MF's World Cruise, Some thing learned.

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hlb

hlb

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Never ever leave the anchor held by the windlass. Got away with it for 20 years, the only times I've wrapped the chain round a cleat, has been over night. Anchored outside Glasson, suddenly the chain kept paying out. Luckily the engines were still running and I was at the wheel and could stop it by driving forwards.

Got a snubber now, which will hopefully solve the problem. Yep the chain is held on at the bitter end, but designed to be cut off easy. Anyway, with 60 metres of chain out, we could be well up the bank.
 
We live and learn........... but you should have known this.

Always surprises me that people think the windlass is designed to hold the weight of the boat, many just drop the anchor and forget it.

No harm or damage that's the best type of learning H.

Tom
 
LittleShip said:
We live and learn........... but you should have known this.

Always surprises me that people think the windlass is designed to hold the weight of the boat, many just drop the anchor and forget it.

No harm or damage that's the best type of learning H.

Tom
Click to expand...

I allways just drop anchor and rely on the windlass, i did not know that you wern't supposed to, could someone please tell me what i should do?
 
Well once the anchor is 'brought up' ie has the weight of the craft on the cable and is not dragging; the idea is to have a short line which is secured to a cleat and the other end is secured to the anchor cable. then slack a little more cable off and the wt will come off the windlass and be taken by the ' snubber'. Thus no wt on the windlass.

Once ready to leave you motor towards the lie of the cable so its 'up and down' with little wt and take the wt again on the windlass, thus allowing you to release the 'snubber'. Heave up and proceed outwards. QED
 
mjf said:
Well once the anchor is 'brought up' ie has the weight of the craft on the cable and is not dragging; the idea is to have a short line which is secured to a cleat and the other end is secured to the anchor cable. then slack a little more cable off and the wt will come off the windlass and be taken by the ' snubber'. Thus no wt on the windlass.

Once ready to leave you motor towards the lie of the cable so its 'up and down' with little wt and take the wt again on the windlass, thus allowing you to release the 'snubber'. Heave up and proceed outwards. QED
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MJF, Thankyou for that, I cant believe how much you learn from this forum.

Sean
 
Something like this, but with more slack in the chain, so it hangs vertically off the roller:

131759268_bab88c59b4.jpg
 
rickp said:
Something like this, but with more slack in the chain, so it hangs vertically off the roller:

131759268_bab88c59b4.jpg
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Yep! i use my anchor stopper that is a wire with eye on one end and a SS Snap hook on 'tother end. So prevents anchor moving at sea and acts a snubber when anchor deployed.

In your pix Rick it looks like you have a guillotine forward of the windlass - that could take the wt no?
 
mjf said:
Yep! i use my anchor stopper that is a wire with eye on one end and a SS Snap hook on 'tother end. So prevents anchor moving at sea and acts a snubber when anchor deployed.
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Neat, though I like having a little give in the snubber - seems to take some of the 'snatch' out of the system.

In your pix Rick it looks like you have a guillotine forward of the windlass - that could take the wt no?
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No, its really only there to take the weight of the anchor when stowed (to stop it self-launching when we're underway and its 'lively'). I wouldn't trust it to hold the weight of the boat whilst at anchor - its just a clamp really.
 
Well hang on a minute, that's just a point of view. A perfectly valid one, but not universal. I hold the opposite view and never use a snubber. It takes away the noise that the anchor makes on the rollers at night if the weather turns nasty, and it means if you need to weigh anchor in a hurry you have to faff about removing the snubber (in the dark maybe). No, you should just maintain the clutch on the windlass (simple cone clutch), and not use a snubber. If the clutch is done right, then the laws of physics say it'll do the job. It's not random whether it'll work.

Just my opinion though!
 
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jfm said:
Well hang on a minute, that's just a point of view. A perfectly valid one, but not universal. I hold the opposite view and never use a snubber. It takes away the noise that the anchor makes on the rollers at night if the weather turns nasty, and it means if you need to weigh anchor in a hurry you have to faff about removing the snubber (in the dark maybe). No, you should just maintain the clutch on the windlass (simple cone clutch), and not use a snubber. If the clutch is done right, then the laws of physics say it'll do the job. It's not random whether it'll work.

Just my opinion though!
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..............................................................................................

Take the point, but I have not had one slip in 20 years. This time it held for a few seconds, then started paying out chain like no tomorrow. Mind we were in about a six knot current, but it's held in that or more before.

Thinjg is, you dont know it's going to slip, untill the day it does.

As I said, if I had not been sat there with the engines running, the boat would have been gone.
 
hlb said:
..............................................................................................

Take the point, but I have not had one slip in 20 years. This time it held for a few seconds, then started paying out chain like no tomorrow. Mind we were in about a six knot current, but it's held in that or more before.

Thinjg is, you dont know it's going to slip, untill the day it does.

As I said, if I had not been sat there with the engines running, the boat would have been gone.
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Was the chain slipping over the gypsy or had the clutch failed allowing the gypsy to rotate?
 
Short length of nylon 3-strand with a large eye spliced in one end to drop over the foredeck cleat, or even the winch itself if no deck cleat, chain hook spliced into the other end, lead it over bow roller and hook onto chain, winch out slightly to take strain off winch. What could be easier? No winding round cleats, just a simple strop with a chain hook in one end and an eye-splice in the other and never have to worry about straining the winch again.
 
hlb said:
..............................................................................................

Take the point, but I have not had one slip in 20 years. This time it held for a few seconds, then started paying out chain like no tomorrow. Mind we were in about a six knot current, but it's held in that or more before.
Click to expand...

Correct me if I'm wrong Haydn, but did you not post about a problem with your windlass clutch just the other week when you arrived at Glaason? I think maybe you need to disassemble your windlass and take a good look at the mechanicals inside.

Mal
 
Observer said:
Not sure I see the need for the shock absorber. Doesn't the catenary weight of the chain effectively absorb shock loads? What are the bits at the eye end?
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Seconded, neither do I.
I've used a (double) line with no absorbers for more than a decade on a very heavy boat, with no problem at all.
The smaller rubber bits are also shock absorbers, anyway.
Btw, we already debated this subject a few months ago in this thread.
 
I find the shock absorbers help a lot on very windy days in shallow anchorages, as the catenary effect of the chain is quite limited in two metres of water. Putting out all the chain would help, but that's not always feasible in a crowded anchorage.
 
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