Heavy weather anchoring - gear stress

[sebastiannr]

I'm currently anchored in a pretty exposed bay off the coast of Tunisia (Hammamet).

It's blowing 25 knots gusting 35, which isn't a huge blow, but the wind has backed (not forecast) giving me a lee shore so I have two anchors out at 30 degrees and a hammerlock moor anchor, just to be safe.

Anyway, my question isn't about anchoring techniques, but more about gear stress: although it's only F7-8, the forces acting on the main cleat to which both main anchors are tied is pretty huge. I've put a rope around the cleat and have brought it back to a cockpit winch and tightened it to try and counteract some of the forces acting on the cleat.

Is this a sound idea or should I have a little more faith in my deck hardware (it's all in decent condition)?

If anyone has any little tricks or advice for heavy weather anchoring that you've learnt along the way please share your wisdom!

 

[oldbilbo]

I believe many of the more reliable experts will agree that the shock loads imparted to your deck cleat by hard snubbing - where the rode(s) is extended near-straight by wind force and the bows rising in jerks to short steep seas - can rip such deck gear out.

Several techniques may assist, and probably the most effective is to ensure 'springiness' in the rode(s) by using stretchy nylon lines which absorb the 'snub' loads. Take TWO stretchy nylon lines and secure each around your loaded anchor rode(s) as far forward as possible, using rolling hitches. Take each of these lines back to your sheet winches and wind them up hard, taking most of the load.

If you have four sheet winches, two on each side, take three turns around one, then on to the next aft - so spreading the load between them.

Once these are holding most of the load, ease the rode(s) secured to your foredeck cleat so that it(they) acts as a third and final stop, and the two stretchy nylon warps back to the cockpit are absorbing the shock loads.

Also, consider running the engine at low revs and, when a hard gust comes, engage forward so that the engine/prop takes some of the peak load off the anchor warps.

Good luck. Let us know how you get on...

 

[sebastiannr]

Sound advice all round - I definitely need to get more 3-strand rope! Putting the rodes / snubbbers back to two winches makes a lot of sense, and I agree about rolling hitches rather than shackles to fasten rope to the chain.

For your peace of mind, we haven't moved an inch all day and it's supposed to ease of through the night, thank goodness.

Thanks for the advice!