How to anchor using a CQR, and recover it, under sail.

[mrming]

There is perhaps a case where you perhaps should not stow your anchor in a bow roller - where your boat lives on a single point mooring. No doubt someone will be along to explain how to keep an anchor in a bow roller and the boat on a mooring but it was beyond me with my last boat.

Thread drift, but I was pondering the same last week. New-ish to me boat has no anchor locker on deck. The anchor sits on the (double) bow roller and the chain disappears down a hawse hole.

I had cause to leave the boat on a swinging mooring for a week. Ended up taking the anchor off and sticking it in the cockpit locker so I could use both bow rollers to take two lines from the mooring buoy.

I guess I could have left the anchor on one side of the roller and made the mooring buoy off through the other, but I didn’t fancy the lead to either of the cleats with the anchor shank in the mix. I found myself wondering how others do it.

 

[Neeves]

There is perhaps a case where you perhaps should not stow your anchor in a bow roller - where your boat lives on a single point mooring. No doubt someone will be along to explain how to keep an anchor in a bow roller and the boat on a mooring but it was beyond me with my last boat.

You use a short bridle through the 2 bow fairleads to their associated cleats or to a central strong point (samson post?) or in todays parlance central cleat.

Its also better as the fairleads are designed for rope and in general are loaded in line whereas the bow roller commonly has sharp edges and is designed for chain.

Jonathan

 

[Kukri]

Another point about CQRs on bow rollers - be sure to pull the fluke to one side with a bit of line and pull the line taut, then lash it, to stop the fluke from nodding. This is the leading cause of the hinge pins wearing down. It wasn’t a problem with the anchor on deck.

 

[Neeves]

Thread drift, but I was pondering the same last week. New-ish to me boat has no anchor locker on deck. The anchor sits on the (double) bow roller and the chain disappears down a hawse hole.

I had cause to leave the boat on a swinging mooring for a week. Ended up taking the anchor off and sticking it in the cockpit locker so I could use both bow rollers to take two lines from the mooring buoy.

I guess I could have left the anchor on one side of the roller and made the mooring buoy off through the other, but I didn’t fancy the lead to either of the cleats with the anchor shank in the mix. I found myself wondering how others do it.

We had a famous Oz yacht Anaconda moored near us. The yacht was old and the owner was slowly refurbishing it - all 50' of steel hull. It had a single bow roller and a single pennant from buoy over bow roller (with the CQR in the roller). The inevitably happened, the pennant was cut through and 20t, or whatever, made its way to shore taking out bits of other yachts as it went. The pennant was man enough under normal conditions but wore through over night under strong wind and a lot of chop.

Not nice

 

[Neeves]

Another point about CQRs on bow rollers - be sure to pull the fluke to one side with a bit of line and pull the line taut, then lash it, to stop the fluke from nodding. This is the leading cause of the hinge pins wearing down. It wasn’t a problem with the anchor on deck.

Anecdotally I have heard that people sleeve the worn pins - but have never actually seen one and am unlikely to see one.

CQRs were the best thing since sliced bread for decades - but what is not mentioned and it does come up in posts from those whose fathers taught them to sail and sailing was a family event. So those with, say 50-60 years of deeply embedded experience. The other factor to consider is that the number of CQRs on leisure yachts was simply insignificant upto 19??. Nobody could afford to sail, in say 1955 - transport then was a motorbike and sidecar - a yacht was like Branson going to space - not even a dream. A yacht - let's install central heating first! then buy a car, what's a CQR?

Heaton, whose book I quoted - Hon Secy of the House of Lords Yacht Club - that was largely the home of leisure sailing, not your local steel maker nor coal miner.

There was a device or practice caller 'an anchor watch' which was religiously utilised whenever something, weather, seabed etc, was questionable. Yacht did not drag - they were far to expensivee to have on a beach - you took it in turns and that's what made a CQR possible, or usable. I'm not suggesting yachts are not too expensive now to have on a beach - but we now have an app on a phone, under our pillow - the romance has come back.

So cut out the apparent romance of the 'good old days' - it was totally different then.

A problem is that the practices then are still quoted today - and we have totally different technologies (mostly better). Kukri's description and post is evocative (and as nothing on a yacht is reliable - well worth practicing (apart from have the chain along the gel coated white deck) - but mostly it is consigned to history - we have auxiliary motors (that are commonly more often used than the sails), windlass, anchor app, foul weather gear that is actually waterproof, marina,s etc etc - not forgetting - reliable anchors.

RELIABLE ANCHORS........????

When was the last time you dragged with a modern anchor, post 1990 (I know been there, done that).? The reality is - modern anchors ARE reliable (idiots excepted). I will put money on the idea that your anchor app alarms goes off frequently - because you set it incorrectly - never, or almost never, because the anchor dragged.

I'm not suggesting that a CQR was not good and 9 times out of 10 was reliable - its the every 10th time at anchor that sears the memory. And 9 out of 10 is not bad for a device almost 100 years old.

We are all very, very lucky

Take care, stay safe.

Jonathan

 

[Kukri]

Talking of which, I love these pictures!

The 1960s British Family Sailing Holiday, in the rain, with Father and two sulky teenagers, whose mother is at home with their siblings who are “too small for sailing”. Notice the useless oilskins and footwear and the telling detail that even Prince Philip is carrying, inflated on the coachroof by way of a liferaft, an old black Avon that has been painted grey to make it look newer…

 

[penfold]

Obviously didn't put her off given her record of boat ownership.

 

[Poignard]

Talking of which, I love these pictures!

The 1960s British Family Sailing Holiday, in the rain, with Father and two sulky teenagers, whose mother is at home with their siblings who are “too small for sailing”. Notice the useless oilskins and footwear and the telling detail that even Prince Philip is carrying, inflated on the coachroof by way of a liferaft, an old black Avon that has been painted grey to make it look newer…

"Smile and wave"!

 

[DownWest]

Great thread!
Good friend built a 34ft heavy ferro gaff ketch. While it was on a mooring in Portimão his anchors were nicked. We pondered a bit, then made two bl**dy great CQRs . Flukes out of curved boiler plate about 1/2" thick. Think they weighed about 50kg each. Certainly when I got them to the galvanizers, heaving them about was a hassle. He said later that he might have been a bit ambitious on the weight, as on the boat, it was quite hard work to move them and get one over the bow. No bow roller stowage, chocks on deck.
Back when I cut my teeth...Sailing on and off moorings was normal, as was anchoring.

 

[Poignard]

You use a short bridle through the 2 bow fairleads to their associated cleats or to a central strong point (samson post?) or in todays parlance central cleat.

Its also better as the fairleads are designed for rope and in general are loaded in line whereas the bow roller commonly has sharp edges and is designed for chain.

Jonathan

The only problem I have had with that is the bridle sometimes getting under the CQR fluke but as I now keep the anchor on deck (for other reasons) it's no longer a problem..

 

[Neeves]

The only problem I have had with that is the bridle sometimes getting under the CQR fluke but as I now keep the anchor on deck (for other reasons) it's no longer a problem..

If you have a pad eye or could fix a pad eye at on the stem at the waterline - I have a fix for that.

The other option is to run the bridle out board further aft, at an amid ship fairlead and manage the bridle with 'things' like Barber hauls, cord and LFRs, your bridle is then wider (which is better) and then less likely to become engaged with the anchor.

Or - you could take the simple option and just thread your 2 snubbers (making the bridle) protected with hose pipe (but to encourage you to be more imaginative - I think threadimg through hosepipe looks naff (even if supremely effective).

Query if you want more information and 'we' can share

take care, stay safe

Jonathan

 

[Kukri]

Obviously didn't put her off given her record of boat ownership.

She’s one of those fifty or sixty years of sailing people!

 

[Refueler]

See above.

If I bought a boat with a properly sized CQR, I would not leap to bin it, unless it did not meet the needs of my cruising area. Same with an original (not Claw) Bruce. In my case, it seems my boats have always come with either undersize or knock-off anchors.

Choice of anchor should always come down to area used in and its capability to hold in that area ...... there is no anchor that covers ALL situations.

 

[Neeves]

She’s one of those fifty or sixty years of sailing people!

The rest were recovering from rationing, the reasons for rationing and the long term effects (in no particular order).

Jonathan

 

[pyrojames]

Mine still the shackle, and although I read Cruising Under Sail many years ago I don't remember that particular passage, but seeing as I use that technique, I guess
the passage lodged in my memory. I do the same if the Anchorage is open enough to sail off the anchor. I redesigned my bow rollers to be big enough to take the anchor shackle to, including a built in chain lock as discussed elsewhere in Hiscock.

 

[zoidberg]

My only comment is that I was always taught to range the chain on deck before anchoring, so as to be sure you've got the right length secured and all ready to run. I'd certainly do it that way on my Moody 31, as the chain locker extends right up to the bow, and if I lowered the chain directly from the locker, there would be no way to stop it running (well, I could run it aft to the (manual, vertical axis) winch and then forward over the top of the locker). However, I don't intend to try anchoring under sail anytime soon - no doubt it is doable single-handed, but I think it would be a bit of a handful.

Typical!

One way to protect the deck is to use a shallow plastic tray ( supermarkets, vegetables aisle ).

As for

I don't intend to try anchoring under sail anytime soon

, that is to me the equivalent of having a car but refusing to learn how to change a flat tyre. That too is 'a bit of a handful' but also an essential competence.

 

[westernman]

As for , that is to me the equivalent of having a car but refusing to learn how to change a flat tyre. That too is 'a bit of a handful' but also an essential competence.

Only if your car has a spare.

 

[Refueler]

Typical!

One way to protect the deck is to use a shallow plastic tray ( supermarkets, vegetables aisle ).

Many years ago when I finally got my own boat - I tried the 'tray' method ................ mmmmmmm shall we say that I tried it a few times and decided range along side deck is better ... even the best of flaking in a tray led to cock-eyed links jamming on roller ... lack of control on its paying out ... and lack of full rode for the depth ...

As for , that is to me the equivalent of having a car but refusing to learn how to change a flat tyre. That too is 'a bit of a handful' but also an essential competence.

Now that I agree with.

 

[zoidberg]

Talking of which, I love these pictures!

The 1960s British Family Sailing Holiday, in the rain, with Father and two sulky teenagers, whose mother is at home with their siblings who are “too small for sailing”. Notice the useless oilskins and footwear and the telling detail that even Prince Philip is carrying, inflated on the coachroof by way of a liferaft, an old black Avon that has been painted grey to make it look newer…

I guess the curly-haired young lady would choose different footwear today.... and I'd be well pleased to hear she'd recently been taking her brother sailing!

 

[zoidberg]

I tried the 'tray' method ................ mmmmmmm shall we say that I tried it a few times and decided range along side deck is better ... even the best of flaking in a tray led to cock-eyed links jamming on roller ... lack of control on its paying out ... and lack of full rode for the depth ...

Sounds like we are similar, in that we identify a problem and root about until we have a satisfactory solution. In my case, a friend's Rival 34 with a navel pipe too narrow such that twisted links jammed both on the way down AND on the way up. Cruising inshore among the Scottish Isles, I kept 30m. in the Tescos Tray as 'ready-use'.... ( or was it a fishbox from Mallaig? )
I also became fed-up with all the glaur and weed that came up with the chain - which went everywhere!