Do not Attach a Floating Buoy to a Trip Line.

[Fuss]

If you do it long enough you will cause yourself and others problems.

Someone is going to get tangled with it. Its only a matter of time.

If your line is short then it won't help in deep water.

Deep water is where its most important that you solve the problem, not shallow free divable water.

Anchors sometimes get caught in horrible junk filled deep polluted harbours. Do you want to be diving there!

So, do the following...

Attach 10,15 or 20 meters of 2mm dyneema/spectra to your chain with cable ties.
If you need to use the trip line then attach a line to the end of the dyneema and pull, the ties will break one by one.

You then end up with a useable long trip line that has not spent most of its life being a danger to others and of no use in deep water.

Which is what you want from your trip line right!

[40 South]

A floating buoy trip line will also indicate to others where your anchor is and the probable lay of the chain. If the line is of appropriate length then minimal problems.

[Hudson Force]

I agree that trip lines can be cumbersome and become tangled. Certainly the length of a trip line needs to be a little more than the high tide depth. Trip lines are also of little help when the chain has become entangled in underwater debris. I have cut away two anchors that were caught among debris in turbid water with strong currents where I was unwilling to dive.

I like your thoughts of searching for alternative solutions, but for many of us, a line cable tied to our chain would be difficult to pass through our windlass gypsy without breaking the ties, jamming and becomming tangled in our chain locker. Cable ties that are designed to break free at a pull would likely break at other times too. In addition, if the trip line is attached to the chain, then it would also be a partner in any tangled wraps of the rode and be useless.

[noelex 77]

If you use a normal surface anchor buoy there is a real danger of getting caught around the rudder/propshaft/stern gear/ladder of another boat at anchor, or your own when the wind changes. I have had this happen on several occasions (including one where the anchor dragged in very light wind because the trip line was a 1:1 scope attached to the crown of the anchor and my stern ladder). I don't use a surface anchor buoy often so it must be a significant risk.

The solution suggested is a good one, but it does not work if it is the chain that caught. This is a common problem in coral or rocky areas as opposed to the hazard of old mooring chains which usually just catch the anchor.

An alternative is to use a normal surface anchor buoy but put a weak link (I use a cable tie) a few meters below the surface. If the anchor gets caught you can reach down from the dingy and attach a line prior to the weak link. You then have a strong line back to the anchor crown. If the buoy does get caught the weak link will break the float will drift free leaving the anchor undisturbed. It does mean you lose the occasional anchor float, but they are only inexpensive. I usually just pick up old fisherman floats washed up on the beach. Recycling at its best.

[barnakiel]

If you sail long enough, sooner or later you will have to use one.

Sure thing a line and a float in a mud or sand anchorage is an overkill.

So it is all up to where you are anchored and what chances of a bad foul exist.

b.

[Cotemar]

What’s even worse is when the harbor master comes around and sees this Buoy, and pulls it up because nothing should be there. As he pulls it to the surface and realizes it’s your anchor and drops it back in the water. Now you have an un-set anchor and you may be in town and not even know it.

I have seen this happen a few times already. It’s pretty entertaining if it not your anchor, BUT......

The Harbor Masters do this in crowed anchorages because some cruisers think they are smart by dropping and anchor and setting it and then putting a Buoy on it, so when they come back to the harbor the next weekend they have a guaranteed spot they can call their own. It sort of like having a mooring in your favorite harbor without paying for one.

The Harbor Master told me that he has a huge collection of anchors and line and not one cruiser has ever come back to ask him for their anchor back……

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]What’s even worse is when the harbor master comes around and sees this Buoy, and pulls it up because nothing should be there. As he pulls it to the surface and realizes it’s your anchor and drops it back in the water.

Other boat sometimes do this, thinking it is a mooring. The weak link solves this problem. The line will break at the weak link as the buoy is picked up. The anchor will not move.

[JK n Smitty]

I really like the weak link idea and will probably make some adjustments to my line now. Thanks!

The problem I have is the advice that you don't need to use it in sand or mud. Up here in the Boston area you can't seen the bottom even if it's mud 6 feet below you. And there is such a long history of dumping in the ocean that it's not unheard of to pick up lobster pots or other debris that could foul you anchor and you may have to cut it free if you don't have a trip line. I don't have personal experience yet but I would guess that this will apply for most of our trip down the ICW.

And then there is the aspect of getting in practice of doing things the same each time. If sometimes you put out a trip line and other times you don't, Murphy's Law says the time you will need it is the time you thought you didn't or forgot about it.

And I thought just choosing an anchor was hard. Now you have all these other considerations on how to use it.

My plan is to use it all the time. With the incorporation of the weak link idea, the set up would be 30 feet of line (we don't typically anchor in more than 20 feet of water) with a loop at the bitter end, a float (marked as an anchor trip line and the boat name) on a 5 foot piece of line with another loop at that bitter end. The two loops would then be joined with a cable tie with a couple of fishing weights on the cable tie as well. Any thoughts on this setup?

noelex, what size cable tie do you use?

Thanks,

Jesse

[DeborahLee]

I use one not as a trip line but to find the chain. I had to replace one anchor that parted the rode. Now I put a float on the end of the chain and if it parts I can retrieve the chain and the anchor. Never had a problem with it tangling and a tangle is cheaper than $600 for a new anchor.

[Blue Stocking]

My trip line bouy has that written on it, describing its purpose. Has a small shackle in the eye. 1/4" polypro from anchor up thru shackle, and then tied back down to 2nd shackle which is around up line. 2 nd shackle rises and falls with tide to keep taught. Shackle sizes to suit your tide strength.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by JK n Smitty

noelex, what size cable tie do you use?

It is quite a small one 3.2mm in diameter according to packet. It also means if you want to get rid of the float (say because the anchorage is getting crowded and the float is taking up swinging room) you can break it by hand and just let the stronger rope sink to the bottom.

I have never seen any specs but my guess is that it breaks with about 20 kg force. (To keep all the engineers happy I meant to say 200 N )

[mikereed100]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

My trip line bouy has that written on it, describing its purpose. Has a small shackle in the eye. 1/4" polypro from anchor up thru shackle, and then tied back down to 2nd shackle which is around up line. 2 nd shackle rises and falls with tide to keep taught. Shackle sizes to suit your tide strength.

Great idea. Your technique could be combined with Noelex's break-away buoy.

Of course, you could spend $400(!) on one of these:

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

............ you can break it by hand and just let the stronger rope sink to the bottom. ............

I rarely use a float, but I do leave an approximately 3' line with a loop at the trip point of the anchor. I do this so that, if I elect to dive, I can easily carry a line down to place through this loop. When I read Noelex's comment, "let the stronger rope sink to the bottom", I wonder about the choice of using a polyolefin floating line that would flounder at a depth clear of traffic, but easily found with a short dive.

[Randyonr3]

I lost an anchor at shelter cove in northern california, cut it lose after 4 to 5 hours trying to get it lose, story was the cove is used by fisherman and for morring anchors, they use old truck motors from the logging industry around the area.
Thats the last time that I have ever dropped my anchor in an unknown anchorage without having a "Tag" line attached.. and been doing it for over 10 years now.. I uasally tye a fender to the line as a float.
I did have a couple kids try to pull it up once but after a few stern words over the bow, they left the area.
Guess I havent been in a position where what I do has caused any ill effects on myself or others

[S/V Alchemy]

I find this a fruitful discussion for a change. Nobody's claiming to have the definitive answers, but there's a lot of respectivefully contending ideas.

Which is, among sailors of varying experiences and locales, as it should be, I think. I do like and may employ the "weak link" idea...it addresses a number of issues.

As for the tripline buoy itself, any old Clorox or antifreeze bottle with some sort of personal I.D mark on it should suffice, unless you are spending a week or more at the same place.