Hand Raising your Anchor

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

Thanks so much. I don't care what you know. You'd rather be snarky than provide information. Buh-bye. Filter is a good thing sometimes.

Lol! He's the sole occupant of my ignore list as well...

[zeehag]

You require personal response with the info you need instead of using Google to get it yourself? How much will you pay for that? All this is on the forum, learn to use the search functions; people, incl. me have written long detailed explanations countless times; we have provided the info, for free.

thankyou, jedi. i thought i was seeing things here. good to know i am not the only one believing this way.

there is a difference between trolling/disruptive behaviour and seeking out info.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by minaret

Lol! He's the sole occupant of my ignore list as well...

ROTFL -- I just ran to Google -- I thought your quote was going to come from some Greek play I'd snoozed through in college!

[seandepagnier]

maybe the question should be:

can you lift your anchor by hand in more than 40 knots of wind?

For me the answer is no (well I didn't even try so maybe...) there were williwaws and my intermediate reef lines flogged so hard they broke and flew away. In any other situation it is not an issue. Even in 60ft of water.

As for windlasses.. you should not rely on one. Not on any size boat.

If there is wind, take the strain off the anchor by sailing over it then tacking at the right times to get slack and pull the anchor.

If there are swells, pull in the chain, then lock it off in time to the swell. Very easy way to raise anchor this way.

If there are no swells and no wind, start pulling the chain in and get the boat moving and lock it when right over the anchor, and the boat's momentum breaks it.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

maybe the question should be:

can you lift your anchor by hand in more than 40 knots of wind?

For me the answer is no (well I didn't even try so maybe...) there were williwaws and my intermediate reef lines flogged so hard they broke and flew away. In any other situation it is not an issue. Even in 60ft of water.

As for windlasses.. you should not rely on one. Not on any size boat.

If there is wind, take the strain off the anchor by sailing over it then tacking at the right times to get slack and pull the anchor.

If there are swells, pull in the chain, then lock it off in time to the swell. Very easy way to raise anchor this way.

If there are no swells and no wind, start pulling the chain in and get the boat moving and lock it when right over the anchor, and the boat's momentum breaks it.

Good mention about the timing. When the bow dips, you have a window of of opportunity with enough slack chain to keep your fingers safe. That's still dicey, and I'm still hoping someone nice will post about quick lockoffs for chain -- ESP under those circumstances.

My problem is that it's my boat. If something is in any way dangerous, I'm going to go up to the bow and do it -- even if you are (gasp) a man. My boat, my responsibility, my bad if you get hurt doing something I should have done.

[belizesailor]

Surprised to see the number of posters w no windlass. I dont have one either and have been berated for that a couple of times...boat did not have one when I bought it and Ive just never gotten around to installing one. Planned to install one when I turned 50..."oops, I forgot"!

Relatively small boat in shallow water not a big deal, but even then 30' is about my realistic limit. Larger vessel or deep water a windlass is a necessity. I also sometimes skipper larger cats (50-65') in charter...no way their hooks are coming up w out a windlass or other mechanical advantage.

My back up on charter used to be big Belizean guys as crew. Also on my boat the spin halyard has a fair lead to the anchor roller.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Surprised to see the number of posters w no windlass. I dont have one either and have been berated for that a couple of times...boat did not have one when I bought it and Ive just never gotten around to installing one. Planned to install one when I turned 50..."oops, I forgot"!

Relatively small boat in shallow water not a big deal, but even then 30' is about my realistic limit. Larger vessel or deep water a windlass is a necessity. I also sometimes skipper larger cats (50-65') in charter...no way their hooks are coming up w out a windlass or other mechanical advantage.

My back up on charter used to be big Belizean guys as crew. Also on my boat the spin halyard has a fair lead to the anchor roller.

Did you see my post about using snatch blocks to drive up on the anchor safely? I've done it. It works extremely well. No strain, no pain.

[zeehag]

windlasses do break--especially electric ones. is why i keep on my bow and ready to use a beautiful manual one.

in 40 kts wind, one is not going to raise any anchors unless death or total destruction is imminent.

snatch blocks will kill you,as they fail under real loads. but that is yours(everybody's) to yet learn. if they fail as main sail fasteners, they will certainly fail under the load of an entire boat in high winds.. this useless info was printed in the 1980s, or early 1990s, so is irrelevant now, in this day and age. is much safer to you and boat and your hands and arms to secure the chain as it rises to a bow cleat, of course, that cleat must be installed properly, thru bolted to a good backing plate.

hunker down and wait out the weather--it will change. yeah it is scary--but, unless you have sailed in 40 kt winds, you do not want to begin from anchor for the first time.

anchoring in 40 kt winds is a lot easier than lifting anchor in 40 kt winds....mannie and hand wont do in these conditions. is wiser to wait it out than to lose it

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

That was unnecessary. Please tell me how many days I have spent on the water. Responses like that make it unsafe to ask questions here.

Would someone else care to explain to me in a little more detail about chain stoppers? In particular, where is it placed? How reliable it is? Is it safe to be used by oneself? Does someone else know of something that might work as well or better, even if differently? What would be wrong with just having a l steel post on the toe rail I could drop a chain link through to hold it?

I think if I'm smart enough to pick out two words from all that's been said here on this board just in the last week and realize it's important to it, maybe I CAN go out and cruise.

And, I don't care if someone thinks that was too defensive an answer. I asked about a serious safety issue and got a put-down and an incomplete answer in response.

My dear, you may be forgiven for not knowing much about chain stoppers, considering that your boat is so small as not to generate forces large enough to matter much. Take heart - I also do not have a chain stopper.

Good practice demands that you belay the chain to take the load off the windlass, even if you are using a snubber (which is sized in a way that it will break if the going gets tough). I use a piece of 1" nylon octoplait, made off to a cleat. You would also do just fine using a piece of rope big enough to resemble the strength of your chain. It's not a bad idea to do it, even on your boat. Windlasses are not designed to take these loads.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Don L

Atoll on another thread asks:

"it would be interesting to find out how many out of the posters can actually lift their anchor by hand from 30ft of water in the event of their windlass failing,and what their back up plan is in the event of a failure ."

My anchor rode comprises 100m (330 feet) of 12mm (1/2 inch) chain, with a 100 pound Spade at the end of it. The chain weighs 3.3 kg/m or over 700 pounds. Obviously I have a better chance of passing through the eye of a needle, than pulling that up by hand.

But that's why God made sheet winches, and the rolling hitch.

[zeehag]

rakuflames--head out to apalachiacola--your boat canmake the icw ok andis a really gorgeous place--doesnt need much for chain stopping or other fancy dancy stuff as anchorages are for the most part, flat--if you like seafood, there is some awesome stuff--with some of the best oysters on earth in apalach...some of the most wonderful areas in fla--i have yet to go to okeefenokee, which i am advised i can do despite my deep draft(still researching this)...we shall see....
and go to white city -- there is a free dock there, flat water, no storm destructiveness--is protected in any conditions, and wow, what a beautiful place....and port st joe--reasonable rates for transient slippage and cool trikes for reprovisioning...cute town,also. these are flat water--may have current, no chop nor waves-- anchorages and motor sailing areas, for most part--is too gorgeous to miss...

[Kettlewell]

A chain stopper is a device that allows you to pull the chain in and then when you release pressure holds the chain from going back out. There is one made by Anchorlift on this page. Here's one by Lewmar. I keep a short length of nylon tied off near the bow with a chain hook on it that I can slap on the chain if the strain comes on while pulling it up, but I also have a manual horizontal windlass and I usually just drop the chain into the gypsy if the strain gets too much.

[westwinds]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

A chain stopper is a device that allows you to pull the chain in and then when you release pressure holds the chain from going back out. There is one made by Anchorlift on this page. Here's one by Lewmar. I keep a short length of nylon tied off near the bow with a chain hook on it that I can slap on the chain if the strain comes on while pulling it up, but I also have a manual horizontal windlass and I usually just drop the chain into the gypsy if the strain gets too much.

I had a look. These folks want to sell me a chain stopper and mention why I need one, but do not actually tell me how to use them. I also Googled Maxwell chain stopper and after four pages gave up because again it was about wanting me to buy, but not how. These devices look simple, but considering the forces and weight involved I am thinking it is best to ask than to just guess at how to use them. Right now my boat is small, but plan on much bigger this summer and what to look for and up grade too is nice to know. Your description gives a good start on how to use these devices.

[Caracal]

Originally Posted by westwinds

I had a look. These folks want to sell me a chain stopper and mention why I need one, but do not actually tell me how to use them. I also Googled Maxwell chain stopper and after four pages gave up because again it was about wanting me to buy, but not how. These devices look simple, but considering the forces and weight involved I am thinking it is best to ask than to just guess at how to use them. Right now my boat is small, but plan on much bigger this summer and what to look for and up grade too is nice to know. Your description gives a good start on how to use these devices.

Try this:

Let me google that for you

And, yes, you do need to actually have a chain stopper.

And here's the result of a search:

Chain stopper - how to fit / use?

Edit: Obviously you want a really strong backing plate for a chain stopper

[Hudson Force]

Chain stoppers, chain hooks, and the pawl on the windlass gypsy can all "stop" the chain. There can be some choices made for appilcation. I, and many others, rely on the pawl at the chain gypsy to stop the chain during the use of the windlass, but I do not favor leaving the strain on the windlass for other lengths of time. Many might employ the chain stopper at a fixed point forward of the windlass in order to "stop" the chain and relieve the stress on the windlass or allow an opportunity to move the chain from the windlass to another point. I do not use the chain stopper, but I do place a chain hook on my anchor chain that is attached to my two bow cleats with a pair of nylon lines or "snubber lines", also called a "bridle". These elastic snubber lines absorb the shock of the taut anchor chian when the chain is slackened leaving a loop of chain suspended from the chain hook to the windlass. There are a number of choices that can be made, with neither being right or wrong, and these choices depend on your rode, the weather, your bow configuration, your limit of physical exertion and even your tolerance of chain noise at anchor.