Anchor Trip Line Technique

[Still Boating]

i could not find much on-line or in forum searches, so it's time at ask:

What is your preferred method of adjusting the line length on your anchor trip line?

I've tried 4 or 5 different ways of doing it, including just leaving it at the maximum depth expected in the cruising area, but I'm not happy with any of them. Indeed, one of my clever ideas had me swimming under the boat with the Admiral's bread knife cutting out the line wrapped around the prop shaft. (all ended happily, but I ruined a pair of shorts rubbing on the ablative anti-fouling)

I'm busy enough at the bow anyway, dropping the line, setting the anchor watch position, counting rode lengths, telling the Admiral what to do about the boat's position, and so on, that I'd like some simple technique for the trip line deployment.

Suggestions?

 

[rslifkin]

The best solution is to not use a trip line unless you're anchoring somewhere with lots of junk on the bottom that the anchor may get snagged on. Otherwise, trip lines cause possible headaches and waste space in an anchorage when they aren't absolutely necessary.

 

[Still Boating]

The best solution is to not use a trip line unless you're anchoring somewhere with lots of junk on the bottom that the anchor may get snagged on. Otherwise, trip lines cause possible headaches and waste space in an anchorage when they aren't absolutely necessary.

Yep, obviously. But having decided I needed one, what's the best technique?

 

[AnsleyS]

One suggestion may be to withhold the use of a trip line all together. One may ask under what circumstances one needs a trip line for the anchor. I have been sailing for sixty five years and I can only think of a handful of times that I would have liked to have then rigged. Snagging a cable or some heavy industrial trash, getting stuck in big rocks, there are just a few possible scenarios that I can think of where having one rigged before hand would be advantageous.


Why not try to avoid these situations and, if necessary, deal with the stuck anchor. I carry aboard a four foot length of chain with a shackle attached. If I need to free an anchor I would shackle the short chain around the stuck anchor rode and attach it to another line. With the stuck anchor rode shortened up to vertical one can lower the short chain ring down the rode until it drops around the anchor shank. Slack off the stuck anchor rode and take the other line out in a dinghy and you can pull from another direction and free the anchor. Much better than swimming with a knife.


Cheers

 

[Simi 60]

If you've decided you definitely need one you should know how.

We have anchored every night for 7 years without needing one so have no idea, but could certainly have a guess or would google
https://www.google.com/search?q=anc...2&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8&bshm=rime/6

 

[Simi 60]

We have had our anchor gear fouled twice in those 7 years.
A trip line would not have worked as it was the chain wrapped around stuff, not the anchor snagged.

 

[Hippocampus]

One suggestion may be to withhold the use of a trip line all together. One may ask under what circumstances one needs a trip line for the anchor. I have been sailing for sixty five years and I can only think of a handful of times that I would have liked to have then rigged. Snagging a cable or some heavy industrial trash, getting stuck in big rocks, there are just a few possible scenarios that I can think of where having one rigged before hand would be advantageous.


Why not try to avoid these situations and, if necessary, deal with the stuck anchor. I carry aboard a four foot length of chain with a shackle attached. If I need to free an anchor I would shackle the short chain around the stuck anchor rode and attach it to another line. With the stuck anchor rode shortened up to vertical one can lower the short chain ring down the rode until it drops around the anchor shank. Slack off the stuck anchor rode and take the other line out in a dinghy and you can pull from another direction and free the anchor. Much better than swimming with a knife.


Cheers

This works. Used it in Newport RI where there’s cables and people have been throwing junk in the water for hundreds of years. Water there is opaque . Don’t know how far down it went. But it did save the cost of a diver and waiting for him to show up.

 

[Moonfish]

In 25 years I've had one instance where I wished we had a trip line (we eventually broke free). We're getting an ULTRA Anchor Ring, which can not only free a stuck anchor, but it also adds weight when lowered down the rode to shorten swing in otherwise crowded anchorages.

That last use I can see us employing, and the first hoping we don't ever need to! However, it appears to be a reasonable technique to free an anchor if we are stuck. (Yes, we sell them in our store...)

 

[pjtemplin]

One suggestion: https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1051630&postcount=5


Another suggestion: https://mvdirona.com/technicalarticles/WilsonAnchorBuoy.htm

 

[pjtemplin]

One suggestion: https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1051630&postcount=5


Another suggestion: Wilson: The Story of an Anchor Buoy

Adding one more: ANCHOR BUNGEES

 

[O C Diver]

One suggestion: https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1051630&postcount=5

If you have any questions about this system, don't hesitate to ask. Only thing I changed is switching to an orange ball fender. The other advantage when using it in a crowded anchorage is the ability for you and boaters looking to anchor near you, to know where your anchor is.....exactly.

Ted

 

[jleonard]

In my 30 plus years of boating and anchoring out almost every weekend plus vacations etc., I have never needed a trip line.
Plus they are a tangle hazard in many anchorages.

 

[Bmarler]

I second ocd’s method. Plus, I like knowing exactly where my anchor is when others come into a small anchorage.
I mostly anchor in mud so don’t use it all the time, but in rocky areas it’s handy.

 

[psneeld]

One place I would suggest using one is in the cypress swamp creeks used for anchorages.... unless you get a really good scan of the bottom where you plan to anchor with your "fishfinder" or similar.

 

[lwarden]

Rather than a trip line you could install one of these in slim chance you get a fouled anchor. Works well in rocky areas like we have in some places on the West Coast.

https://anchorsaver.com/

 

[guy with a boat]

Rather than a trip line you could install one of these in slim chance you get a fouled anchor. Works well in rocky areas like we have in some places on the West Coast.

https://anchorsaver.com/

I’m a west coast guy and used to frequently anchor near rocks and structure for fishing. After losing a couple anchors over several years, I bought and installed one of these Anchor Savers.

Not long after, I managed to get the anchor stuck, and optimistically followed the procedures. After about 45 minutes of trying to free the connection with gradually increasing tension, I eventually pulled on it hard enough to break the anchor rode (1/2” nylong IIRC) and lost all the ground tackle. No idea what didn’t work, but I wasn’t too pleased with this purchase. Hopefully others have had better luck.

 

[SteveK]

I could not sleep well with such a break away device. As we change directions with wind and current, the anchor gets stuck, the boat swings 180 from anchor direction. Is that enough to trigger the release? I want to be awake and aware when the anchor is stuck.

 

[Fleming]

I have never needed a trip line.
Plus they are a tangle hazard in many anchorages.

This is my view on them as well. It's poor etiquette to use them in full or small anchorages.

Putting a float to mark your anchor is as obnoxious as trailing a float and line 50 feet behind your boat at anchor. Solipsistic boating.

 

[O C Diver]

This is my view on them as well. It's poor etiquette to use them in full or small anchorages.

Putting a float to mark your anchor is as obnoxious as trailing a float and line 50 feet behind your boat at anchor. Solipsistic boating.

When I overnight anchor I expect to be able to leave whenever I want. When some solipsistic boater is over my anchor and 30' off my pulpit claiming he has no idea where my anchor is, why should I be stuck waiting for him to leave?

Further, the marker can serve as an indicator when the chain bends around a bottom obstruction indicating the anchor isn't directly ahead of the boat.

Ted

 

[Stabi]

This is my view on them as well. It's poor etiquette to use them in full or small anchorages.

Putting a float to mark your anchor is as obnoxious as trailing a float and line 50 feet behind your boat at anchor. Solipsistic boating.

While we do not deploy a trip line, there have been a few times when I wished I had. Last year for example, in a popular/scenic Alaskan anchorage, an approx 80 ft Calif vessel entered around 9pm, dropped their anchor, and proceeded to back down over our rode. Unfortunately, when they were informed, verbal sex commenced on their part. We were at our usual 3 to 1 rode length. Would an anchor buoy have helped, do not know, but it might have saved us from a very unpleasant meeting.

 

[psneeld]

When I overnight anchor I expect to be able to leave whenever I want. When some solipsistic boater is over my anchor and 30' off my pulpit claiming he has no idea where my anchor is, why should I be stuck waiting for him to leave?

Further, the marker can serve as an indicator when the chain bends around a bottom obstruction indicating the anchor isn't directly ahead of the boat.

Ted

I tend to agree Ted, etiquette is a two way street and only works if everyone uses it.

A large number post threads all discuss how it is just shy of a free for all out there...which in my experience is pretty much true.

I try to abide by rules of thumb and old school etiquette, but all too often it isn't even recognized.

Having your anchor marked is at least a visual indicator if you have to wave off someone about to anchor in a bad spot in relation to your anchor....instead of them just saying "oh, it will be fine". It may also cause some discussion on how much scope you have out.

As far as a tangle hazard, heck for much of the ACIW it's hard to find an anchorage not already choked with crab pots.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

I carry a trip line, but only use it on rare occasions, usually when I'm solo and remote. I don't worry about other boats fouling it, I worry about there not being another boat in the little anchorage for several weeks or maybe the rest of the year. No chance of a helper.

Most any remote anchorage in BC has a high likelihood of abandoned logging cables, etc., on the bottom. A trip line increases the probability of a self-rescue. There would be no need for hiring a diver. Just getting a diver to the remote location would be $500. Cheaper to buy a new anchor.

My trip line is two donut floats with a dowel stuck in them. Makes a storage spindle for 50' of parachute chord. At 800# test, it's all I could ever pull. I don't bother shortening the line (after calculating tide height).

 

[LovetoBoat]

Have you considered an Anchor Ball? Most sportfisher's use this method...


https://www.boatingmag.com/story/how-to/how-to-use-an-anchor-ball/

 

[psneeld]

In my experience I am not sure an anchor ball recovery system with help with a fouled anchor. It might in the rare circumstance, but it is still about a semi vertical lift versus backing the anchor out.

 

[LovetoBoat]

Ok so last thought - I use this method on a Reef Anchor - I do a lot of diving...


I use a shackle on the crown and run the chain up the shank to the ring. Then I put 2 medium size zip ties between the chain and the ring. If it gets stuck I use the boat to yank the chain - snap the ties and up the anchor comes...

 

[RustyPBucket]

I had a set up like this as I met three people who had lost all of their ground tackle and had stories of others that had the same problems.
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1051630&postcount=5

The areas where I like to go could have all kinds of things laying on the bottom as described in previous posts. I felt comfortable with this setup until I got up one morning and couldn’t see the the anchor ball. Was standing on the back deck having a coffee when the ball popped up from under the swim grid. Was fairly nervous until the current had moved the boat a bit more and was confident that I wasn’t tangled up in my rudder or prop.
Started searching for an alternative which I found here in the anchor section of the forum.
Forgive me for not searching it and have a link.
Here’s how it works.
Attach the retrieval line to the back of the anchor as you normally would. Figure out what the maximum depth would be on a high tide to the windlass as normal and me being me always give it some extra. Zip tie the retrieval line to the chain or rode and dump it. I put a 1 pound weight on the retrieval line just make sure it would stay down even though it isn’t a floating line. If the anchor fouls you have the retrieval line on deck and can either use the capstan like I have to lift it straight up to trip the anchor or back away and hopefully pull it free.
I haven’t had to use it and hope that I don’t but to me it solves a couple of problems.
One, I don’t have to worry about getting the retrieval line fouled up in my prop or rudder if the tide change swings me over top of the anchor.
Two, it doesn’t take away space in a crowded anchorage and give the perception of bad etiquette.
Hope this helps.

 

[rgano]

This is my view on them as well. It's poor etiquette to use them in full or small anchorages.

Putting a float to mark your anchor is as obnoxious as trailing a float and line 50 feet behind your boat at anchor. Solipsistic boating.

Words escape....

 

[hmason]

words escape....

rofl

 

[Moonfish]

After going through this thread again I'm wondering if the terms "anchor trip line" and "anchor marker buoy" are being interchanged here. My understanding is they are two different things, though there are some anchor float/buoys that can act as a trip line?

 

[MichaelD]

Why not try to avoid these situations and, if necessary, deal with the stuck anchor. I carry aboard a four foot length of chain with a shackle attached. If I need to free an anchor I would shackle the short chain around the stuck anchor rode and attach it to another line. With the stuck anchor rode shortened up to vertical one can lower the short chain ring down the rode until it drops around the anchor shank. Slack off the stuck anchor rode and take the other line out in a dinghy and you can pull from another direction and free the anchor. Much better than swimming with a knife.


Cheers

I’ve rigged a similar system. I find a regular trip line has too many issues, and this approach provides a need-only solution. I confess I haven’t actually used it yet, but what could go wrong??