Making an anchor trip float + line

Put one of these flags on the bouy to stop others picking it up
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might also give you a nice big area to occupy :D
 
There probably isn't a perfect tripping line set up, but I have used this occasional arrangement with no problems, so far:

The buoy is a sausage shaped small fender with a hole right through it. Through the hole is threaded a 2 metre length of 6mm polyester line, terminating in a hard eye at the top of the buoy and 6 links of 10mm chain at the other end. This keeps the first 2 metres of tripping line hanging vertically beneath the buoy, where it is unlikely to be picked up in my prop, or anyone else's. The hard eye at the top of the buoy is big enough to stop the line passing all the way through.

The main tripping line is attached to the bottom chain link with a snap shackle and thence to the anchor (Old 20kg Kiwi Rocna :)) I can adjust the length (and size) of this sinking line, depending on the depth and tidal range.
 
The Manson Supreme Anchor has a provision to attach the anchor chain on a slot, able to slide the chain to act as a tripping line and to retrieve the anchor.

Manson-Supreme-Anchor-16kg-35lb.html
However, can the chain slide and trip the anchor accidentally when the boat swings around with the tide?
 
I used a tripping line once whilst on passage from the Levington Marina on the Orwell to Brighton early June last year. We anchored, waiting for the weather, Force 6, to ease, in the afternoon (about 1600) in the Stour in 16 feet of water with a tripping line that the owner said "I must use". We were just downstream of Parkstone Quay and next to the yacht club moorings on the Harwich side. Turned in at about 2300 having checked no drag or drift.

I awoke at about 0300 to a 'feeling' things were not right, the yacht was rolling and pitching and I thought that a ferry or tug had just gone passed!

Not a bit of it, I looked outside and did not recognize anywhere!! We were dragging and were virtually underneath the huge ships on the east bank of the Orwell. I screamed at the crew to turn on the Nav Lights whilst I called VTS to advise. Got the engine started and set off across the Thames Estuary earlier than planned. Quite a fright.

The reason for the drag was that the ebb tide had started to run and had dragged the float ball under the water which set up a resonance on the tripping line which in turn trembled the Bruce out of the mud of the Stour even though it has been set fast and had dug in and remained so for a number of hours! :eek:

I have never before used a tripping line much preferring to use about four feet of redundant anchor chain shackled into a loop/ring which is allowed to run down a taught anchor chain/rode and then slipped forward to haul out the business end of any errant anchor.
 
The Manson Supreme Anchor has a provision to attach the anchor chain on a slot, able to slide the chain to act as a tripping line and to retrieve the anchor.

Manson-Supreme-Anchor-16kg-35lb.html
However, can the chain slide and trip the anchor accidentally when the boat swings around with the tide?

Yes don't use the slot unless it's a brief stop with someone on watch.
 
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