Emergency (Stern) Anchor

[poiu]

I've also got a 40 tonne boat and I have just ordered a Fortress 55. Slightly undersized for the boat off the Fortress chart, but I will only use it as a kedge or an emergency spare in case I loose the main and the Fortress has such high holding power I reckon it should be OK. It is a good stern or kedge anchor because it is so light and can be quickly deployed. I have been struggling with my heavy 34kg second CQR plus a load of chain.

Your use though is as an emergency brake and you need to be capable of setting the anchor whilst moving at up to 3 knots. A rather demanding thing of any anchor. Your Danforth and the Fortress doesn't like to set whilst moving as far as I understand. It needs to be light and quick and easy to deploy also. Perhaps the aluminium spade might be good. It will be reasonably fast setting and light. The Mantus looks like a very fast setter, but is only steel. Definitely go for mostly nylon rode with a bit of chain near the anchor to protect the rode. You need the stretch to slow you down without a damaging jerk and nylon stretches up to 30% at max load.

If you can find a way to deploy it and apply slow steady load as soon as it hits the bottom whilst the rest of the rode pays out you will have the best chance of digging in. It may be enough to pay the rode out over a cleat, maintaining slight tension all the way. Something to practice before TSHTF.Your Danforth mounted on the stern with a bag of flaked rode ready to drop directly in the water by cutting a line may well work, especially if you find a way to control the set. Give it a go.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Neeltje

Hi all,


I currently have a 105 lb. CQR plus a 100 lb. Danforth hanging off my bow, and since that seems a little "much" for all practical purposes (the largest seas she'll see are on the ICW), I'd like to mount the Danforth at the stern as an emergency anchor for when (not if) my engine eventually fails whilst approaching a closed drawbridge or other foreign matter.

For the time being, the CQR is attached to 350 feet of 1/2" chain which spools into and out of the mother-of-all chain boxes below deck, via an old manual (2-man) windlass.

The Danforth isn't attached to anything at present, and since I only intend to use it as "drag" in a pinch and in relatively shallow water (30' max), I was wondering if I couldn't get away with using a rode (albeit a fat one) instead of a chain to slow my 40-ton baby down.

I was also wondering if the bulky Danforth was actually best suited to this kind of application, or if some kind of lighter grappling hook might not be better adapted to stopping an 80,000 lb. barge floating along in a 1-3 knot current.

Thanks for your input and unfailing support.

Jacques

I have used an anchor for emergency engine failures a few times. I think your concept is fatally flawed.

a. You NEVER place an anchor with significant way on, particularly a danforth. There is an excellent chance it will simply glide. If not, you still have only a 1-second window for it to catch. You need to stop the boat.

b. Even if it does catch, with gradual setting you will need 10:1 scope for any hope of taking a hard pull (stopping the boat at speed is a storm load). That means you will be over 100' stopping. This isn't going to help if you are in the bridge narrows already.

c. You stop the boat by throwing the helm over. Really, you shouldn't be in a place with any way on where you can't cut a u-turn. Even if you can't get all the way around before you stop you will have stopped motion.

The point is you are very unlikely to want to deploy the stern anchor in this situation. It won't work reliably. If it doesn't catch first time, you've done nothing to reduce way and have no time left (bam). You will almost certainly want to get the bow anchor down fast. Plan for that. If you have practiced single-handed anchoring, this is very similar; turn, lower, drift back.

-----

Calculate the strain to stop 80,000 pounds from 6 knots with 100 feet of line out (20 feet chain). About 100,000 ft-pounds, or given 20% stretch, nearly 12,000 pounds peak load. Fun.

[a64pilot]

Maybe it's just me but I think a Danforth can stop an 80000 lb boat, but it's real unlikely that anchor won't drag with that much force put on it. I think it's real likely it will drag, slowing the boat as it does. I bet if it hung a huge rock something is likely to break, I think the anchor is the most likely


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by Neeltje

In this case, I think a picture or two might help.

The anchor & mast winch is that manual 2-man coffee grinder at the bow. First time I used it, it took me a good 30 seconds of tripping over fenders to reach it from the stern, and another 15 minutes to figure out which gear wheel and which brake and clutch levers to play with so that the anchor would drop instead of the mast.

The wheel, of course, is at the stern, and if the Danforth were resting on the rub rail, it shouldn't take me more than 10 seconds to release it and toss it overboard. Please note that the smaller winches at the stern are dedicated to the leeboards.

What a great vessel. I would suggest, if only for ease of deployment, the equivalent aluminum Fortress to what I assume is a steel hi-tensile Danforth. Their FX-125 model has greater holding power than the 100 lb. Danforth but is 31 pounds lighter. I have found my FX-37 Fortress on five metres of chain and 100 metres of 5/8" three-strand to be pleasantly "overkill" on my 33 footer, which is a considerably lighter boat. That same anchor will serve, with upsized chain and rope rode, as the stern/storm and kedge anchor for my much heavier steel 41-footer (15-16 tonnes).

Of course, the great thing about your barge is how close to shore you can safely go. Taking a line to a big tree or a rock ashore is less of an issue for you than it is for a keelboat.

[Fortress]

From: XXXXX@sailmail.com
Date: 06 Apr 2004 23:30:00 -0000
To: brian@fortressanchors.com
Subject: Testimonial

TESTIMONIAL - FORTRESS ANCHOR

I was sailing into Conch Cut leading into Georgetown, Exumas in the Bahamas. Just as I was passing over the reef bar, I switched off my autopilot to hand steer over the bar and into the deeper channel when I heard a "pop" and my wheel steering spun freely. I had the full Genoa out, and without rudder steering, the bow fell off heading straight for the nearby island of Channel Cay. I immediately diagnosed the problem of a failed steering cable and released the jib sheet and cut the motor.

In my horror, I realized that my boat, an Irwin 37 foot ketch, my only home, was completely out-of-control and headed for the rocks in just seconds. As a matter of routine I always keep at least one anchor ready to go, but in 30 years of sailing experience I had yet to do an emergency anchor deployment.

I raced forward, terrified as the island cliff was rising before me, and immediately released my Fortress FX-23 with 50 feet of new stainless steel chain and about ten feet of 5/8" nylon rode that was already secured to a cleat.

As the chain was rapidly running out I said a quick prayer that the anchor would bite first time, there would be no time for a re-set before the impending shipwreck disaster! My heart was pounding! I gripped the bow pulpit and braced, watching the rapidly approaching cliff which was now a mere 100 feet away, as the chain ran out.

Suddenly all 22,000 pounds of my sailboat came to a stop and executed a 180 degree turn in 2 seconds. We were now safely at anchor in 15 feet of water in a 3-4 swell with the stern of my boat JUST 30 FEET FROM THE CLIFF!

The Fortress anchor had saved my life and my boat!

Several passing boats radioed and offered assistance. After letting my heart rate come back down to normal range. I was able to motor up and retrieve the somewhat bent anchor, and used the autopilot (which attaches directly to the rudder quadrant) to "fly by wire" to a safe anchorage in Elizabeth Harbor, Georgetown.

I have returned this beloved anchor to Fortress in Ft Lauderdale and they have replaced it with no hassle.

Sincerely,
Capt Joe Greno -
s/v SAGA Georgetown, Bahamas

[cwyckham]

Originally Posted by Fortress

From: XXXXX@sailmail.com
Date: 06 Apr 2004 23:30:00 -0000
To: brian@fortressanchors.com
Subject: Testimonial

TESTIMONIAL - FORTRESS ANCHOR

I was sailing into Conch Cut leading into Georgetown, Exumas in the Bahamas. Just as I was passing over the reef bar, I switched off my autopilot to hand steer over the bar and into the deeper channel when I heard a "pop" and my wheel steering spun freely. I had the full Genoa out, and without rudder steering, the bow fell off heading straight for the nearby island of Channel Cay. I immediately diagnosed the problem of a failed steering cable and released the jib sheet and cut the motor.

In my horror, I realized that my boat, an Irwin 37 foot ketch, my only home, was completely out-of-control and headed for the rocks in just seconds. As a matter of routine I always keep at least one anchor ready to go, but in 30 years of sailing experience I had yet to do an emergency anchor deployment.

I raced forward, terrified as the island cliff was rising before me, and immediately released my Fortress FX-23 with 50 feet of new stainless steel chain and about ten feet of 5/8" nylon rode that was already secured to a cleat.

As the chain was rapidly running out I said a quick prayer that the anchor would bite first time, there would be no time for a re-set before the impending shipwreck disaster! My heart was pounding! I gripped the bow pulpit and braced, watching the rapidly approaching cliff which was now a mere 100 feet away, as the chain ran out.

Suddenly all 22,000 pounds of my sailboat came to a stop and executed a 180 degree turn in 2 seconds. We were now safely at anchor in 15 feet of water in a 3-4 swell with the stern of my boat JUST 30 FEET FROM THE CLIFF!

The Fortress anchor had saved my life and my boat!

Several passing boats radioed and offered assistance. After letting my heart rate come back down to normal range. I was able to motor up and retrieve the somewhat bent anchor, and used the autopilot (which attaches directly to the rudder quadrant) to "fly by wire" to a safe anchorage in Elizabeth Harbor, Georgetown.

I have returned this beloved anchor to Fortress in Ft Lauderdale and they have replaced it with no hassle.

Sincerely,
Capt Joe Greno -
s/v SAGA Georgetown, Bahamas

Great story and directly relevant to the thread. Thanks for posting.

The fact that he deployed from the bow and the boat spun around decreased the peak loading immensely and helped in the success of the story, I think.

Although this was a success for the Fortress used, I have to question some of the decisions made. Obviously, he should have just turned his autopilot back on and executed a 180 into the wind. If there was a long boot-up time or something (unlikely, he probably just switched to standby), he could have at least jammed his motor in reverse to slow down instead of turning it off!

We all do silly things in the heat of the moment, and he did choose a method that worked, but it was a pretty high risk method. Most of us have had moments of panic when approaching a docking situation and reverse gear is often the fix or at least opens up enough time to execute the right fix. Seems weird that this didn't occur to him.

[Fortress]

Originally Posted by cwyckham

Great story and directly relevant to the thread. Thanks for posting.

You are welcome, but while this story is obviously a shameless plug for our product, I would also hope that other anchors, if sufficiently sized for the boat and light enough to be deployed by hand, would perform similarly under those urgent circumstances.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Fortress

From: XXXXX@sailmail.com
Date: 06 Apr 2004 23:30:00 -0000
To: brian@fortressanchors.com
Subject: Testimonial

TESTIMONIAL - FORTRESS ANCHOR

I was sailing into Conch Cut leading into Georgetown, Exumas in the Bahamas. Just as I was passing over the reef bar, I switched off my autopilot to hand steer over the bar and into the deeper channel when I heard a "pop" and my wheel steering spun freely. I had the full Genoa out, and without rudder steering, the bow fell off heading straight for the nearby island of Channel Cay. I immediately diagnosed the problem of a failed steering cable and released the jib sheet and cut the motor.

In my horror, I realized that my boat, an Irwin 37 foot ketch, my only home, was completely out-of-control and headed for the rocks in just seconds. As a matter of routine I always keep at least one anchor ready to go, but in 30 years of sailing experience I had yet to do an emergency anchor deployment.

I raced forward, terrified as the island cliff was rising before me, and immediately released my Fortress FX-23 with 50 feet of new stainless steel chain and about ten feet of 5/8" nylon rode that was already secured to a cleat.

As the chain was rapidly running out I said a quick prayer that the anchor would bite first time, there would be no time for a re-set before the impending shipwreck disaster! My heart was pounding! I gripped the bow pulpit and braced, watching the rapidly approaching cliff which was now a mere 100 feet away, as the chain ran out.

Suddenly all 22,000 pounds of my sailboat came to a stop and executed a 180 degree turn in 2 seconds. We were now safely at anchor in 15 feet of water in a 3-4 swell with the stern of my boat JUST 30 FEET FROM THE CLIFF!

The Fortress anchor had saved my life and my boat!

Several passing boats radioed and offered assistance. After letting my heart rate come back down to normal range. I was able to motor up and retrieve the somewhat bent anchor, and used the autopilot (which attaches directly to the rudder quadrant) to "fly by wire" to a safe anchorage in Elizabeth Harbor, Georgetown.

I have returned this beloved anchor to Fortress in Ft Lauderdale and they have replaced it with no hassle.

Sincerely,
Capt Joe Greno -
s/v SAGA Georgetown, Bahamas

One wonders why he didn't "fly by wire" to begin with and skip the desperation anchoring. Would have been much less risky and dramatic.

[dpddj]

You ever do this in that wonderful barge?

Wedstriidferslach SKS Skûtsjesilen Wâldsein III fan 30 july 2013 - YouTube

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

One wonders why he didn't "fly by wire" to begin with and skip the desperation anchoring. Would have been much less risky and dramatic.

True, but not all sailors are cut from the same cloth and we've all heard of very dodgy decision-making that turned out well in spite of the risky choices.

I am reading the USCG report on the sinking of Bounty this morning. That's a set of risky choices that, sadly, went as might have been expected.

On the other hand, if an airbag saves a bad driver, you credit the airbag. The Fortress in this case was this guy's airbag, so the plug is a valid one.

[rw58ph]

It would be better to have an emergency bow anchor than a stern anchor. Unless you are going to have a chain/rode locker, windless and bow roller. We have two extra anchors, the Danfor lays on the deck connected to a second rode so the windless and bow roller can be used with both anchors. You will probable need at least 5+ time scope, all chain, for the anchor to catch. The reason is the angle of pull should be under 20 degrees which requires at least 5 time scope.

[Neeltje]

Originally Posted by dpddj

You ever do this in that wonderful barge?

Although they look a lot alike, those are Skutzes, mine's a Tjalk. Since Skutzes were designed to sail the canals and inland waterways, they are lighter, sleeker and bigger sailed than Tjalks, which were mainly used as coastal transports. The payload of a Tjalk was usually split up between multiple Skutjes for local distribution in really shallow waters.

To answer your question, dpddj, no, I haven't sailed her yet. In fact, I haven't sailed anything yet. This is my first boat.

Neeltje was originally shipped from Paris to Baltimore by Dan Rowan (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In) just before his death in the late '80s.

As far as the emergency anchor is concerned, I don't think I'll be dropping it "at speed" any time soon. My main concern is loosing the engine whilst holding for a draw bridge, and being carried into said bridge by the current. In short, I'd most likely be dead in the water at the time, with the only relative-to-bottom movement being that of the current itself.

If I were far enough away from the obstacle, I'd probably try to use her bow & stern thrusters to push her aground laterally, but most bridges want me holding within 100 yards of them before they even think about opening, and that doesn't leave much leeway in a strong current.

Jacques

[Neeltje]

Originally Posted by thinwater

I have used an anchor for emergency engine failures a few times. I think your concept is fatally flawed.

c. You stop the boat by throwing the helm over. Really, you shouldn't be in a place with any way on where you can't cut a u-turn. Even if you can't get all the way around before you stop you will have stopped motion.

The point is you are very unlikely to want to deploy the stern anchor in this situation. It won't work reliably. If it doesn't catch first time, you've done nothing to reduce way and have no time left (bam). You will almost certainly want to get the bow anchor down fast. Plan for that. If you have practiced single-handed anchoring, this is very similar; turn, lower, drift back.

Thinwater, the problem here is that Neeltje is a shoal draft flat bottom with no keel of any kind to keep her tracking. Unless she's under power (or sail), she's like an upside-down Frisbee on the water. At crawl speed, the rudder is totally useless without the propeller wash pushing against it, and even then, all it does is make the boat pivot at the halfway point and turn it broadside unless there's appreciable forward motion.

Jacques

[Mantus Anchors]

When we designed the stern bracket, it was exactly with this in mind....
Greg

[JPA Cate]

Neeltje,

If you have forward way on, then she will respond slowly to the rudder. Turning away from the hazard will help.

If the current is driving you on, kick the Danforth over, 'cause you've little alternative.

In theory, it would be better to drop the bow hook, so you lie into the current, wind, or whatever's driving you on, but if the distance is short, then for ease of dropping, the stern hook will be the better way to go. Retrieving it after the fact (it'll have tried to go to China) may be a big problem, but maybe you'd still have a boat.

Ann