Anchor stowage when moored?

[rszemeti]

Hi,

We sit on a swinging mooring, and up to now have gone to the trouble of pulling the inchor inboard (not an easy task, it has to squeeze in the pulpit gap, with the furler and navlights getting in the way) and stow it in the locker, and run the mooring strop out over the main bow roller.

We have a second, smaller bow roller on the other side, I've considered running the mooring strop over that.

What are peoples thoughts on leaving the anchor in place whilst on a swinging mooring?

 

[Poignard]

If I leave my anchor on the bow roller when on a mooring the buoy rope, led over the port bow roller, can sometimes get between the fluke and the topsides, and it may chafe on the anchor.

An easy way to counter this, if I can't be bothered to lift it inboard and lash it down in its chocks, is simply to lift it up by its crown and hang it off the pulpit rail, clear of the bow roller.

But my anchor only weighs 35lb so it's easy to lift it.

 

[zoidberg]

.....the buoy rope, led over the port bow roller, can sometimes get between the fluke and the topsides, and it may chafe on the anchor.

There are lots of examples of boat ropes/Buoy ropes/mooring strops chafing through by abrasion on the edge of a mounted anchor - then the boat goes walkabout. An avoidable insurance claim.... A new crop every year.

Same issue with the unflared cheeks of some stem-head fittings.

 

[Poignard]

There are lots of examples of boat ropes/Buoy ropes/mooring strops chafing through by abrasion on the edge of a mounted anchor - then the boat goes walkabout. An avoidable insurance claim.... A new crop every year.

Same issue with the unflared cheeks of some stem-head fittings.

Exactly, and it's so easy to avoid.

 

[Refueler]

The alternative of course is to stow the anchor on deck. You can get chocks for most anchor types ... so no real need to put it out on the roller until really needed.

My plough sits nicely in its chocks ... light lashing holding it .... Yes - its a pain to put it out through the 'hole' but I'll live with that.



Just an idea ....

 

[Stemar]

I'm thinking the same thing. I'm not as strong as I used to be, so I struggle getting our 10kg anchor out through the hole and back in again. I only have one roller, so I have no choice but to move it to make space for the mooring chain. I'm considering two options, either to make a little "bowsprit" to take another roller to carry the anchor further forward, out of the way of the mooring chain, or to get a pair of polysteel strops made up for the mooring, one to go through each fairlead. I'm leaning towards the strops as being simpler, but I think, ideally, I'd rather have the extended roller as a better solution.

 

[Poignard]

The alternative of course is to stow the anchor on deck. You can get chocks for most anchor types ... so no real need to put it out on the roller until really needed.

My plough sits nicely in its chocks ... light lashing holding it .... Yes - its a pain to put it out through the 'hole' but I'll live with that.



Just an idea ....

If you ran the chain outside the starboard forward pulpit stanchion you could drop an retrieve it through a larger 'hole' .

By the way, what became of that forum you used to run?

 

[Refueler]

If you ran the chain outside the starboard forward pulpit stanchion you could drop an retrieve it through a larger 'hole' .

By the way, what became of that forum you used to run?

I did actually do that with the chain one time ... but the chafe on the wood strake made me go back to as you see now.

Which forum ?

SBC ? - Still going strong and very good actually. Small Boat Club - came about when YBW was hacked and shut down ( led to the PBO meetings etc. with co-operation with YBW - where my avatar burgee originates from ).

GPS Nav ? Quiet ... but still there. Was a site to help people understand GPS

Lowrance Chart Plotter Owners ? Very quiet now . But was set up to help owners not only use the Lowrance plotters but also to learn how to create vector charts to upload to them ... as well as the NMEA2000 protocol.

Seaclear ? New members regularly ... Seaclear Chart Plotting on PC - free and one of the best still but now limited because Maptech altered chart format. Has full AIS integration and planning.

Soloshot 3 Camera ? Active but quiet. Robot camera system ...

 

[Poignard]

No. I didn't mean it that way. The chain only comes through the larger 'hole' when the anchor is in its chocks. You need a couple of metres of a light line attached to the eye on the crown of your CQR so you can grab it with a boathook or reach down for it. Then pull the anchor in through the starboard side of the pulpit instead of over the bow roller.

SBC, that's the one.

 

[Refueler]

No. I didn't mean it that way. The chain only comes through the larger 'hole' when the anchor is in its chocks. You need a couple of metres of a light line attached to the eye on the crown of your CQR so you can grab it with a boathook or reach down for it. Then pull the anchor in through the starboard side of the pulpit instead of over the bow roller.

SBC, that's the one.

No - I understood what you meant ... that the anchor is passed out centre ... then back in via stbd side to its chocks. Then all you do is drop it out the bigger hole ...
I had to add a lashing to lift the chain up away from the wood rubbing strake ... then it was on the pulpit metal !

SBC is a nice quiet respectful group of like minded small boat owners ... no hassles or arguments ... currently 568 members. More a Family ! I don't run it .. I was a co-founder of it ... its run by the members themselves.

 

[Poignard]

No - I understood what you meant ... that the anchor is passed out centre ... then back in via stbd side to its chocks. Then all you do is drop it out the bigger hole ...
I had to add a lashing to lift the chain up away from the wood rubbing strake ... then it was on the pulpit metal !

SBC is a nice quiet respectful group of like minded small boat owners ... no hassles or arguments ... currently 568 members. More a Family ! I don't run it .. I was a co-founder of it ... its run by the members themselves.

Can you give me a link to the SBC, please? All I can find is an SBC on the Thames, not in Latvia!

( In spite of what you might see in the Current Affairs forum, I can conduct myself without hassles or arguments. Just as long as nobody mentions Brexit! )

 

[scotty123]

Hi,

We sit on a swinging mooring, and up to now have gone to the trouble of pulling the inchor inboard (not an easy task, it has to squeeze in the pulpit gap, with the furler and navlights getting in the way) and stow it in the locker, and run the mooring strop out over the main bow roller.

We have a second, smaller bow roller on the other side, I've considered running the mooring strop over that.

What are peoples thoughts on leaving the anchor in place whilst on a swinging mooring?

Can't you run a bridle from port/stbd cleats through bow side fairleads, taking the strain of the mooring chain.
This would prevent main load & chafe at or near the bow rollers. I've used this method when anchoring, so see no reason why it wouldn't work on a swinging chain.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

When I had a Centaur I kept the boat on a swinging mooring. I simply made up a bridle with a soft eye at each end. I fitted a heavy stainless thimble over the ring at the top of the mooring buoy. This was first opened out slightly and then closed again once it was squeezed onto the ring. I passed the strop through the ring, then doubled round the thimble and tightly secured with a tight 'shear lashing'. (This might be known by a different a name so I include a picture of what I mean).
The two ends of the mooring 'pennant' pass through fairleads and the soft eyes are then dropped onto the mooring cleat, the bitt or the Sampson post (as I had on the boat that I had before the Centaur).
A further advantage of the two soft eyes: when strong weather was expected, I could add a line from the eyes and round the mast and back to the eyes, thus providing a stronger point to take the strain of the wind and the waves.

 

[Graham376]

A bit of a struggle but I lift our 20kg anchor over the pulpit and lay it on deck. Twin moorings strops go over the bow rollers as far less chafe than when through fairleads.

 

[rszemeti]

A bit of a struggle but I lift our 20kg anchor over the pulpit and lay it on deck. Twin moorings strops go over the bow rollers as far less chafe than when through fairleads.

We also have a 20kg anchor and it is a bit of a struggle as you say. We tend to lift it through the "gap" in the pulpit, as leaving a length of 10mm chain draped over the rail seems to be asking for trouble.

I find it a bit of a struggle with 20kg, and we have on occasion broken the porthand navigation light on the bow, which is a sub-optimal outcome.

From the comments though, it appears that leaving it on the roller is not a sensible option. I shall invetigate again the possibility of using two strops in a bridle arrangement through the fairleads ... though I may need better fairleads.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

I shall invetigate again the possibility of using two strops in a bridle arrangement through the fairleads ... though I may need better fairleads.

I forgot to add that, before I spliced the soft eyes, I slipped two short lengths of plastic hose over the rope and later fastened them to the rope at the right location to prevent chafe against the fairleads.

 

[rszemeti]

I forgot to add that, before I spliced the soft eyes, I slipped two short lengths of plastic hose over the rope and later fastened them to the rope at the right location to prevent chafe against the fairleads.

Oh absolutely, I fit some rather tough ribbed pipe over my strops, not risking those failing. She's on 24mm Octoplait, but even so, it still needs protection.

 

[Neeves]

A 50' steel yacht on a swing mooring cut through his pennant overnight in strong wind due to it rubbing continually on the edge of the fluke of a genuine CQR.

The yacht finished up on the beach causing damage whilst on its way. There was no, or only cosmetic damage to the errant yacht.

It does happen.

Reiterating some of the other posts:

Rather than move the anchor, and I can see that it is an inconvenience you might be able to lash it such that it is our of the way - simply lift it up.

I'd actually favour the idea of a bridle (as mentioned), which will work (we use a bridle on our cat) run to the top of the riser. If you use a bridle, through fairleads, this should remove the mooring ropes from the anchor, give you the benefit of the bridle and give you 2 mooring strops (not one)

Our moorings in Sydney appear to be different to those, I read about, in the UK - we have concrete block(s) to which is attached heavy chain, 25mm -= 35mm, on the seabed and slightly lighter chain, also on the seabed but that is a 'sweep' chain. We then have a swivel and rope riser. The rope can also be the rope that runs to the bow roller - but commonly another rope is spliced to the top of the riser and the top rope attaches to the yacht. All our splices are protected by hose pipe and any areas of potential abrasion are also protected by hosepipe (commonly the hose pipe extends over the bow roller itself).

The most common mooring failure historically in Sydney has been the absence of servicing, rather than an inattention to detail.

Jonathan

 

[Mistroma]

Never had to bother moving the anchor on my previous boat as there was a second roller a goodly distance under the one with the anchor. It was great for moorings and no need to lash anything as the strop couldn't jump out (as it had to be threaded in).

No problem with my current boat either as the strop sits on a second roller and is above any sharp bits on the anchor. I do lash it to the roller in case it ever tries to jump out. My old mooring also had an extremely good piece of hose over really chunk octoplait to prevent it wearing. I could have fitted twin strops but never had a problem with wear or the strop even hitting the anchor.