Anchoring strategy

petem said:
4) Swap the retainer shackle for one that's a bit tighter.
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Not sure about what you mean by tighter, but I'd rather replace it with one of these...
shackle-flush-pin-allen-key-hexagon-socket.jpeg
 
MapisM said:
Not sure about what you mean by tighter, but I'd rather replace it with one of these...
shackle-flush-pin-allen-key-hexagon-socket.jpeg
Click to expand...

P, when I said "retainer shackle" I mean the crappy looking climbing shackle (used to stop the anchor from dropping down) that if you're not careful can come away from the chain.

Your shackle above (which I assume is to attach the chain to the anchor) certainly looks better than mine. Who makes / supplies them?
 
Ops. Don't you call that thing carbine hook, in EN?
Anyway, I believe you can find the type of shackle that I posted in just about any chandler.
To find a pic, I just threw shackle+allen in google image and picked the first pic - which comes from the following webpage, fwiw...
http://stainlessdirect.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=25_144

PS: while you are at that, you might as well fit the shackle the other way round, i.e. with the allen screw in the anchor shank side. :encouragement:
 
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petem said:
that if you're not careful can come away from the chain
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Pete, what do you mean by that? I can't see how a decent carabiner will come off the chain. It needs to be simple to operate so you don't want a fiddly shackle with a droppable pin, imho. .
 
jfm said:
I would say don't use a snubber, but others disagree, so let's not go there in this thread. The only thing I would suggest you think about is that anchoring isn't just about staying put; it's about getting the hell out quickly, if a sudden storm appears. Therefore leave the anchor winch circuit on, leave the plotter on at a sensible range, and maybe place a waypoint to where you would initially go, in a storm. You'll need to be very sharp if you get 35kts of wind in the night, and know what to do, and have done as much prep. This is the sole reason I don't have a snubber. It's also why I don't often leave my tender/kayaks/etc out, and if I do I moor it alongside with fore-aft ropes so I can drive off with it and critically so I can use reverse gear without worrying about the tender. As I say, always be ready to get the hell out of an anchorage fast. Sudden storms are rare but I have (only once, and not counting Croatia Bora) had the wind go from 5 knots to literally 50kts and monsoon rain, in 20 minutes, not forecast, in August in the Cote D'Azur. A non digital radar is a chocolate teapot in monsoon rain and a digital one is only ok if you have a good co-pilot to fiddle with it while you drive.
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And that reminds me of a weat coast of Feance incident. We'd anchored in the southerly bay of Ile d'Aix to wait for the tide to rise to give me access to Saint Denis d'Oleron. Flat calm. Cooked a full English breakfast. Enjoying the heat of the morning sun.

Out of nowhere, a 30kt wind appeared, quickly whipping the seas to become emotional and nasty. Went to remove the snubber but it didn't take long to realise it would be a dangerous task. Instead of putting myself at risk, I cut it free, pulled up the anchor and left.

Will I use a snubber again? No way.
 
Piers said:
And that reminds me of a weat coast of Feance incident. We'd anchored in the southerly bay of Ile d'Aix to wait for the tide to rise to give me access to Saint Denis d'Oleron. Flat calm. Cooked a full English breakfast. Enjoying the heat of the morning sun.

Out of nowhere, a 30kt wind appeared, quickly whipping the seas to become emotional and nasty. Went to remove the snubber but it didn't take long to realise it would be a dangerous task. Instead of putting myself at risk, I cut it free, pulled up the anchor and left.

Will I use a snubber again? No way.
Click to expand...

Wind the chain in with your windlass, take the hook, tie on, off the chain, wind the rest in
How is that more dangerous than cutting the snubber away ?

And if the wind just whipped up in the med, stay for the ‘short’ duration ?
Other peeps will no doubt know how long those ‘gusts’ tend to last for
 
Maybe that is one advantage to a camel hitch. It rolls right through the bow rollers with the chain. I never have to climb out on to the pulpit or reach under it.
 
MapisM said:
Ops. Don't you call that thing carbine hook, in EN?
Anyway, I believe you can find the type of shackle that I posted in just about any chandler.
To find a pic, I just threw shackle+allen in google image and picked the first pic - which comes from the following webpage, fwiw...
http://stainlessdirect.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=25_144

PS: while you are at that, you might as well fit the shackle the other way round, i.e. with the allen screw in the anchor shank side. :encouragement:
Click to expand...

P, thanks for that, the one you suggest looks way better than the one I have fitted. A definite for the upgrade list.

Incidentally, I see that some people 'mouse' my type of shackle with a cable tie. Not sure how long it would last but if people want a tip for a 5p / 5 second upgrade then that would be one!

jfm said:
Yup, carbine or carabiner. Not a shackle. We now have our chief IT contributor getting a higher scores in EN that mother tonguers :D :D.
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Thanks for pointing that out. It did occur to me when I was typing that I was miss-naming it.

jfm said:
Pete, what do you mean by that? I can't see how a decent carabiner will come off the chain. It needs to be simple to operate so you don't want a fiddly shackle with a droppable pin, imho. .
Click to expand...

My point is that it's not 'captive' at the chain end. Something like this would be functionally correct however it's probably too bulky and over thinking it when I can keep a spare £1 carabiner in my tool kit. I seem to remember that my old boat had a wire and captive hook but I could be imagining that.

Incidentally, I wonder how many people attach that retained thing when the anchor is deployed (which I guess would be daft)?
 
jrudge said:
They all have a clutch - it is simply when there is so much force the clamped plates slip.

It is a small boat and i would think that for the sort of stuff you will be anchoring in there is little chance of straining it.

Do however take it to bits and clean it out. I can gtee it will be messy inside.

Will only take an hour or less.
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J, do you have to remove the windlass to clean it or can you do it in situ? Is it easy to do? I think you can actually buy a service kit and correct grease etc.
 
Portofino said:
Some how ( snorkel to confirm in the Med ? ) learn the speed of deployment to prevent a tangled mess of chain on top of the anchor .
frail with a nervous wife you just have to snorkel it if not just to reassure her .
She will be perched on the bow ,buttons ready :) shout up your command
Have a good night.

Agree with JFM. I in the rapid bug out camp , have to be really as no guard rails fwd in the dark n rising wind
Etc —- so no snubber or anything to delay ,everybody in sight together in the cockpit to hear skippers commands / plan in the melee.
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Porto, can you raise your anchor from the helm?
 
petem said:
J, do you have to remove the windlass to clean it or can you do it in situ? Is it easy to do? I think you can actually buy a service kit and correct grease etc.
Click to expand...


You just undo the top nut with the winch handle and remove 304 allen key bolts and it will come to bits.

I can gtee it will be filthy which just adds wear.

I would cut the rusty bit if can off. Find someone with bolt cutters and you will be done in 5 mins. Ignore its strength but the rust comes off all the time and goes in to the winch

My chain ( now replaced) was rusty and made a real mess of the deck / winch / chain locker each time it was used
 
petem said:
Porto, can you raise your anchor from the helm?
Click to expand...

Yes
But I have a chain counter that I have not yet mastered and added to that it’s linked to the helm toggle ,added to all that I can’t hear the anchor winch with the engines running and I don’t have any “ anchorcam tm :)”

If the wife’s dropped it from the umbilical in the anchor locker ,which is what normally happens when we arrive @ beautiful anchorage then I have not figured out how to regain control @ the helm reliability yet .

I had the anchor chain counter working after calibration a few times .
Remember I can,t even see it or hear it to determine if it’s up
I know guys another example of style over substance - those pesky Italians :):):) don,t you just love em

Something else Pete ,reattach the safety stop on a leash not a chain ,a crab will do as they are easy to deploy by women .
( thinking finger nails folks before I,am mentioned in Parliament for some 21 st Century or other PC issues :))
You can cut a leash too if needs be in an emergency deployment easier than a chain .
Also re Galvanic corrosion, just one less current pathway too .Ss the crab , the chain , sea water , etc —- your windless cover looks scabby Pete —— just saaaaying

https://imgur.com/gallery/Cn6CX
 
jrudge said:
You just undo the top nut with the winch handle and remove 304 allen key bolts and it will come to bits.

I can gtee it will be filthy which just adds wear.

I would cut the rusty bit if can off. Find someone with bolt cutters and you will be done in 5 mins. Ignore its strength but the rust comes off all the time and goes in to the winch

My chain ( now replaced) was rusty and made a real mess of the deck / winch / chain locker each time it was used
Click to expand...

Thanks, will cut the rusty links off. I'm not sure what model I have but looking at the X2 diagram there seems to be an awful lot of part to get in the wrong order when reassembling!

lofrans_x2_instandhaltungsset.jpg
 
I always use a bridle/snubber to take the strain off the windass at anchor, and when retrieving I ask someone to move the boat forward and that massively reduces strain on the motor
 
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