Lifes a drag when your trippen

[sailorjed3]

Why has no one mentioned using a anchor drag alarms? I use a portable GPS next to my berth.

[Hudson Force]

I've had this same concern with the use of a trip line. Will the trip line be fouled with by anchor? Can a trip line too short pull my anchor free from the float at high tide? Can a trip line too long snag my prop in a swing? Will the trip line spiral around my rode?

My solution has been a compromise that approaches no trip line at all. I keep an approximately three foot line with a loop on the end tied to the knuckle of my anchor. Sometimes I've put on my wet suit and taken a line down to this loop in order to retrieve my anchor from under a log or snag. I've only found a need to do this three or four times over the years. This only works for me because I anchor in fairly warm shallow waters.

On two occasions I elected to cut my chain and anchor free instead of diving for my "loop" because of strong currents, turbid water and the severity of the snag. Once I was faced with a tangle of cement and rebar that was just too dangerous for me to enter. Of course a traditional trip line would not of worked with this either.

SailorChic, I enjoyed your reference to the Northill's fouling of the "lazy fluke". I used a northill on a previous boat. Loved the holding power, but I always had to be awake for the tide change and make a clean reset! 'love my current Mantus!

[exMaggieDrum]

Holy Tabby Cat!! Great save by Dekat. I remember waking up from a deep sleep hearing the small swell lapping the shore and making that rushing noise as it runs back down. That scared the living begeezus out of me. I should NOT have been close enough to hear that, especially at 11pm and sound asleep in a thick hulled boat. Chants were heard that night, from the Skipper and the Admiral and all ended well, but what a rush! Drugs couldn't have done better.

We were stern tied and the wind shifted and then ramped up to 20kts. The primary anchor was deep and in poor holding and about 7 boats all lined up to take the small swell out of the north, and to have room for us all off the smallish beach.

Your kitty knew something wasn't right - noise, smells, whatever. Easy to develop that awareness in full time cruisers. If it doesn't sound or feel right, get up and check it out.

Well done though! Interesting story and ending about the trip line. I doubt any others would have expected that and planned for it.

(Did I mention I hate stern anchors? They have always caused some grief of some kind. And trip lines don't always work .)

[kish]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

How is your trip line rigged SC?
;
;
Glad you and the boat and the cat are OK.

A "short piece of dynema rope" would seem to be the culprit.

Tripping line is essential were there may be debris on bottom that may foul anchor on retrieval, which is everywhere except off of a beautiful remote beach!

Tripping line length should be sounded depth plus tidal height of high water plus a small margin of a metre or two.

Buoy on a tripping buoy should be so small and the line so light in diameter such that nobody would attempt to lift it by mistaking it for a mooring buoy.
Somebody in a RIB may snag it, but their complaining vocal chorus will alert you before you drag.

A google search of "anchor trip line" yielded this link
To deploy or not to deploy Trip Lines (aka Anchor Buoys)

http://www.cruisersforum.com/images/.../whistling.gif

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by exMaggieDrum

(Did I mention I hate stern anchors? They have always caused some grief of some kind. And trip lines don't always work .)

I've had a few bad experiences with using a stern anchor and don't use one any more except in an emergency.

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by kish

A "short piece of dynema rope" would seem to be the culprit.

Tripping line is essential were there may be debris on bottom that may foul anchor on retrieval, which is everywhere except off of a beautiful remote beach!

Tripping line length should be sounded depth plus tidal height of high water plus a small margin of a metre or two.

I agree that using a too short trip line and using Dynemma/floating line is what got me into trouble. Alas that was all I had. I probably should have robbed one of Dekat's paracord tethers for a trip line.

My only reason for using the trip line was I was in the same slough as when I lost my claw a few weeks back. Oddly enough the boat was only a few hundred feet from the claw when the cat woke me up. Where I'm anchored now appears to be snag free.

I have not use a trip line other then this one time. I think I will avoid using one again. I have had a few issues in the past with snags. All were recovered without too much pain except for the last one.

I should note that the mantus has not budged an inch since it was reset, even with 35 gusting 40 knots last night.

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

On two occasions I elected to cut my chain and anchor free instead of diving for my "loop" because of strong currents, turbid water and the severity of the snag. Once I was faced with a tangle of cement and rebar that was just too dangerous for me to enter. Of course a traditional trip line would not of worked with this either.

That was how it was the my last snag. Just too much danger of things going sideways. Mind you if it had been new chain and a Mantus, I would have tried a bit harder.

[RichandHelen]

Small world... This past Sunday night we anchored in 6 feet of water in Biscayne Bay. When deploying the anchor, the Admiral commented that "oops" the trip line had wrapped the chain. Stupidly, I thought that, as tiny as our float is ( a swimming pool lane marker float), and with all chain, no big deal. And our Rochna has been absolutely dependable heretofore. Wrong! Second mistake was not setting an anchor alarm because the weather was no big deal - possibility of a scattered storm - standard for Florida in Summer.

We went blow, fired up the generator, turned on the a/c, made dinner and watched TV. Something just didn't feel right...

You guessed it. Went up to check the deck and we had dragged about 1/4 mile and were within 30' of a trawler that was WAY off in the distance when we turned in. Fired up the engine and the Admiral bravely went forward to operate the windlass and direct me. The summer thunderstorm was producing steady 30's with gusts in the 40's. The windlass could barely lift the anchor because it had a mud and grass ball attached to it the size of a beach ball! The Admiral managed to shove that off with a boat hook and I ran up and cut off the trip line.

Next mistake. In my rush to get the boat started and away from the trawler, I had no GPS or depth info. So with gale force winds, driving rain, thunder and lightning I start motoring off to reset without knowing exactly where I am or how deep the water may be. I dashed below and retrieved my iPhone (you know, the one that should have had the anchor alarm) which has Navionics on it and used that to get me to a safe spot. THAT was fun because I also didn't have my reading glasses!!

We reset and stayed put without further incident. My punishment was staying in the cockpit, observing, with sturm und drang all around and getting little sleep. Live and learn.

[kudukuguam]

BTW, that cat for sale?

[SV Bacchus]

Glad you're OK SC and sailorjed3, she has an anchor alarm:

Alarm Kat!

[Three Sisters]

Originally Posted by sailorjed3

Why has no one mentioned using a anchor drag alarms? I use a portable GPS next to my berth.

Our only stand-by anchor drag alarm is a small anchor with appropriate slack tied to an iron frying pan placed on the table...or over the bunk if need be.