Anchor fouls something......techniques

[Kukri]

A well known surveyor was chuckling yesterday over my tendency to carry spare everything… when he found a third “CQR type” on board, in a locker which I had actually forgotten about, he was quite unable to keep a straight face!

Anyone want a 75lbs CQR clone?

 

[Kukri]

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

Logically, yes. Although the old textbooks often recommend “carrying a kedge which is big enough to do as a bower anchor”, ie not the same size but maybe 2/3 the size.

 

[dom]

Logically, yes. Although the old textbooks often recommend “carrying a kedge which is big enough to do as a bower anchor”, ie not the same size but maybe 2/3 the size.

I kind of get the logic but a spare bower is often a big, clunky old beast which in my case is kept partially disassembled. With a Spade it's a 2 min job to assemble as just one bolt!

I personally find light and handy Fortress anchors on an all rope rode optimal for kedging - which I rarely do anyway.

 

[FairweatherDave]

The irony of the original story is I was keen to test out the holding of my new Knox anchor. This was its second deployment. Man I was impressed with its hold! But it certainly made me reluctant to dump and mark the anchor and chain. I've learned lots from this thread. But I am going to retire the (underweight) Delta to my kedge, and retire the Danforth completely. I hate manoevering that awkward finger muncher out of its locker as we approach Bembridge.

 

[Stemar]

Anyone want a 75lbs CQR clone?

Not me. Leaving aside the fact that 20lbs would be a more appropriate size, I replaced the genuine CQR that had never let me down I lost with a same sized clone and I never could get it to set right.

Hard had firmly in place, awaiting incoming

 

[jdc]

As a sort of compromise - or maybe worst of both worlds, depending on your experience and opinions - I have some floating line attached to the anchor. Not enough to get closer than 2m from the surface so won't get picked up or foul propellors etc, but does reduce how far I have to dive! In fact just unassisted breath-hold diving will do to pass another line through the loop. Seems safer than diving to the very bottom - which is often in poor vis anyway - and saves the hassle of a line all the way to the surface and a bouy.

 

[Kukri]

Another way to achieve this ^ is to have the trip line lightly stopped to the chain - with a little extra slack. You can bring it on board, which saves swimming. But you need to be sure that the stops will break when you pull really hard on the trip line.

The best way to achieve this is not to put any stops between the trip line and the chain for at least the distance from the anchor equal to the depth at high water, plus the boat’s freeboard. Above that point, you can lash the trip line to the chain with whatever you like, because you will be able to get all the stops on deck and cut them!

 

[Neeves]

Another way to achieve this ^ is to have the trip line lightly stopped to the chain - with a little extra slack. You can bring it on board, which saves swimming. But you need to be sure that the stops will break when you pull really hard on the trip line.

The best way to achieve this is not to put any stops between the trip line and the chain for at least the distance from the anchor equal to the depth at high water, plus the boat’s freeboard. Above that point, you can lash the trip line to the chain with whatever you like, because you will be able to get all the stops on deck and cut them!

Correct me if I am wrong:

The difficulty is that as arranged it will not pass through the windlass so you have to set up the trip line each time you deploy the anchor, having laid the chain out on deck. Maybe you could arrange the 'tie offs' between windlass and bow roller as you deploy. Additionally you need to be sure that the chain has not twisted during the time you were at anchor, and before you know your anchor is fouled, as line wrapped round the chain will easily lock up as you apply tension.


We must be the classic example of carrying extra anchors - that some will think excessive.

First up if you have replaced your Delta, CQR, Bruce or a clone of same because it was not adequate as a primary it is difficult to see how carrying an anchor you already have rejected makes any sense (though maybe, short term, financial sense). I would advocate your second anchor should be as good as the primary, so we carry an aluminium Excell on the bow roller and have an aluminium Spade as the back-up. People do lose anchors - which is what this thread is about - you might be embarrassed if you have no back up and the nearest chandler is over a day's sail away. We also carry the Fortress FX16, one size smaller than recommended (as being smaller we can set it deeply and the stock does not protrude).

This illustrates the problem of an over size (or even the recommended sized Fortress (or any other overly large anchor.) The FX37 and the FX16 have been set by hand using the sheet winches to a similar tension. The FX 37, further away of the two anchors is set with its stock and crown both protruding - perfectly aligned to self trip by the chain during a change of tide or wind. The FX 16 is, almost, well buried.

As an aside - note how the seabed has been heaped up as the anchors have set and note also - both anchors are assembled with the fluke set at the 30 degree configuration. The shank is horizontal, its parallel with the seabed, thus the flukes must be at the ideal angle or 30 degrees to maximise hold. Note also, from the graph, that if you set your Fortress at 45 degrees, for mud, it will not perform to its full potential in sand.

As the, any, anchor sets its fluke acts a bit like a snow plough, or bulldozer bucket - as it dives the fluke is also moving forward (everyone mentions there anchor sets in a shank length - so it does move forward) and in order to move forward it must move seabed - hence the lump or displaced seabed. Normally this hump will be removed by current and the impact of waves - but there has been insufficient time for this to happen in this case.




The graph has been developed using the model 'Danforth' type, pictured in the top right of the graph. If you conduct a Google search - and are patient, you will find similar results defined by other research workers - including the US Navy.

This FX 16 could be also used as our primary. Our FX 37 is carried to use in soupy mud.. All the anchors are aluminium and out total anchor weight carried is around 32kg (noting we are a 38' cat with the same windage approximately as a 45' AWB).

As our anchors are light they are relatively easy and safe to deploy from the dinghy - though a well set anchor is best retrieved from the 'mother ship'.

We have lost an anchor, once, our Manson Plough (CQR clone) which we retrieved - but even to retrieve it we needed a second anchor so as to hold Josepheline secure during the time we searched for the one we lost.

Take care, stay safe

Jonathan

 

[noelex]

As a sort of compromise - or maybe worst of both worlds, depending on your experience and opinions - I have some floating line attached to the anchor. Not enough to get closer than 2m from the surface so won't get picked up or foul propellors etc, but does reduce how far I have to dive! In fact just unassisted breath-hold diving will do to pass another line through the loop. Seems safer than diving to the very bottom - which is often in poor vis anyway - and saves the hassle of a line all the way to the surface and a bouy.

We do the same thing where there is any reasonable possibility of diving on the anchor.

Even a short float a couple of metres above the anchor is a help, such as the one pictured below on out Mantus M1 anchor. It is 4m less to dive and reach (2m up and down). In some cases the anchor or at least any suitable attachment point can be completely buried, so even if you can can dive to the anchor it may not be practical to attach a trip line without a floating line pre-attached. Make sure the rope is strong and there is loop at the float so that a trip line to the surface can be easily threaded.

Ideally this float would be secured to the trip line attachment point, but if you have a roll bar anchor this can be used with the proviso that the roll bar may bend. If this is covered by the manufacturer’s warranty it is less of an issue.

The float also helps locate the anchor. In thick weed even a poorly set anchor can be difficult to find and in softer substrates a well set anchor with even a tall roll bar can be buried.

If anchoring in very shallow water the float can be removed or clipped back to the rode (I use a cable tie) to stop any risk of fouling another boat.

 

[Kukri]

In response to Johnathan’s post no.48:

This is not something to do all the time! It’s just for the rare occasions when you may have to anchor somewhere where the bottom is foul.

You just need to keep the trip line a couple of metres below the surface.

The idea is that you don’t connect the trip line to the chain any more than you need to, and certainly not anywhere below 1 x depth at high water. Use a floating line and it will be less likely to twine itself round the chain.

(Perhaps the ideal trip line is small, cheap, Dyneema?)

Secure it to the gravity eye in the anchor and let it pay out until you have enough in the water for the anchor to bite. Then put one or two (literally - one, or two) ties on, above that point, veer enough chain to take the tie to the bottom, and lead the tripping line on board somewhere forward but not through the bow roller.