When you run out of Chain

[Ostinato]

Ok - this is going to sound like a novice question and it is in a sense. Like many cats, the anchor on my cat drops into the water well short of the bows and therefore this cat absolutely requires a bridle to sit right at anchor. What do you do for a bridle when you run out on chain and you are on rope?

When we were in Florida and northern Europe this never came up as an issue but now that we are in the Med, I can see I need to find a solution.

Carry more chain is not a good option for me. Likewise running the rope up over a roller at the center of the forward cross bar has its own set of problems and still doesn’t create a bridle. The only solution I have thought of is to put a snatch block on the anchor rode attached one bow and then take the anchor line to opposite bow but I am concerned as to how much force the snatch block can handle. And of course there is the issue of getting hold of the rode conveniently. I guess I could use a sheet bend instead of a snatch block. Any ideas?

(PS – I could have posted this on the anchoring section of this forum but thought it was a uniquely catamaran issue and therefore chose to start here.)

[StuM]

Throw a loop such as an Alpine Butterfly in the rope rode when you have enough out and hitch the bridle to it?

[Ostinato]

That's an interesting idea. Had not heard of that knot. Could end up with a little chafing but I'll be using my regular bridle which has distinct advantages.

[JPA Cate]

Perhaps, you could, instead of a proper bridle, use two snubbers, one from each hull, affixed by rolling hitches to the chain?

A.

[Ostinato]

That would work except I'll be past the chain by a substantial margin. Good thought though if I am still working with the chain.

[smj]

Cleat the anchor rode of on one bow then use another piece of line of the other bow attached to the anchor rode with a rolling hitch.


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[GordMay]

I used a Prusik Knot (Triple Sliding Hitch) to fix a snubber/bridle to rope rode.

➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...dle-21045.html

➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...bber-2380.html

[colemj]

In the past, when we had shorter chain and more rope, we would connect the bridle to the rope by pulling a loop of the rope through a shackle and connecting the bridle to the loop using a caribiner. When the rode tightened, the loop would pull down, lock and stay in place.

That is very difficult to describe in words, but easy in practice. Pinch a piece of rope into a loop and pass that loop up into a shackle eye and you will see what I mean. Alternately, if you have a ring, that will work too.

Mark

[GrowleyMonster]

On gulf shrimp boats we typically only had about 3 fathoms of chain, the rest of the rode being 600 to 1200 feet of 1-1/2" 3 strand nylon. Rather than have the anchor line chafe clean through where it would otherwise wear in the davit (anchor chute, in shrimperspeak) we used a 9 foot length of the same chain as the anchor chain with a short pennon of old anchor line spliced into the end thimble, and just an eye spliced in the bitter end, JUST big enough to pass a bight of anchor line through. When enough line is out, you come ahead to make slack, pass a bight of anchor line through the eye, and then another bight from the boat side of the anchor line through that bight. When it comes tight it holds solid, and all you have in the davit is the 3/8" chafing gear chain. To heave anchor the anchor line is led aft to the cat heads on the trawl winch, and if necessary the header takes a few turns of the chain around the Samson post as it comes in. Then the bights pull free and you are free to continue heaving until the anchor is home. I have used similar methods on monohull sailboats and it should work fine on a catamaran. Just terminate the bridle with a short pennon of similar size line to your rode, with an eye of the correct size spliced into each end. Bridle legs could be chain for easy adjustment, or more nylon.

[StuM]

> Just terminate the bridle with a short pennon

Why do you want a flag on your bridle?

[Cheechako]

Put a sheet bend on the rode with a pendant to one bow. Put the rode to the other bow. You now have a bridle.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Put a sheet bend on the rode with a pendant to one bow. Put the rode to the other bow. You now have a bridle.

Not a sheet bend, they should be banned!

Do a search here for discussions on the Zeppelin (Rosendahl) Bend.

[DRS]

Attach a separate line to the rode with a rolling hitch. Run that line to one bow and attach the rode to the other bow. Adjust till the two lines are meeting on the center line of the boat.

[meirriba]

.

<Carry more chain is not a good option for me.>

May I ask why?
This is the best answer to your problem and to anchoring as well.

[Ostinato]

I have space constraints that make me think I should continue to use the rope I have. I could replace my existing 150ft of chain with a smaller size HT link but that would involve changing the gypsy as well as all new chain. I'll look at doing that in the more distant future.

There have been a host of good solutions mentioned here and I going to have try some to find out what will work best for me and this boat. Hopefully there are more but thanks to all who have replied so far.