How I hate the anchor trip line

[noelex]

Hopefully when they have settled down to lunch in their cockpit . . .

Ha Ha.

I use a thin cable tie as the weak link in my system on the rare occasions I deploy an anchor float. This will break with only a light force, so anyone trying to pick up the float without using the loop below the weak link will find it will snap immediately.

 

[dgadee]

Caught my anchor on an old mooring chain or something last summer. Was very happy to have a trip line rigged. Been thinking about how much I love the anchor trip line since then.

I have a ring you put down the chain which (is supposed to) act(s) as a trip line. Never used it yet.

 

[lumphammer]

Has anyone found the slot in the Manson Supreme useful to retrieve a stuck anchor, its always struck me as more of a marketing gimmick than of practical use. Supposedly does away with the need for a trip line.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Has anyone found the slot in the Manson Supreme useful to retrieve a stuck anchor, its always struck me as more of a marketing gimmick than of practical use. Supposedly does away with the need for a trip line.

I decided it was an unsatisfactory gimmick and have never used it. It seemed to make connection harder and what is more if the anchor is embedded in mud there seems a potential in still water quiet wind for the boat to sedately drift so chain is over the flukes thus tripping the anchor if wind then blows the opposite way to when it was set.

As an engineer I fear extreme cleverness. Every innovation brings a new failure mode - just consider the Max Boeing - and I await the evidence on the Supreme.

 

[TeamSturdy]

Or you can go even more Gucci with this:
VisionAnchor: The Future Of Boating

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Or you can go even more Gucci with this:
VisionAnchor: The Future Of Boating

Its cheaper to lose anchors every now and then, and who knows if Vision would really help even in clear water. Fancy toys for the rich playboy?

Due to mischance i have lost two in 35 years. I think £200 would cover it. Trivial compared to rest of my boating costs. Of course my Supreme at over £260 would be annoying to lose. The the chain as such rivals that cost but unlikely to lose it all

 

[capnsensible]

We anchored twice this morning. Didn't use a trip line.

We survived.

 

[Minerva]

We anchored twice this morning. Didn't use a trip line.

We survived.

Perhaps if you anchored correctly first time you wouldn't have needed to do it again!

 

[TeamSturdy]

I quite agree.
On my most recent trip (a week's charter in Spain) the main issue we had was the boat having an anchor and chain way too big for the windlass and the electrics constantly tripping.
I do like the idea of an anchor buoy if you know it is going to be tough to retrieve, but when the bottom is soft. no need.

 

[capnsensible]

Perhaps if you anchored correctly first time you wouldn't have needed to do it again!

Good point, well made.

Except our first anchoring was to the west of Punta Limones on Lanzarote. This enabled me to teach the owners wife how to operate the anchor windlass safely whilst Mrs. S discussed transits, selection of an anchor berth and showing the correct day shape with our makee learnee captain. Followed by anchor recovering and securing.

We then tootled off to the Papagayo beaches....where they let it all hang out....including a 24 knot Italian Decoke.

This enabled our super students to conduct the process themselves in anticipation of a flock of summer visitors.

So you could actually congratulate them on their quick appreciation of the anchoring exercise. I did.

 

[ColinR]

Maybe tempting fate to say so, but I never use one. Modern anchors usually set straight away and don’t drag across the bottom like the old bruce and CQR used to, so the chance of snagging something is minimal. The only time I had a problem once was in Brittany years ago. After trying everything I put on a snorkel and went down the vertical anchor chain to find it was caught round a rock. IE the chain, not the anchor. I was able to hoik it free. A tripping line wouldn’t have helped.

 

[noelex]

Maybe tempting fate to say so, but I never use one. Modern anchors usually set straight away and don’t drag across the bottom like the old bruce and CQR used to, so the chance of snagging something is minimal. The only time I had a problem once was in Brittany years ago. After trying everything I put on a snorkel and went down the vertical anchor chain to find it was caught round a rock. IE the chain, not the anchor. I was able to hoik it free. A tripping line wouldn’t have helped.

My thoughts exactly. This is one of the reasons why I am keen on anchors that set rapidly. If the anchor can dig into the seabed in only a very short distance (and not drag) the chance of becoming caught is small.

Unfortunately, this does not help with the chain becoming jammed. If you have a good anchor this is the bigger risk. See photo below. More often than not, the trip line is not a help if the chain, rather than the anchor,a becomes stuck.

 

[capnsensible]

What happens if a trip line gets stuck?

 

[billskip]

What happens if a trip line gets stuck?

You have a trip trip line as a precaution...

 

[sailaboutvic]

I say over 99% of the time I seen anchor buoy used there was no need for it , mostly people use it to make their anchor and as some have told me , it stop people anchoring too close , which I call selfish, taken up much room then needed .
pure sandy bottom or mud and people use one .
I’ve used a tripping line at time but only when there was a chance of fouling and then as I said I would remove the line from the bouy and attach a sinking line bring that to the bow .
i remem once some years back in south of France , before we even had a chance to remove the bouy someone had picked it up and using it as a mooring .

 

[Neil]

Anchoring stern-to med style in a crowded anchorage, there is a strong likelihood of crossed anchor chains - the only solution to pull it out backwards. However, trip lines and bouys can't be used in many places (I'm thinking Gaios, for example). I used to rig anchors on small boats using the "Skowing" technique (didn't know it was called that) but my new boat has a Spade, the hole for the tripping line not being aligned to the shaft, making such a method impractical. I like the idea of a sliding ring or chain but if I was back there it would be bareboating and charter boats would not likely be so equipped.

 

[billskip]

In the Aegean it was guaranteed someone would lay their tackle over yours.. winching up the whole lot and then tripping your hook was common practice

 

[sailaboutvic]

Anchoring stern-to med style in a crowded anchorage, there is a strong likelihood of crossed anchor chains - the only solution to pull it out backwards. However, trip lines and bouys can't be used in many places (I'm thinking Gaios, for example). I used to rig anchors on small boats using the "Skowing" technique (didn't know it was called that) but my new boat has a Spade, the hole for the tripping line not being aligned to the shaft, making such a method impractical. I like the idea of a sliding ring or chain but if I was back there it would be bareboating and charter boats would not likely be so equipped.

I can assure you sidling ring down a chain don’t work first you got to get it down and then it needs to slide up the anchor 99.9% there be some thing in the Way .
people who suggest this are ones who have read it and never tryed it .
as a ex full time liveaboard mostly on our hook for 15 plus years , we have tried many ways And this is one and it should be a lump of chain not a ring .
using any thpe of tripping line in Galos will only cause you or someone else a problem .
chain in tangle is very simple , all that need to be done is for a chain to be released and the anchor brough up , a loop of rope around the chain is then place , anchor drop away for the chain ,job done .

 

[sailaboutvic]

In the Aegean it was guaranteed someone would lay their tackle over yours.. winching up the whole lot and then tripping your hook was common practice

This is only because people have no idea what needs to be done , as my last posting , if a chain is slacking off and the anchor is brough up closer To the boat the anchor is fouled on you can nearly release the fouled chain with out tripping the hook .
the problem is when no one is on board the other boat or they have no seamanship skills .

 

[billskip]

the problem is when no one is on board the other boat or they have no seamanship skills .

Which most of the time because the chartered bare boats skipper is relatively inexperienced.....