Stuck/Fouled/Lost Anchors

Just a word of caution about trip buoys.

If you, or another boat drifts over the buoy it is not unusual for the buoy and line to snag on the rudder, prop, stern ladder etc. If this happens the anchor is being pulled at 1:1 scope from the crown. It takes very little wind for the anchor to start dragging when it attached like this. Don't ask how I know this

My solution is to incorporate a weak link in the trip line. I use a small cable tie which will break with about 15 kg. If you attach the weak link so that it is 1.5-2 m (5-6 feet) below the surface it always seems to break when needed. If your anchor does get stuck there is enough slack in trip line that you can reach the point prior to the weak link and put as much force on the rope as you like.

As a side benefit if anyone tries to pick up your anchor buoy thinking it is a mooring the line will also snap.

So far I have not had to cut loose an anchor , but I am lazy.

I always use an anchor trip line for overnight.

A 3/8 line does well at yanking it back up, and the anchor ball location is good info for the next boats to arrive .

Marin,
I also use line at the end of the anchor chain as you do. I use poly line at a length of twice the depth I usually anchor in. My thinking is that if I do have to cut the gear free, the poly line will likely float allowing me to find and retrieve the gear later.

HopCar said:

Marin, I like that your trip line buoy has a mast on it. I'm guessing it's tall enough to allow you to just reach over and grab it.

Click to expand...

The one in the photo was too short for that. I still had to use a boathook. I made a taller one that I can reach from the foredeck. The float and mast are held upright by a couple of small shaft zincs clamped to the underwater portion of the mast.

But the real purpose of the mast is to make the float easier for other boaters in the anchorage to see.

hmason said:

My thinking is that if I do have to cut the gear free, the poly line will likely float allowing me to find and retrieve the gear later.

Click to expand...

I thought about that but then decided that if I had to cut the rode free I didn't want a length of poly floating at the surface where I or someone else could run over it. My idea is that if I have to cut the rode free I would have the presence of mind to attach one of our oversize fenders to the end of the line. I didn't think of that the night I was about to cut the rode free, so it remains to be seen if I'll have the presence of mind to think of it in the future.

Noelex said:

Just a word of caution about trip buoys.

If you, or another boat drifts over the buoy it is not unusual for the buoy and line to snag on the rudder, prop, stern ladder etc.....My solution is to incorporate a weak link in the trip line. .

Click to expand...

Interesting concept. I'll have to think about that. Sounds like it could be a good idea. Thanks.

HopCar said:

I make these rigs up for customers around here but I hadn't thought of using them for a snagged anchor.

The tournament fishermen use them around here to quickly bring the anchor to the surface and they just drag it behind the boat until they reach the next spot. Just stop the boat and the anchor drops. The trick is to use a big enough ring that it doesn't slide up the shank to the crown. As long as the ring doesn't slide too far up the shank the anchor will self launch. I've only seen it done once but it's a pretty fast way to get the anchor to the surface.

Click to expand...

Parks I have one. If the anchor is stuck run the boat in circles while anchor line is pulling. This will usually break the anchor free. I haven't tried it with the new 66 pound anchor. I doubt it would float it.

Don, You just need a bigger float and I happen to know where you can get one!

HopCar said:

Don, You just need a bigger float and I happen to know where you can get one!

Click to expand...

How big is it Parks. I always wanted large balls.

"How big is it Parks. I always wanted large balls. "


Are we still talking anchors or is this some thread drift?

"The float and mast are held upright by a couple of small shaft zincs clamped to the underwater portion of the mast."


I was wondering how you did that, nice.

HopCar said:

"How big is it Parks. I always wanted large balls. "


Are we still talking anchors or is this some thread drift?

Click to expand...

Anchors of course! I'll have to settle for that.

Folks wishing to rig an anchor locating or trip trip line might try the following.

Tie one end on to the anchor crown, slip the line thru a suitable 8-10in ball loop and then tie the line end to a lead sounding weight.

The lead is ready at all times at the bow to give an actual depth (not an electric guess from 30 ft back)

and the ball will lift the lead when deployed giving an accurate anchor location.

I average losing one about every ten years.

Lost a 22 pound Danforth that was used to anchor my Cape Dory 25D (along with two other anchors I did recover) in Hurricane Elena. We tried all day to get that anchor up, but it was buried so far down in the mud by the 120-135 MPH winds, that I think the chain would have broken before that sucker came up. It's still there, but it held my boat, and another, bigger boat, that drug and hung up on the line it was attached to, through a Cat 2-3 hurricane.

Saddest loss was a 45 pound Mason Supreme and 160 feet of "5/16" HT chain during a tropical storm, that chafed through the line pendent attaching it (poor anchoring procedure done while exhausted) when the chafing protection failed after two solid days of 60 knot winds from a parked storm (found the double line anchor snubber for that anchor in the cockpit where I had forgot to hook it up). I came back with a grapnel and a skiff and drug all day back and forth trying to hook something to no avail.

Stupidest loss was a Captain Ronner where I threw out a 35 pound Bruce one night on the Bahama Banks, and watched the end of the 40 feet of chain on it go over the bow roller (I was just wanting to try and see how it held and forgot that it was unattached from it's line rode). Again, motored the next morning all over where I thought I had dropped it without success. That was the one and only time I ever deployed that anchor!

Group9 said:

I average losing one about every ten years.

Lost a 22 pound Danforth that was used to anchor my Cape Dory 25D (along with two other anchors I did recover) in Hurricane Elena. We tried all day to get that anchor up, but it was buried so far down in the mud by the 120-135 MPH winds, that I think the chain would have broken before that sucker came up. It's still there, but it held my boat, and another, bigger boat, that drug and hung up on the line it was attached to, through a Cat 2-3 hurricane.

Saddest loss was a 45 pound Mason Supreme and 160 feet of "5/16" HT chain during a tropical storm, that chafed through the line pendent attaching it (poor anchoring procedure done while exhausted) when the chafing protection failed after two solid days of 60 knot winds from a parked storm (found the double line anchor snubber for that anchor in the cockpit where I had forgot to hook it up). I came back with a grapnel and a skiff and drug all day back and forth trying to hook something to no avail.

Stupidest loss was a Captain Ronner where I threw out a 35 pound Bruce one night on the Bahama Banks, and watched the end of the 40 feet of chain on it go over the bow roller (I was just wanting to try and see how it held and forgot that it was unattached from it's line rode). Again, motored the next morning all over where I thought I had dropped it without success. That was the one and only time I ever deployed that anchor!

Click to expand...

Interesting reading the times you've lost anchors as the first two are conditions in which we've never anchored and are highly unlikely to. We are not regular anchorers and choose conditions and places carefully. In a hurricane I would think it would be a cause for celebration that the anchor held so well you couldn't retrieve it.

BandB said:

Interesting reading the times you've lost anchors as the first two are conditions in which we've never anchored and are highly unlikely to. We are not regular anchorers and choose conditions and places carefully. In a hurricane I would think it would be a cause for celebration that the anchor held so well you couldn't retrieve it.

Click to expand...

Yep, better for them to be buried too deep than not deep enough!

I also anchored a Hobie 16 to the beach in Bay St. Louis on two Danforths (a 22 and a 16) during Katrina by just digging two holes, throwing the anchors in and covering them up. They didn't drag, but the Hobie was in three (still connected to each) pieces after it was over. I dug up one of the anchors and I cut the line so no one would dig the other one up, and marked where I left it to get it later. But I ended up being too busy to come back for six weeks, and my marker was gone. We tried to find it with a metal detector but there is something metal (maybe an old bulkhead, that just pegged the detector out everywhere I went where I thought I had left it. My daughter and I dug all day and finally said (screw it, not worth it for a 16 pound Danforth).

To me, anchors re disposable -- if you don't have a spare, you don't have a clue. Triplines, and fancy tricks to avoid losing an anchor that's supposed to not let loose are a fantasy of trying to save pennies to protect a fortune. Oh, I want an anchor that will hold me in the worst of storms, but I want it to come up easily! If your joy is fiddling with a fouled anchor, fine, I'd just as soon rig my spare and be on my way.

A stuck anchor can frequently be un stick , IF you have time and are in a tidal area.

To yank on the anchor hard enough to change its direction is far beyond most deck windlasses even the Hyd versions.

Pulling the anchor up with a tide requires good strong deck cleats as the anchor windlass will seldom be built for the load.

Boat wakes over the hours helps with a little extra pull.

Be sure to set a lunch hook , so when it finally comes up you are not adrift .

Time or money , your choice.

I have luxuries now that I didn't have when we lived on the sailboat for 3 years (spending all but about 60 days total at anchor). Today I have a smallish boat (~9000 displacement) and seldom anchor in water over 30'.

I use a relatively small anchor because sometimes we'll drop the hook 4 or 5 times in a single day and I don't have a strong back or windlass. I don't use any chain; haven't for many boats/years...it's heavy, comes up dirty and is generally a pain to manage. Snubbers and keepers and chain to rope splices never appealed to me anyway.

I've lost a couple anchors after running out of strength and patience so now if Davey Jones has a preference for one of mine I just let it go. I do have a small insurance policy against losing my Rocna though -- a retrieving slot (which I've never needed).


I hear the comment, "That slot could easily trip the anchor without you knowing it if you swung over it".

But it's been my experience that these anchors set so quickly and so well that it would dig back in as soon as the boat fetched up. This track is typical of how we swing during a blow.


One More Time Around: Big Duck's Ground Tackle.

Many of these things of course don't apply to the big ocean going folks, but I'll bet there's some of you out there with smaller boats that get pretty intimidated with all the technology, preparation and concern that is discussed by the big guys.

KISS!

For most folks its not the size of the boat , its the anchoring technique that assures failure.

An anchor must be set , simply dropping it with enough scope and then backing down at 1800RPM seldom works.

FF said:

~~~ simply dropping it with enough scope and then backing down at 1800RPM seldom works.

Click to expand...

I've found that to be especially true when using chain and a Fortress. In any kind of current the chain hits the bottom first and the anchor just skates along the bottom with the flukes up.

But, that is exactly how we use the chainless Rocna on Big Duck. Drop it, scope out to about 4 to 1 and maybe give her an ever so slight tug in reverse.

One More Time Around: Speaking of Anchoring

Ski in NC said:

I snagged a bunch of steel cable once, and had to swap anchor line to transom to get a hard pull. Finally pulled hard enough to get the cable off the bottom and was able to pull it up. Also in the coil was another danforth IDENTICAL to mine. So for all the work, I got two anchors back. What are the chances of that???

Click to expand...

Hi Ski

You must have been in Block Island's big harbor. We lost a 30 lb Danforth back in mid 60's. Worked to free that anchor for at least a few hours. Water was fairly deep. Pop would not let me (middle teens) free dive to free it as he felt probably old cable; afraid I'd get stuck. Thanks, Pops!

Another Danforth anchor for someone to find:

At dawn, few years ago in fairly big blow, there was a raft of two in SF Delta slough that had front anchor drag completely loose while still asleep. Rear anchor allowed wind to swing them around and hit the granite levee. Nearly always being up at or before dawn, with cup o’ coffee in hand, I watched as this as it began to unfolded. By time they woke up (party went late into evening before) I was there in our runabout to assist. Quickly learned they had not a clue as to what to do. So… I instructed pilot of larger boat on outside what to do so they could pull away from levee. Much panic ensued, including one wife falling off outer boat into dink on side-tie of boat. Probably screwed up a rib or two. I instructed for everyone to calm down and for the smaller, inner boat to start-up and immediately off tie. In mean time a small pontoon boat with two aboard pulled up to assist. End result was that no matter what we all did the rear anchor would not break loose. Eventually I was granted permission to cut line. Both boats went on their way. Saw them again a few months later and received much thanks including a beautiful picture of our boat while nosed into Delta’s tule.

Happy Anchor-Retrieval Daze - Art -

Never lost but found! This one looked brand new, unfortunately I could not recover.