windlass slipping lost anchor

Dropped anchor in what my depth gauge told me it was 60 ft. Only the second time I've dropped anchor on the trawler that I have owned for a little over two years. No marking on the chain so I really have no idea how much was let out.
Decided to weigh in the anchor and the chain started slipping over the gypsy wheel and ran away. Lost it all. What did I do wrong?

Was it jumping over the gypsy or was the clutch loose? I like to have the tail end of the rode secured in the anchor locker.

First thing that was done wrong is the end of the chain was not secured to the boat

Yes the chain should be secured to the boat with a piece of appropriate sized line so it can be cut away with a knife in an emergency.

motion30 said:

First thing that was done wrong is the end of the chain was not secured to the boat

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Apart from the end of the rode not being attached to the boat, the rest is unclear. You anchored, the rode presumably did not keep running out while anchored, so was held in place somehow. If the gypsy clutch was loose I`d expect running out while at anchor,barring a calm millpond. Was the chain set into the gypsy, does/did the chain fit the gypsy,chain lost we may never know. Did someone loosen the gypsy clutch?
Now, you`ll need to replace the chain, and the anchor. May I suggest.....

I hadn’t anchored since purchasing my GB 42 but was told about 200 ft of chain on board. Not wanting to have a similar situation I recently pulled out all of the chain and nylon rode on board and laid it on the dock. I discovered three things,

1. I really do have 200 ft of chain in reasonably good condition.

2. I have 150 ft of nylon rode attached to the chain.

3. Most importantly all of the above is secured to the boat.

I’m happy to be sure that all is good when I decide to anchor.

Welcome aboard.
We still don’t know what windlass model or chain size that you have.
If the chain slips then it’s mismatched to the windlass, doesn’t have a full 270 degrees of contact, or maybe something is blocking the chain from going down into the chain locker. Could be worn teeth but doubt it. Anchoring in 50 feet does not happen much here on the East Coast.

Welcome to the forum, and I'm sorry this happened to you!

There are many of these 'gotchas' in boating that seem so obvious after they've gotten you. In addition to the wise advice found throughout this forum, I had boating mentors who warned me about this specific gotcha and others that they often helped me check or made sure were on my To Do List. Make a friend or friends nearby and talk boating with them.

May your next outing be more pleasant!

Greg.

Call a diver to recover the equipment.

If you took a mark on your chartplotter or know pretty much where you were the less costly way would be to get a diver as suggested above.

It sounds like you haven't touched the windlass since this happened. so you should be able to go to the boat and check if you had the clutch tightened. (Find an online manual on your windlass if you haven't got one showing you how to do this).

The clutch is loosened when you want to free fall your anchor. If you had understood what was happening you could probably have tightened it enough to stop the fall there and then. The clutch would usually have been tight since the chain was on board, but it could have been loosened somehow since last use.

Also look to see where your pawl(s) is. If it was safe enough to engage while the chain was running out that could have been another option - especially if it is a riding pawl.

Good luck

I agree, most likely the clutch was partially-tightened so it held fine with just a small amount of chain out, but at some point the heavy weight resulted in free fall. You could have tightened the wheel or brake at that time when it was running out.

However it is possible that the clutch is worn and needs to be rebuilt.

Regarding to fastening the bitter end, don't do like what the PO did on my boat and weld the last link to the stem bar! Assuming your boat is fiberglass, just make sure the nylon trailer is long enough to reach the deck plus a few feet, and that you have a knife handy somewhere (on flybridge, inside the deckhouse, etc.) because in a crazy, stressful emergency it is tough to think clearly, yet it is vital to act fast.

Herb Ault said:

Dropped anchor in what my depth gauge told me it was 60 ft. Only the second time I've dropped anchor on the trawler that I have owned for a little over two years. No marking on the chain so I really have no idea how much was let out.
Decided to weigh in the anchor and the chain started slipping over the gypsy wheel and ran away. Lost it all. What did I do wrong?

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Herb,
First of all welcome to the forum.
You will get some pretty scathing comments from the group here for the anchoring incident.. try to learn from all the comments and don't feel too bad for what happened... ALL OF US HERE have done something along those lines in our years of boating.
The big lesson learned here is about being prepared, knowing how much chain you have, having it secured on the bitter end, having it well marked, using it in shallow water first to practice etc.

60' you must of been out at Catalina?. You may get lucky to retrieve it if you had a really good position where it went over.. but it may be gone by the time you have someone there to get it. My suggestion is to purchase a new anchor setup, mark it all out prior to taking it and installing it aboard and connect it to the boat with 20' of rope that can be cut away in a emergency. Move past it and move forward.


HOLLYWOOD

On our Maxwell vertical windlass the chain has on several occasions jumped off the chain section and ridden up to the rope section. Then all 300 feet raced to the bottom, stopped by the stout bitter end. A well placed chain stopper will prevent this over ride.

For us, the problem is too little distance between the windlass and the anchor shank resulting in the chain rising too much when the anchor breaks over the bow roller. Each vessel is different and many lessons get learned when anchoring. For many years now I clip a short line onto the chain and affix it to the boat prior to the last 3' of anchor retrieval.

A few years ago when we installed the Vulcan it was quickly found that a long shank and 50 pounds of mud add to the anchor rising potential when retrieving. Live and learn - boating 101.

The exact sequence leading to your loss is still vague. Had you rested at anchor for a period of time with the anchor successfully holding you in place before you decided to weigh anchor? If so, how was the anchor chain secured on deck to hold you?

hollywood8118 said:

Herb,
First of all welcome to the forum.
You will get some pretty scathing comments from the group here for the anchoring incident.. try to learn from all the comments and don't feel too bad for what happened... ALL OF US HERE have done something along those lines in our years of boating.
The big lesson learned here is about being prepared, knowing how much chain you have, having it secured on the bitter end, having it well marked, using it in shallow water first to practice etc.

60' you must of been out at Catalina?. You may get lucky to retrieve it if you had a really good position where it went over.. but it may be gone by the time you have someone there to get it. My suggestion is to purchase a new anchor setup, mark it all out prior to taking it and installing it aboard and connect it to the boat with 20' of rope that can be cut away in a emergency. Move past it and move forward.


HOLLYWOOD

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And add a chain lock to your system. It will go between the windlass and the end of the bow pulpit. You do not want to have your chain tugging on the windlass while at anchor.

I'd probably get a grapnel hook and try to snag the chain sitting on the bottom.

I watched a Rocna 44 and 40 feet of chain that I thought was hooked to a line rode go off the roller on the Bahama Banks one night. My own Captain Ron moment. .

Wxx3 said:

I'd probably get a grapnel hook and try to snag the chain sitting on the bottom.

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This bears repeating. It shouldn't be too hard to snag an anchor and chain if you have any clue where it is.

Group9 said:

I watched a Rocna 44 and 40 feet of chain that I thought was hooked to a line rode go off the roller on the Bahama Banks one night. My own Captain Ron moment. .

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Should have been able to see it on the bottom next morning?

menzies said:

Should have been able to see it on the bottom next morning?

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Yeah, I thought so, too. But, after motoring back and forth where I thought I dropped it without seeing it for about an hour, I realized I was wrong.

Herb Ault said:

Dropped anchor in what my depth gauge told me it was 60 ft. Only the second time I've dropped anchor on the trawler that I have owned for a little over two years. No marking on the chain so I really have no idea how much was let out.
Decided to weigh in the anchor and the chain started slipping over the gypsy wheel and ran away. Lost it all. What did I do wrong?

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First was not knowing how much chain was going out. Second was not having previously confirmed there was anything in the chain locker securing the chain to the boat. Third was (likely) not knowing what periodic maintenance is needed for your windlass.

And now you're here, and making the mistake of not telling us what kind of windlass you have installed. What's the make/model?

Many have some sort of clutch on them that can control the tension. If yours has that then it's likely it wasn't adjusted properly.

Meanwhile, 60' would indicate need for a 3:1 scope for a short-term anchoring. Did you have 180' aboard? (well, I guess you can't answer than now). If you planned on a longer say you'd want to use a 5:1 or greater scope.

It's not uncommon to have a combination of chain and rope for an anchor rode. As much chain as you can carry is always a good plan, as the weight of it will help keep the rode angle more parallel to the bottom, to help it keep a good bite, and to re-set when you move due to wind/current. But having a combination requires having a windlass designed to handle them.

So we circle back to the question, what brand and model windlass do you have on the boat now?

I reckon you've all scared him off. (-;

Simi 60 said:

I reckon you've all scared him off. (-;

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Well hopefully he is waiting until he can get to the boat to answer the questions we have raised before he posts again.

" Stuff Happens",, he lost his overnight anchor and gear , not his storm anchor or lunch hook.

Loosing an anchor set is pert of cruising ,expensive , but no big deal if a used oversized "out of favor this week" anchor was lost.

Wonder if insurance would cover it?

Hope you are still there. I,ve had my chain roar out, just lucky didn,t lose it.
Caused by a chain to chain wheel (wildcat) mismatch plus a somewhat poor angle between the wildcat and bow roller.
My setup was secured to the boat and the rode was marked so knew how much was out.

All this is fixable, just some time and effort.

Get the wildcat and chain matched. If need be take the wildcat to the chain supplier and run several feet over it to test for compatibility. There are several different chain types used.
On your wildcat there may be a marking indicating chain need type.

Contact the windlass mfgr./dealer. They may be able to help with identifying your wildcat.

Herb Ault did ask what he did wrong. I don't think anyone here beat him up. I see a lot of 1st time posts who never follow up. They get what they want and ... I hate guessing or assuming why. Too bad.

bligh said:

Yes the chain should be secured to the boat with a piece of appropriate sized line so it can be cut away with a knife in an emergency.

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I have 500ft of chain but I have added enough line attached to the anchor locker to end up out on deck so I can attach a float and cut the line up on deck.

RickyD said:

I have 500ft of chain but I have added enough line attached to the anchor locker to end up out on deck so I can attach a float and cut the line up on deck.

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You can attach a float at any point on the chain, but that is a good idea, having enough of the line to allow cutting it while on deck, not down in the locker. I'll have to update mine, as it's not enough enough to do that (I'd have to open the locker side panel and cut it down in there).

Herb Ault said:

Dropped anchor in what my depth gauge told me it was 60 ft. Only the second time I've dropped anchor on the trawler that I have owned for a little over two years. No marking on the chain so I really have no idea how much was let out.
Decided to weigh in the anchor and the chain started slipping over the gypsy wheel and ran away. Lost it all. What did I do wrong?

Click to expand...

When you’re in there next time, check the clutch for dirt and/or corrosion. The clutch surfaces must be clean for it to work right. This exact thing happened to me three weeks ago except that we were in 8 feet of water. I ended up getting it with my fishing rod rigged up with treble hooks.
Biggest fish ever(lol)

Reading this post letting the Anchor Free Fall is mentioned.
Why and under what circumstance would this be done?