One anchor or two?

[Ken E.]

In Barnard Harbour on BC's north coast we were setting our Bruce anchor as normal and it immediately dug in and stopped Badger with a jolt. I thought for sure we were going to leave it behind.

Before leaving the next day I read the Karl Hinz book on anchoring and mooring about strategies for disengaging a stuck anchor. One thing he suggested was to start the boat up, get some slow forward momentum going, put some tension on the rode, then do a slow circle around the anchor.

Luckily our anchor came up as normal so didn't have to try the above technique.

What would you do?

I like the circle approach. Another way is to take in all slack at low tide, snub it off on something strong and see if the rising tide will pull it free. We used this once and it worked.

 

[MurrayM]

I like the circle approach. Another way is to take in all slack at low tide, snub it off on something strong and see if the rising tide will pull it free. We used this once and it worked.

That's a lot of pull with a 20' tide

 

[BruceK]

In Barnard Harbour on BC's north coast we were setting our Bruce anchor as normal and it immediately dug in and stopped Badger with a jolt. I thought for sure we were going to leave it behind.

Before leaving the next day I read the Karl Hinz book on anchoring and mooring about strategies for disengaging a stuck anchor. One thing he suggested was to start the boat up, get some slow forward momentum going, put some tension on the rode, then do a slow circle around the anchor.

Luckily our anchor came up as normal so didn't have to try the above technique.

What would you do?

I had the same situation. I was sure I`d picked up a submarine(underwater, not sub related) cable I thought was further away. Came up easy, as normal, great relief.
I once spent half an hour+ on a friend`s sailboat which had snagged the anchor in an area I expect the bottom would be foul. We pulled, circled in both directions, reversed, performed every possible movement, near pulling the bow under. Suddenly it freed itself, by sheer luck we must have reversed the procedure which snagged it.

 

[Ken E.]

That's a lot of pull with a 20' tide

I've heard that Barnard / Cameron Cove get a lot of wind on occasion. Has that been your experience there? Are there willowaw winds typically in this area?

 

[MurrayM]

I've heard that Barnard / Cameron Cove get a lot of wind on occasion. Has that been your experience there? Are there willowaw winds typically in this area?

We were there in August and things were calm-ish at the time. I can see how northerly outflow winds (in winter) would make the place jump, and there's a pretty steep mountain close by which could make for williwaws if a strong wind was flowing over it.

Looks like in a SW storm the majority of wind would flow through the river valley, some would sneak in from the west where it would follow the waterway, and williwaws would come from over the mountain.

Highly suggest you take the waterfall trail from the old & haggard log boom float that you can see to the north. Very purdy

Have heard there was a major landslide in the valley at the back end during heavy rains which covered the beautiful grassy estuary with hundreds of trees, which is sad, but sometimes Nature isn't pretty...

 

[MVDarlin]

I had a similar experiences with a 10 pot string of abandoned crab bots that were wired together with cable in the Broughtons. We figured how to use the windless to lift each pot. We stacked them on the deck and took them to the beach. It was a great anchorage that no one would use because it was known to be "foul".

 

[Knot Salted]

I have a double anchor setup on my boat. Have never tried to Bahamian anchor. Have done the bow and stern anchor several times. Have a Rocna and a genuine Bruce, but only ever use the Rocna. I like the redundancy of the second anchor ready to go in an emergency.

Then there is the "cool" factor. Looking out the pilothouse window, it definitely looks impressive.

View attachment 72737

Ted

That dual set up is just plain pretty!!

 

[Bigsfish]

Ted

Do you want to swap windlesses? Beautiful set up.

 

[Steve Bedford]

These stories about freeing a stuck anchor (techniques) can probably go on and on. I find them all interesting and the techniques get “filed” in case my current “go to” techniques do not work. There is of course a chance that some of these stuck anchors are indeed wedged on something and with these different freeing techniques, the operator can dislodge. However, some of these stuck anchors (probably most) are a result of a great set. The operator believes the anchor is wedged on something but in actuality it was a good anchor set properly. At least that is the case with most cases when the anchor is eventually freed.

Conclusion: a good technique in setting a good anchor might require a good technique to free an anchor.

Steve

 

[FF]

"Conclusion: a good technique in setting a good anchor might require a good technique to free an anchor."

Usually very little effort is required when a trip line is part of the normal anchor set.

 

[Steve Bedford]

"Usually very little effort is required when a trip line is part of the normal anchor set.

Very true. There was a discussion about trip line deployment and techniques a while ago on another forum and aft much discussion back and forth the results were that actually very few use a form of a trip line.

Steve

 

[mcgann454]

Very true. There was a discussion about trip line deployment and techniques a while ago on another forum and aft much discussion back and forth the results were that actually very few use a form of a trip line.

Steve

I have been following this thread and the anchor video thread by S/V Panope (amazing amount of work)and it seems a trip line would be a very useful setup for any anchor. We are setting up for a sept. Start to the loop and ground tackle is my current focus. We boat in Lake Michigan and have for 40 years with the last 8 on the big lake with a 42’ trawler. We always set a trip line on the aft anchor when aft end into shore to mark the bouy so others did not trip.
What is the forum’s opinion on a trip line on the bow anchor? Seems like a great idea but one drawback would be in a crowded anchorage. It would show where your anchor is, but with 5/1 or 7/1 scope, would it get confusing/prop tangle for other vessels? Makes for easy retrieval in a snag situation.
Thanks in advance.

 

[psneeld]

if you do use a bouy, make sure its big or visible enough, tbis fall I almost ran some guys float over.

it was dark colored and the size of a softball.

another tip is use tiny line so if it is run over, it doesnt pull your anchor or screw up someones prop. you just need it to be able to pull a heavier line down and through a substantial part of the front of the anchor.

 

[Bigsfish]

I’ve never had a problem getting an Anchor to release from the bottom not withstanding something that shouldn’t have been there.

 

[tadhana]

I'm sorry, but a trip line on an anchor is JV, at least on the east coast and Caribbean. . We have cruised for 50 years anchored thousands of nights and never ever needed one or saw anyone who needed one. There may be some anchorages in places with submerged trees and roots where it is helpful, but those are few and far between. Some times you can get stuck in coral or rock. But you can free your anchor with a chain loop dropped oover the rode. So far this year alone, we have cruised over 5500 nautical miles, and been in over a dozen states, have seen exactly 0 trip lines. and have seen exactly 2 in the past three years. They are not needed and in a crowded anchorage are a problem. When we anchor we back down to 1,000 RPM, except in the Keys where we generally only hit 800. A well set anchor might be hard to break free as Steve said. . From what I see, a trip line is not the sign of an experienced cruiser, but of an inexperienced cruiser. YMMV.

 

[Nomad Willy]

tadhanna,
The only downside to a trip line is that it’s more trouble. I’d say a case could be made that anybody that dosn’t deploy a trip line is lazy. But I boat in an area that has been extensively logged. I did it 3-4 times and quit. Lazy I guess. However there are lots of anchorages where 30 boats have been anchoring there every night for 30 years every summer. Not very likely to encounter logging debris. But in Alaska I have been told where a D-8 Cat had been “buried” in the past. I belived them enough to not anchor there.

 

[OldDan1943]

Historically, I remember an ad for a video camera that rides down the anchor rode to "look" at how your anchor is set. This would greatly assist on tripping the anchor, I think.
Do I have one, no. Do I want one, nawwww, I would rather waste my money on beer and wild women.

 

[HiDHo]

WOW, tadhana 5500 miles in 49 days that’s well over 100 miles of travel every day this year.
You might re-think no trip line on your anchor if you do any inland river cruising. Snags are very common in the river anchorages and I agree not so much in the Bahamas but I’ve only done the loop one time and cruised the Abacos on out to Eleuthera twice in my 40 years of boating so I might be a jv what ever that stands for.

 

[MVDarlin]

I carry scuba gear.

 

[tadhana]

Thank you HiDHo, I realize i misspoke and should have been more precise. In the past 12 months we have cruised almost 900 engine hours. Which roughly translates into a little over 6K miles in the past 12 months. And I did try to limit my comment on trip lines to our principle cruisng grounds which are the US east coast and Hudson River/Canal and Lake Champlain, with occasional trips to the Caribbean in years past. In these cruisng grounds the chance of a snag is remote. So remote that a trip line is unnecessary. And If you do get your anchor stuck, they report that you can use a loop of chain to slide down your rode and trip the anchor.

 

[mcgann454]

I'm sorry, but a trip line on an anchor is JV, at least on the east coast and Caribbean. . We have cruised for 50 years anchored thousands of nights and never ever needed one or saw anyone who needed one. There may be some anchorages in places with submerged trees and roots where it is helpful, but those are few and far between. Some times you can get stuck in coral or rock. But you can free your anchor with a chain loop dropped oover the rode. So far this year alone, we have cruised over 5500 nautical miles, and been in over a dozen states, have seen exactly 0 trip lines. and have seen exactly 2 in the past three years. They are not needed and in a crowded anchorage are a problem. When we anchor we back down to 1,000 RPM, except in the Keys where we generally only hit 800. A well set anchor might be hard to break free as Steve said. . From what I see, a trip line is not the sign of an experienced cruiser, but of an inexperienced cruiser. YMMV.

Wow, thanks for the insight.
I also have Scuba gear on board and am looking at the Mantus mini system for just such an issue as well as prop fouling.
I guess I am JV when it come to the Bahamas or the large inland rivers although the river our marina in on has numerous sunken trees.
The current as well as visibility on the rivers makes Scuba difficult/dangerous.
That's why I come to this sight for the kind objective opinions.
Thanks again.

 

[Steve Bedford]

Tom,
The chain loop was mentioned on other threads. A lot of folks were unsure how to deploy that technique. I tried to explain but am not an expert on that. Care to share the technique on this forum? I feel many would benefit who perhaps “read” and “do not post.” This technique seems to be quite effective yet does not require one to put a trip line in the water each time one anchors.

Steve
“But you can free your anchor with a chain loop dropped oover the rode.

 

[Bigsfish]

Steve

I’m not Tom but have used it deep anchoring over wrecks. Take a length of chain about three feet and shackle it together with a thimble from a length of line deeper than the water. Get directly over the Anchor so your rode is straight. Clip the chain around your rode and drop it to the bottom so it slides down the Anchor shank. Remember the direction you drifted when the Anchor set and go the opposite while letting both lines out, then make the chain line fast and keep letting the Anchor rode pay out. With luck the chain will pull the Anchor out.

It might work.

 

[Steve Bedford]

Thanks. That is what I shared to others but never having done this, I was not sure I was the person best to describe this. Seems like a good alternative to laying out a traditional trip line.
Steve

 

[Bigsfish]

It seems a lot depends on where you Anchor, if I had Anchor around fallen trees, cable and Cat C9 I might use a trip line but they are a pain and if your in a hurry to go.......

 

[FF]

"I might use a trip line but they are a pain and if your in a hurry to go......."

Depends how its used.

In deeper water the anchor is simply brought up and secured , the trip line is handed next.

In shallow perhaps foul water the buoy is hooked and then used to haul the anchor aboard.

The anchor chain and line is then brought up and secured.

 

[Arthurc]

My KK54 has a dual setup but the windlass only works one at a time. I will keep it as a backup.
That said about 20 years ago my family got caught in a 60+ knot situation and the anchorage gave very little protection (it was blowing 60+ in the anchorage). My dad put two out in a V and then stern tied as well, we rode it out just fine, I believe others weren’t so lucky. I actually just had this conversation with my dad as I was deciding to keep the 2nd or stow it.

 

[foggysail]

Over my many years anchoring, I am satisfied that there is NO perfect anchor for all occasions. So if possible, my thought is carry more than one and not two of the same type.

I have an 80# Manson Supreme plus a 35# Fortress.