Stuck/Fouled/Lost Anchors

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MurrayM

MurrayM

Guru
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Messages
5,946
Location
Canada
Vessel Name
Badger
Vessel Make
30' Sundowner Tug
I did an 'advanced search' of all 137 thread titles about anchors, and didn't find one on stuck anchors.

My question is...how many people have had to cut themselves free and abandon a stuck anchor, and has it happened more than once?
 
MurrayM said:
I did an 'advanced search' of all 137 thread titles about anchors, and didn't find one on stuck anchors.

My question is...how many people have had to cut themselves free and abandon a stuck anchor, and has it happened more than once?
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25+ years boating all over the world and have never had to cut one loose..

brought up a HUGE chunk of coral in Tonga that took all the big Maxwell windless had to offer to get it to the waterline so I could go at it with a chisel and sledge hammer..

picked up a tree off the bottom of a bay in Northern B.C. that I had to go at with chisel, saw and hammer to get it loose..

Both times they got stuck on Bruce anchors.. I always carry dive gear along so I don't worry about it.

HOLLYWOOD
 
When I was a teenager, I never bought anchors. I always found more than I needed when I was diving. Somebody loses anchors.
 
HopCar said:
When I was a teenager, I never bought anchors. I always found more than I needed when I was diving. Somebody loses anchors.
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Ahhh...so...what were some of the reasons for them being stuck?
 
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???

So far I have always been able to break it free or dive on it. Had some dicey offshore situations where it was rough and pulling hard either at the bow or stern put boat into some scary dynamics. Came dang close to cutting, but knock on wood, never had to.
 
Yes. Lost a danforth in a rocky bottom too dark to dive on. Thankfully, I only had 10 ft of chain so I could cut the rode easily.

Since we're talking almost, I dragged a hell of a big cable up to the pulpit with a spade while anchoring off Key Biscayne, FL. I risked breaking my pulpit getting it off, but after an hour or so, finally released it by rigging the line to a cleat and then slacking the anchor chain. The tension was too much to untie, so I cut the line. Snapped like a whip.
 
Thanks for the input. As I suspected, it seems to be a fairly rare thing to lose an anchor that refuses to release.

Going to upgrade things in the anchoring department, and just wanted a sense of how frequently/rarely one might have to flush all that money down the drain.
 
Don't want to lose my anchor if it gets stuck. I have all chain and it also concerned me that should I need to release the anchor in an emergency, I could not cut through a chain like a nylon rode. I came up with a solution which I am passing along with a caveat that I've never tried it so I don't know if it will work.

The deepest water we seem to anchor in is about 30'. So, I took 50' of poly line (which floats) and attached it to the end of the anchor chain, and then to the anchor point in the chain locker. The chain is no longer affixed to the anchor locker. The theory is if I run all the chain out, I can cut the poly line and free the boat. With luck, the poly line will float at the surface and I can come back and retrieve the rig. Does this make any sense?

Howard
 
I snagged a 33k Ronca on a submerged pilling in the Delaware River. I was alone and unsuccessful even with the help of Tow BoatUS. The tow boat operator had to go buy bolt cutters.
 
In 45 years of boating only once did I nearly lose an anchor...several I back snagged and pulled free which I'll be the first to say is just as much luck as anything.

As an assistance tower for 12 seasons...I have probably had to have 15 or so boats cut themselves free, and I have backed out probably the same number of anchors from being stuck.
 
The Lost Rocna

It's still there.
 
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Seems pretty common around the BC coast for people to lose anchors. Lots of logging debris in some of the coves.

Local dive company does well retrieving lost anchors for owners that have been marked with a scotchman float. Or finding them where abandoned and retrieving them for resale.
 
Murray your neck of the woods is a good place to loose an anchor to logging debris. I was lucky in Alaska and didn't get snagged.

There is an option to the troublesome tag line. Don't know what they call it but it's like a ring shaped like an oval. You slide it on your rode (line is easier than chain) and get it to slide to the bottom of the rode. Then work it down the shank. Then the anchor can be pulled out backwards. Having a powered dinghy to pull on the working rode to keep it straight would be an advantage. Then you can pull hard w the mother boat. I've always intended to get one but so far failed. Used a tag line and float fairly often in SE but never had to pull an anchor w it.

Did you buy a Mantus anchor? With my Supreme roll bar anchor I attach the tag line under the roll bar. If you used a tag line a lot you could weld a tang w a hole in it to the back of the anchor. Lots of anchors that have a hole for a tag line shackle aren't in the best place.

Look at WM or Fisheries Supply under anchor accessories for the oval retriever.
 
Northern Spy said:
Seems pretty common around the BC coast for people to lose anchors. Lots of logging debris in some of the coves.
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Quite soon after buying our boat I was in a Prince Rupert marine store looking for a new anchor as our 30' boat only came with a 7.5kg Bruce. The owner listened patiently to my stories about the new fancy-shmancy super duper wicked high holding power designs, then said, "Yeah, well, I get a lot of repeat customers around here". Food for thought...

Think we'd rely on our 10kg Lewmar Claw for most anchoring situations, but toss out the big fella when going hiking or when conditions might get grim overnight.
 
A lot of timber in Tellico Lake and anchors will somehow find it? I will use a tag line that hooks to the opposite end of my ultra-anchor from my chain, and then passes through a float with a weight on the other end. It will float over anchor and can be used to pull my anchor free in the opposite direction. It is not much help when the chain wraps around something.
 
Several years ago my brand new, never been used 45# Delta was hooked solidly on a some object in about 15 feet of water, I was not too far from an abandoned oil platform so probably part of it. I tried all maeouvers I could imagine with the boat, pulling from all directions, tighten, slack, etc it wouldn't budge. As I was about to give up and put hacksaw to chain I remebered something former TF member Charles told me years before. I had a short chain and made a loop about 1' diameter around the anchor rode. I tied it to a rope to the loop, pulled the anchor chain tight and vertical above the anchor. I lowered the loop down the chain it slipped down and around the anchor shank, I then loosened the anchor chain quite a bit and fastened the rope to a cleat and drove forward, as the boat moved forward the loop of chain and it's rope pulled the anchor free. It worked fine and saved my brand new anchor. I have never had to use the method again so no further experience.
That was on a January 13, with ice on the handrails that morning, the reason I didn't go swimming for it.
Thanks again Charles,
 
Good trick Steve. I'll remember it.
 
Steve said:
Several years ago my brand new, never been used 45# Delta was hooked solidly on a some object in about 15 feet of water, I was not too far from an abandoned oil platform so probably part of it. I tried all maeouvers I could imagine with the boat, pulling from all directions, tighten, slack, etc it wouldn't budge. As I was about to give up and put hacksaw to chain I remebered something former TF member Charles told me years before. I had a short chain and made a loop about 1' diameter around the anchor rode. I tied it to a rope to the loop, pulled the anchor chain tight and vertical above the anchor. I lowered the loop down the chain it slipped down and around the anchor shank, I then loosened the anchor chain quite a bit and fastened the rope to a cleat and drove forward, as the boat moved forward the loop of chain and it's rope pulled the anchor free. It worked fine and saved my brand new anchor. I have never had to use the method again so no further experience.
That was on a January 13, with ice on the handrails that morning, the reason I didn't go swimming for it.
Thanks again Charles,
Click to expand...

Same principle, we had a metal ring made just larger than the chain. It opens and closes so it can be slipped over the chain and it has a loop for rope. We've never used it but a long time Captain swears by it. Pull drirectly over, drop the ring, then use the rope to try to work the anchor free. Glad to hear it worked for you. Hope I never have to find out if it will for us.
 
hollywood8118 said:
25+ years boating all over the world and have never had to cut one loose..
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Same here. We've come close a few times and had to get the hookah out but have never lost any ground tackle.

We snagged this one a few years ago. We were anchored for a week and the daily on-shore/off-winds helped us wrap our anchor chain around this anchor. Another cruiser came by and helped us untangle everything. We were lucky.
 

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Nearly lost two. We were anchored in Balto Inner Harbor anchorage area near the Trade Center. Several thunderstorms during the night wrapped our rode around the anchorage area buoy frayed wire cable. I was going to cut it free, but since we were away on vacation, we wouldn't then have an anchor. Took me 2 hours to dig it out.
The second was on a tuna trip anchored in 20 fathoms. A nearby boat was hooked up and unknown to us, their fishing line sawed through our rode. When we pulled anchor only 1/6 of one strand remained of our 1/2" line. We had been anchored by <1/8" of line for over 6 hours at night!
 
Have never lost one; have recovered dozens. Don't anchor near shipwrecks. Couple who had the slip next to me, fouled an anchor in the Mississippi and couldn't free it. Had to hacksaw the chain.

A 4" grinder with a fiber cutoff disc can be had for around $50. I'm thinking that would be a worthwhile investment as opposed to hacksawing 3/8" chain in an emergency.

Ted
 
Near misses

The first time we had trouble raising the anchor was in Pender Harbour (north of Vancouver for you east coasters). When we finally got the anchor clear of the water we found it snagged on a 2" power cable. We tied off the cable, lowered the anchor and dropped the cable back in the drink.

Second time was in Ensenada Harbor (south of San Diego for you north and east coasters:whistling:). We dragged clear across the harbor before we fetched up against the anchor chain on a freighter. When we finally got the anchor up it had snagged on a hawser used to anchor the moorings in the harbor. Same drill: tie off the hawser, lower the anchor, drop the hawser.

Hope I never have any more of these stories. :D

--
Dick
 
I make these rigs up for customers around here but I hadn't thought of using them for a snagged anchor.
yhst-72402774165461_2268_78806395

yhst-72402774165461_2268_78936155


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.
 
Up here when you swing on the tide your anchor line can get snagged under things (like large rocks) as you swing around 180 degrees on the tides. Lots of people lose their shrimp pots that way, sinking line is required by law, so it lies on the bottom and snags under as the tide shifts. It can lock up hard enough to pull a #2 buoy under, you just need to come back at low tide to recover it. Bent a Danforth Hi-Tensile anchor bad, gave up on it, then it came free. No idea why... I carry dive gear on board at all times too. Retired fire department rescue diver, took my gear with me :) I try not to use it.
 
I much prefer to anchor out every night than marina.

WE use an anchor ball ,(8 inch in diameter) with a 3/8 like about 40 ft lomg.

A sounding lead is threaded on the line , and can be used in up to 20 ft of water.

I have never lost an anchor , but at times the line tied to the anchor crown has been helpful.

Weather I could have freed the anchor with a few hours of work is immeterial, the trip line works very easily.

In the crowded NE , and even in FL with so many newbees , the location of the ball marks closely the location of the anchor , so is useful to the next folks in the harbor
 
Ski in NC said:
. 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???
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In Le Marin, Martinique, a crowded anchorage and a hurricane hole, my Rocna was stuck on a 60 kg fisherman's anchor. Took an hour to get both anchors up and utangled. The fishermans anchor had been there so long that the rode had disappeared.

The bottoms in many of the hurricane holes are filled with lost anchors were the rodes separated.
 
Anyone considering tieing rode to the stern and "powering it out" should read Not Without Hope A true story about a fatal anchoring mishap.
 

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In 1998 when we replaced the too-short, rusty chain rode that came with our boat we secured the bitter end of the new chain with a length of line long enough to appear on deck if we deployed all the chain. This gave us a way to cut free of the anchor if necessary.

We came close to doing this once when our anchor dragged when strong winds arrived at 4:00 am, some 12 hours earlier than forecast. My wife was at the helm trying to keep us off the railroad trestle we were being blown onto as I was at the windlass. The windlass was incredibly slow and the wind was winning the battle. When we were just a few yards from the trestle I decided to let the rode run and cut free when the anchor came out of the water. I signaled my wife and she powered up and away from the trestle.

We subsequently replaced both the anchor and the windlass.

With regards to a stuck or hung up anchor, we use a buoyed trip line whenever we think there might be a risk of a foul bottom. We've had to use it a few times and it's always performed as advertised.
 

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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.
 
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