anchor tripping line

[gilesfordcrush]

What sort of line should I use for an anchor trip? I was wondering if the safety floating line might be best? Perhaps it isn't strong enough? It is nice and visible though.

Any advice appreciated.

Giles

 

[DannyB]

I just use a line line rigged in a loop through a shackle on the heel of the anchor. If I ever need to use it as a tripping line, I split the loop and tie one end to a length of rope and pull that through. I then use the rope to recover the anchor. I use an old light housing from a horseshoe buoy as my tripping line marker, but I use small bits of solder on the line to make sure it doesn't float.

 

[sarabande]

Floating line has roughly the same BS as other lines from the same material, e.g. the Marlow 8mm has a BS of 770kg.

Bear in mind that with wind and/or tidal stream the line from the anchor to the buoy will be in a direct line, not floating around in a heap on the surface, so a floating line is not a great advantage.


I like Danny's suggestion of a light line from buoy to anchor and back, being used as a messenger for a stronger line if needed. You would have to be certain that the joining knot to the bigger line would pass through the shackle without getting snagged, though. Bigger shackle, I suppose ?

 

[GHA]

Floating line is a bad idea, just waiting to get caught in the prop of any dinghy or other boat passing.

 

[gilesfordcrush]

I understand the theory behind Danny's idea, but do you set up the messenger line on a reel, ready to run out with the anchor chain? On Saturday night I ran out 32m of chain, so I'd need a 64m run of messenger line to run out with the chain. This seems likely to get tricky when running it out, and wouldn't this line also be at risk of being caught in a passing prop?

Understood regarding the floating line, that was a bad idea. Will an 8mm line with a BS of 770kgs will be sufficient if I need to pull it up? Sounds pretty strong to me!

 

[prv]

Floating line is a bad idea, just waiting to get caught in the prop of any dinghy or other boat passing.

+1

You'll have to allow enough length to reach the buoy at high water, so at low water there will be slack floating around.

Unless you know you're anchoring somewhere with lots of junk on the bottom, a tripping line is probably unnecessary anyway.

Pete

 

[TQA]

If I anchor somewhere that may foul my anchor like Chaguaramas I use a reasonably heavy tripping line zip tied to the anchor chain.

People who use floating tripping lines should be made to go for mid-night swims to disentangle their line from boat props in that delightful harbor Chaguaramas amongst the dead dogs oil spills and other pollution.

 

[Neeves]

Tripping lines to work need to be attached to the rear of the fluke. if attached 'higher' up when you 'operate' you simply lift the anchor and it will remain engaged with whatever it is fouling.

You need to be able to slide the anchor out backwards.

People with tripping lines on the top of roll bars or on the 'top' of the shank have never had to retrieve a fouled anchor - which might indicate its actually very, very uncommon.

Owners of tripping lines on the surface should be pariahs, unless you have a big buoy with lights.

There is no sensible way to rig a tripping line - safely. if its short you will find its too cold, dark, murky, dangerous to dive. If its clear water you will see the bottom, know the anchor will not foul - so why use a tripping line - seems particularly daft to me.

Having a tripping line attached with thin cable ties along the length of the chain is one answer - if you can ensure the line does not twist round the chain.

Jonathan

 

[sarabande]

Tripping lines to work need to be attached to the rear of the fluke. if attached 'higher' up when you 'operate' you simply lift the anchor and it will remain engaged with whatever it is fouling.

I think I'd rather attach a tripping line to part of the crown, rather than to the rear of a fluke on a new gen anchor. And attaching to the fluke of a trad anchor would not work. Attaching to the rear of the fluke risks bending the stock of NG anchor such as Danforth types..

You need to be able to slide the anchor out backwards.

People with tripping lines on the top of roll bars or on the 'top' of the shank have never had to retrieve a fouled anchor - which might indicate its actually very, very uncommon.
The first part of that sentence is impossible to verify; you would need to be omniscient to know that, but hey, an Australian cat owner, so ....

Owners of tripping lines on the surface should be pariahs, unless you have a big buoy with lights.
Generally (note lack of omniscience, please) an overlong tripping line will be more or less straight from the anchor to the marker buoy, which will move away under the influence of wind, current or tidal stream. What's the advantage of multiple lights, BTW



There is no sensible way to rig a tripping line - safely. if its short you will find its too cold, dark, murky, dangerous to dive. Ho hum, what about the countless times tripping lines have been laid using a suitable length, in clear, warm, non-dangerous water. The correlation between a short tripping line and the water being cold, dark, murky and dangerous to dive, is pretty near zero, and certainly not axiomatic If its clear water you will see the bottom, know the anchor will not foul - so why use a tripping line - seems particularly daft to me. I bet than someone will have got an anchor stuck in clear water, on perhaps a buried object such as an old chain


Having a tripping line attached with thin cable ties along the length of the chain is one answer - if you can ensure the line does not twist round the chain. Using cable ties means laying out the required length of chain along the deck if one is going to run the anchor out in one go; winding the tripping line round and round the chain would be a difficult and perverse thing to do.

Jonathan

 

[Neeves]

Sarabande,

You need to get out more.

You previously tried to argue against the impossible. You were wrong then - things have not changed.

Jonathan

 

[TQA]

Having a tripping line attached with thin cable ties along the length of the chain is one answer - if you can ensure the line does not twist round the chain. Using cable ties means laying out the required length of chain along the deck if one is going to run the anchor out in one go; winding the tripping line round and round the chain would be a difficult and perverse thing to do.

No Need to lay out the chain, I flake the line out tie it on to the tripping point at the back of the anchor and have a bunch of cable ties in my mouth. As the anchor drops I stop it attach a cable tie and carry on. Easier with a good helm but I have done it single handed and got he hook down where I wanted it.

I have had to use the tripping line three times that I remember and each time I think the line was twisted around the chain. But it did not seem to matter. With the chain vertical I tied off the trip line, ran out some chain slackened the line a little and motored ahead, the line went tight with the chain still slack and the anchor freed. I don't know if this is the RYA/ASA approved method but it has worked for me.

 

[gilesfordcrush]

This idea seems nice and simple, with the advantage of not actually using a buoy. In fact, I wonder if it actually needs floating line. If it is attached to the chain then the top of the line will make it back onboard without floating.

 

[GHA]

View attachment 65576

This idea seems nice and simple, with the advantage of not actually using a buoy. In fact, I wonder if it actually needs floating line. If it is attached to the chain then the top of the line will make it back onboard without floating.

Good idea, floating would be good to hopefully stop the retrieval line getting too twisted around the chain, dyneema floats. 10m or 12m should cover a lot of anchorages and always be kept next to the sea floor.

 

[noelex]

Tripping lines leading to a buoy attached to the surface give you the best chance of retrieving a stuck anchor, but they do present a hazard. The use should be avoided if possible, but are justified in some anchorages such as the one shown in the photo.

If you are using a surface float consider a weak link just below the float, positioned where the stronger rope can still be reached from the tender. This reduces the chance of the anchor dragging because the float becomes caught on the rudder or prop of another boat, or your own. This is far more common than people realise.

If you have a good anchor that sets rapidly, the chances of becoming fouled is not high. It was much more common in the days when everyone used anchors that took a distance to set, although in the rock substrate shown in the photo nothing will work reliably, or set in short distance.

A tripping line that is led back along the chain is an option that is worth considering, but often a conventional tripping line led to a float gives a better chance of easily freeing the anchor. The photo above shows a common example where a tripping line led back along the chain probably would not have worked, especially if the line was wrapped around the chain. A conventional trip line led to a buoy would probably have freed the anchor reasonably easily, but consider your neighbours if you decide to use one.

 

[Moderator]

Sarabande,

You need to get out more.

You previously tried to argue against the impossible. You were wrong then - things have not changed.

Jonathan

Perhaps we should start with the difference between the crown and a fluke of an anchor ?

Unfortunately I do not have access to a Sailing for Dummies book, where a simple, really simple, diagram is printed. I am sure that if you bought one from Amazon, you would be able to set the costs against income from the next in your long series of articles on anchoring in Afloat or Practical Sailor. I mean, we can't have a professional land surveyor trying to be a professional marine journalist making a mistake, can we ?

I'll stop there, because it's probably best that you only deal with one item at a time.

 

[Roberto]

View attachment 65576

This idea seems nice and simple, with the advantage of not actually using a buoy. In fact, I wonder if it actually needs floating line. If it is attached to the chain then the top of the line will make it back onboard without floating.

Mine is like that, except I use three floats more or less evenly spaced along the line. I put a mark on the chain to indicate the point where the end shackle of the tripping line must be attached, so that I can drop anchor quickly. Very happy with the system.

I first tried to lead the rope to the boat but after a few tide turns it often wrapped around the chain and became very taut, with the possible risk of tripping the anchor. A short tripping line with a float is another option if one can swim to attach a longer line, but it's not my case.

 

[Caer Urfa]

Used a tripping line always at anchor and it has saved me many times from a load of trouble. Agree with others NEVER use a floating trip wire.
My line was 12mm dia and found it also advantage to pull that up first then the anchor chain say 10' at a time much easier

View attachment 65578View attachment 65579

 

[Neeves]

Perhaps we should start with the difference between the crown and a fluke of an anchor ?

Unfortunately I do not have access to a Sailing for Dummies book, where a simple, really simple, diagram is printed. I am sure that if you bought one from Amazon, you would be able to set the costs against income from the next in your long series of articles on anchoring in Afloat or Practical Sailor. I mean, we can't have a professional land surveyor trying to be a professional marine journalist making a mistake, can we ?

I'll stop there, because it's probably best that you only deal with one item at a time.

The crown was and still is the hinge on a ships anchor. The word has been transferred to include the weld between shank and fluke - and hardly needs a diagram. If you still need one, send me a PM.

If you look at a Spade, it only has 2 holes, one for the shackle and one at the rear of the fluke. A Rocna has a similar hole, at the rear of the fluke. I am sure you have a different interpretation as to why the designer and manufacturer has the hole there - perhaps you can explain. Many anchors, for example Rocna also have a hole at the crown, rear of the shank adjacent to the fluke, presumably for a tandem anchor. Commonly there is also another hole in the shank - its purpose unknown where the shank 'cranks'.

In Noelex picture, above, unless you attach your tripping line at the rear of the fluke, that bracing bar might be a good location, it is difficult to see how you would free the anchor - without pulling it out backwards.

So if you take Sarabande's advice (to which you seem to agree) you would be unlikely to free your anchor. Maybe you need to get out more as well.

Jonathan