the water, to float above the anchor so others can see where it is. A bit of polysyrene with Beware! written prominently on it works well and won't be picked up.

All IMHO of course! Cheers

Mike

 

[Richard10002]

Is there any other reason for using a buoy above a set anchor?

MMM! Not sure really. To let others know where your anchor is so they dont drop theirs on top of it?

When I did it, it was on the kedge anchor and, for some reason, I wanted to know where it was, although I cant recall why - maybe to be sure that it was holding, rather than dragging.

 

[craigsmith]

www.rocna.com/kb/Buoyed_retrieval_line

 

[charles_reed]

We used one once in Barn Pool - a notorious fouling anchorage. It's also got a bit of an eddy in it, so we ended up going around and around the tripping line. We got a nice inward spiral drawn on the GPS by morning - and had a hell of a job untangling it. The anchor came up without incident. We were lucky I think that the tangled mess hadn't caused the anchor to get pulled out as we'd ended up with what was effectively a very short rode.

There is a method I've read about for freeing fouled anchors. Not tried it so not sure how effective it is. But it involves working a loop of rope down your rode, all the way to the shaft of the anchor, and then working it back along the shaft too, effectively giving you a tripping line after you got fouled. Probably quite difficult in practice, but it's what I'm planning on doing rather than messing about with buoyed ones.

Rope won't work - you need to use chain and endless patience. Best to use predigistation to determine whether or not you use a tripping line.

 

[Ubergeekian]

I use a pickup buoy with "Anchor" on it. It has a fathom of light chain, then just enough rope (adjusted on the day) to allow it to float at high tide.

 

[Coaster]

MMM! Not sure really. To let others know where your anchor is so they dont drop theirs on top of it?

When I did it, it was on the kedge anchor and, for some reason, I wanted to know where it was, although I cant recall why - maybe to be sure that it was holding, rather than dragging.

We often anchor in locations with a 7m tidal range. So if there's 5m of water at low tide I'll select and use my 14m long tripping line (next size down is 10m so too short). So at low water, if the tripping line were pulled straight, the buoy could move around the circumference of a 26m circle (the radius being the square root of 14 squared minus 5 squared).

I often wonder how accurately buoys mark locations, in areas with large tidal ranges. Presumably some range over circles 30m to 40m wide or more.

 

[bikedaft]

All you need to do is attach the tripping line to the crown of the anchor in whatever is the appropriate way. All anchors have a hole or ring etc. Then attach the line to the anchor chain every 2 or 3 metres with something breakable, traditionally a thin bit of wool.

You should NOT leave the buoy or the tripping line floating about to catch on your, or someone else's propeller. It stays on deck.

If you have to use it, you slacken the anchor chain, pull the tripping line using quick snatches to break the wool. Pull up over the anchor, or better still motor just past it if you have power. then pull hard (winch) to 'upset' the anchor and lift it to the surface.

The buoy is only there to prevent you losing the line if you drop it.

sounds good to me! only time i used a trip line, i wrapped it round prop, so never since. but the above sounds like it avoids me wrapping it round prop, or other people picking up the buoy. cheers

 

[Poignard]

There is a method I've read about for freeing fouled anchors. Not tried it so not sure how effective it is. But it involves working a loop of rope down your rode, all the way to the shaft of the anchor, and then working it back along the shaft too, effectively giving you a tripping line after you got fouled. Probably quite difficult in practice, but it's what I'm planning on doing rather than messing about with buoyed ones.

In one of John Goode's books is a suggestion to get a short length of chain and feed each end through a ring spanner. The spanner acts as a spreader and keeps the loop of chain open whilst you work it down the chain and over the anchor shank. Seems like that might work, but I have never had a need to try it.

My solution is to always use a CQR anchor. After the intensive advertising campaign by Craig 'Rocna' Smith, endorsed by others on this forum, the CQR is now almost totally discredited and second-hand ones can be bought very cheaply. In the event of me having to abandon an anchor (hasn't happened yet) I know I will be able to replace it at low cost.

 

[TamarMike]

We used one once in Barn Pool - a notorious fouling anchorage. It's also got a bit of an eddy in it, so we ended up going around and around the tripping line. We got a nice inward spiral drawn on the GPS by morning - and had a hell of a job untangling it. The anchor came up without incident. We were lucky I think that the tangled mess hadn't caused the anchor to get pulled out as we'd ended up with what was effectively a very short rode.

There is a method I've read about for freeing fouled anchors. Not tried it so not sure how effective it is. But it involves working a loop of rope down your rode, all the way to the shaft of the anchor, and then working it back along the shaft too, effectively giving you a tripping line after you got fouled. Probably quite difficult in practice, but it's what I'm planning on doing rather than messing about with buoyed ones.

I successfully did that on the Tavy below Bere Ferrers once, the anchor was a Danforth, I think I used the light chain from the dinghy anchor, can't remember all the details now.

Tripping lines with a fishermans anchor always seemed to end up entangled with the stock. After reading a recent thread about using counterweights on the line to keep it off the bottom I resolved to try that this year but in the end have settled for avoiding Barn Pool so far.

Where there is a foul bottom I can never decide whether it is better to use the light CQR as its loss would not be so upsetting or the heavy Danforth on the basis that it should just stay where it was dropped and not plough along the seabed looking for obstructions or debris.

 

[john_morris_uk]

There is a method I've read about for freeing fouled anchors. Not tried it so not sure how effective it is. But it involves working a loop of rope down your rode, all the way to the shaft of the anchor, and then working it back along the shaft too, effectively giving you a tripping line after you got fouled. Probably quite difficult in practice, but it's what I'm planning on doing rather than messing about with buoyed ones.

I have actually used that method. Danforth anchor which fouled in an anchorage off one of the forts in Milford Haven. We uses a ring spanner and some shackles and a bit of chain. Pulled the main cable up tight and dropped the spanner bit down the rode. We then released the main cable and pulled forward on the line on the spanner. Worked a treat first time.

I was crew on the boat and got blamed and roundly cursed for telling the skipper that the anchorage looked OK on the chart. (We are talking thirty odd years ago here and I was 15 so got the blame for most things.)

 

[bitman]

quite funny thou as when i started sailing in my country we HAD to use an anchor buoy by law... this was to show others where your anchor was on the sea bed.

 

[smeaks]

If when the anchor is fouled upon retreival you would not know until the bow was over the anchor and the remaining chain would be more or less vertical. Not withstanding the odd occasion when someone might have to anchor in very dep water mostly it would (based upon my experience) be about 5 mtrs at the tide top. So if you just attachec a light line to the trip point on the anchor and cable tied it to the chain for about 5-10 m then if the anchor caught you would by that time have the line on deck and could pull it breaking the ties that released the line from the chain and would allow the anchor to be tripped.

no buoy required