Med mooring with an anchor strop

[Nostrodamus]

Whilst in the med most people will put out an anchor strop to take the weight off the windless when anchoring.
When we med moor though I always put an anchor strop on because usually the anchor chain is under strain even more than anchoring.
Looking around at other boats very few seem to do this. They just leave their windless to take the strain..
Am I missing something here?

 

[Robin]

Whilst in the med most people will put out an anchor strop to take the weight off the windless when anchoring.
When we med moor though I always put an anchor strop on because usually the anchor chain is under strain even more than anchoring.
Looking around at other boats very few seem to do this. They just leave their windless to take the strain..
Am I missing something here?

Yes, a busted windlass shaft

 

[Resolution]

Interesting comment. I presume the Med mooring you are thinking of is ones when you are using your anchor as opposed to tailed lines?
Is it because the main purpose of the strop is to absorb shock loads when the wind/waves jerk the chain taut, with taking the strain off the windlass a secondary reason? Most times when moored up at a quayside one does not anticipate large shock loads from wind/waves. (If you do, then I would prefer to get the h*ll out!)
And of course attaching the strop and getting all the lines reasonably taut again is another thing to be done when rest & relaxation and a large G&T all beckon seductively!

 

[Mrnotming]

Sounds very like stropping is the answer!

 

[Gypsy]

With so little tide and usually clear weather most of us get lazy and don't add the strop. As soon as a blow comes on and other boats are leaning on you (me) my memory kicks in and the strop goes on.

 

[Nostrodamus]

Hmm let's see. Thread started by Nostrodamus. Observation that other people are stupid/rubbish and lack Nostrodamus's mad boating skillz? Check. Link to blog: check. No I don't...oh wait: national stereotypes. You forgot to tell us that these people are generally German....

Thank you for your insightful comment Laika.
The one thing I am not afraid to do is seek the wisdom of the forum if I am doing something different to others around me and I may be doing something wrong. It is called trying to learn which I am doing constantly. I will never be a great sailor but I will always try to be better than I am. The questions may seem basic and mundane to you but that is because your skill levels and knowledge are obviously far beyond mine..

 

[sailaboutvic]

Thank you for your insightful comment Laika.
The one thing I am not afraid to do is seek the wisdom of the forum if I am doing something different to others around me and I may be doing something wrong. It is called trying to learn which I am doing constantly. I will never be a great sailor but I will always try to be better than I am. The questions may seem basic and mundane to you but that is because your skill levels and knowledge are obviously far beyond mine..

keep asking the question Sir, I rather somone ask then just do and hope for the best ,It also help other to keep learning , we can never know enough about seamanship
any way I doubt very much if your skills are ,``stupid/rubbish `` I seen the boat your dear wife and you have to handle and you would`nt have got as far as you got without sailing skils .
only fools think they know it all
to answer your question , i would all ways use a strop has others have said it take the strain away from the windless , can you imgine stern on a quay and someone picks your chain and roars off with it like i seen so many time before , what damage it could do to your windless.

 

[Nostrodamus]

Thank you sail about Vic, hopefully we will meet sometime this year for a drink or two. At the moment some idiot Brit (me) though it would be good to take his boat out the water and anti foul in in the Greek summer.. we will be back in next week though.

 

[vyv_cox]

I use a snubber when free anchoring, 12 mm nylon usually about 2 metres long. Its main function is to dampen any waves but it also takes the load off the windlass and cuts out the noise of chain dragging over the bottom or itself. When berthed stern-to on anchor it is not possible to get the snubber hook far from the boat, thus there is little elasticity and strong likelihood that it will break. So I also carry a device bought locally that cups over the chain on deck, to which I have added a length of strong rope. I cleat this, giving a total length of only about a foot, then release the windlass a little.

 

[sailaboutvic]

I use a snubber when free anchoring, 12 mm nylon usually about 2 metres long. Its main function is to dampen any waves but it also takes the load off the windlass and cuts out the noise of chain dragging over the bottom or itself. When berthed stern-to on anchor it is not possible to get the snubber hook far from the boat, thus there is little elasticity and strong likelihood that it will break. So I also carry a device bought locally that cups over the chain on deck, to which I have added a length of strong rope. I cleat this, giving a total length of only about a foot, then release the windlass a little.

photo please , interested to see what you mean .

 

[BrianH]

I use a strop to take the load off the windlass but the beneficial side effect is that I can sleep uninterruptedly in the forecabin without the rumbling of chain every time a wind shift moves the boat.

 

[Nostrodamus]

I use a snubber when free anchoring, 12 mm nylon usually about 2 metres long. Its main function is to dampen any waves but it also takes the load off the windlass and cuts out the noise of chain dragging over the bottom or itself. When berthed stern-to on anchor it is not possible to get the snubber hook far from the boat, thus there is little elasticity and strong likelihood that it will break. So I also carry a device bought locally that cups over the chain on deck, to which I have added a length of strong rope. I cleat this, giving a total length of only about a foot, then release the windlass a little.

I think it is similar to what I do Viv. I use the same strop though, only make it a lot shorter so it is on the deck rather than over the side. It does not do much for dampening as the anchor chain is always tight but it just takes the load off the windless. Hopefully the stern mooring lines tied to the shore can dampen things a little. As you know a ferry passing a few mile off shore during the night can send some pretty big waves onto a wall in Greece.

 

[vyv_cox]

photo please , interested to see what you mean .

It seems it is called a Victory chain hook. Sorry I cannot get Photobucket to work for me in Greece but here is a link http://ca.binnacle.com/p9305/VICTORY-ANCHOR-CHAIN-HOOK-1/4-5/16-TO-UNLOAD-WINDLASS/product_info.html. I bought mine in Lakki but have seen them elsewhere in Greece.

 

[Nostrodamus]

It seems it is called a Victory chain hook. Sorry I cannot get Photobucket to work for me in Greece but here is a link http://ca.binnacle.com/p9305/VICTORY-ANCHOR-CHAIN-HOOK-1/4-5/16-TO-UNLOAD-WINDLASS/product_info.html. I bought mine in Lakki but have seen them elsewhere in Greece.

I have seen them around and they look pretty good. I just use one of those hook things.
I went into the swindelry yesterday enquiring about new anchor chain. (Mine is starting to flake rust which I believe is not a good sign). I asked about 10mm chain and he said do you want the 28mm or 30mm one which totally confused me. I had to take the gypsy in to test but apparently it is the space between the chain links. I had never heard of it before but it makes a real difference. Now I am slightly older and slightly wiser.

 

[Carmel2]

Just a quick aside, I use one of these on the strop, it stops any snatch to the cleat.

 

[BrianH]

It seems it is called a Victory chain hook. Sorry I cannot get Photobucket to work for me in Greece but here is a link http://ca.binnacle.com/p9305/VICTORY-ANCHOR-CHAIN-HOOK-1/4-5/16-TO-UNLOAD-WINDLASS/product_info.html. I bought mine in Lakki but have seen them elsewhere in Greece.

I've always avoided the metal claws for a simple clove hitch in the belief the chain galvanisation could suffer, perhaps mistakenly. But also, the knot easily passes over the roller after tying or before being freed with the line leading through a fairlead in the bulwark.

 

[laika]

I obviously owe you an apology: due to late night tired reading I missed the key distinction of med mooring vs. general strop usage (which was obviously in the title, duh!) and interpolated from previous posts where I have perceive you to often be critical of others (anchoring, disrobing, whatever) and affecting mock humility.

Having re-read the original post I see the distinction you are making between general use of a mooring strop and using it when med mooring. My mistake and I apologise. It's actually a very good question.

[Edit] Oh and I'd +1 Resolution's reply.

 

[RupertW]

Just a quick aside, I use one of these on the strop, it stops any snatch to the cleat.

+1 - it's part of a 5m rope of which I usually use 2-3m and attach it to the chain with a rolling hitch rather than a hook.

It would be quicker to use a hook, which I presume doesn't come off even when boisterous or slack, but I tend to sit up at the bows for a few minutes after digging in checking how we are swinging etc. so putting on a knot passes the time.

I haven't yet bothered when in a stern-to Med moor as conditions haven't been at all bad yet but I do tend to loop the chain round the cleat on top of the windlass so the mechanism doesn't take the strain.

 

[Resolution]

It seems it is called a Victory chain hook. Sorry I cannot get Photobucket to work for me in Greece but here is a link http://ca.binnacle.com/p9305/VICTORY-ANCHOR-CHAIN-HOOK-1/4-5/16-TO-UNLOAD-WINDLASS/product_info.html. I bought mine in Lakki but have seen them elsewhere in Greece.

Cripes! That looks more like a part from a bondage chastity belt.

(Not that I have one of those, of course.)

 

[vyv_cox]

H

I have seen them around and they look pretty good. I just use one of those hook things.
I went into the swindelry yesterday enquiring about new anchor chain. (Mine is starting to flake rust which I believe is not a good sign). I asked about 10mm chain and he said do you want the 28mm or 30mm one which totally confused me. I had to take the gypsy in to test but apparently it is the space between the chain links. I had never heard of it before but it makes a real difference. Now I am slightly older and slightly wiser.

The beauty of the Victory is that it will fit onto a bar-tight chain without distorting it, whereas my hook wants to bend the chain. I did have to modify the Victory slightly by bending the rope attachment in a vice.

10 mm chain comes in two link lengths dependent upon whether it is DIN or ISO. This is unique to 10 mm. All this info and a lot more is on my website.