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Kettlewell · 21-02-2011, 11:07

The proper term is "rolling hitch" and a lot of folks use one to tie a line to chain. Here's a link to it. I usually take several turns around the chain before putting on the additional half hitch, and then I put on one or more extra half hitches too. I've had the entire weight of the boat on the rolling hitch through some serious blows up to hurricane force and they have held without slipping.

**Pete7** · 21-02-2011, 11:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dockhead

We went ashore at low tide, and my hair stood on end when I saw the jagged, rocky bottom. The chart says "rock" where we were anchored. But we had no problem setting or retrieving either anchor. As usual I backed down on the Rocna at 3000 RPM for several minutes to check it after setting it.

It was springs, so maybe that current flows all the time. Apparently it did, as we lay perpendicular to the wind on both the ebb and the flood. There wasn't much wind -- mostly less than 10 knots.

Lovely spot, but I don't think I will overnight there any more. Nice spot to drop anchor and have lunch, have a ramble on the shore, then bug out for Yarmouth.

The rock ledges look like a huge maze underwater and easily the size of a heavy goods vehicle.

For a sun trap Scratchell's Bay tucked into the corner just south of the Needles is a great spot if its calm. There is a rock awash to the South of the bay close in, but easy enough to see and a nearby cave a good snorkel. The heat off the white cliffs in the summer is a sun trap.

The other interesting one is Alum Bay under the multi coloured cliffs. Sadly the bottom is again smooth pebles so lunch time only for me. Again a good clean spot for a swim and trip ashore to look at the coloured sands in the cliff.

Pic of the rock awash in Scratchells Bay.

Pete

Bash · 21-02-2011, 11:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

The proper term is "rolling hitch" and a lot of folks use one to tie a line to chain. Here's a link to it. I usually take several turns around the chain before putting on the additional half hitch, and then I put on one or more extra half hitches too. I've had the entire weight of the boat on the rolling hitch through some serious blows up to hurricane force and they have held without slipping.

Now that one I've heard of! But I wouldn't recommend a rolling hitch to chain on a boat displacing as much as Dockhead's Moody 54.

Kettlewell · 21-02-2011, 11:54

Let's put it this way, I've had a rolling hitch hold using 3/8 nylon tied to 5/16 inch chain up to over 100 mph during Hurricane Bob. I suspect that a rolling hitch would have a much greater breaking strain than most chain hooks--pretty close to the breaking strain of the line in fact. It's the perfect way to put a snubber line on your chain, and it won't take the galvanizing off the chain.

MarkJ · 21-02-2011, 11:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete7

Pic of the rock awash in Scratchells Bay.

Pete

If you guys were 'real' cruisers <chews tobacca> you'd just tie up to that rock and hold off with a few fenders and fire up the BBQ.

**Pete7** · 21-02-2011, 12:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkJ

If you guys were 'real' cruisers <chews tobacca> you'd just tie up to that rock and hold off with a few fenders and fire up the BBQ.

How do you think I know about that rock

Actually we just parked the rib on the beach and did the BBQ thing.

What was this thread about again

Pete

**Dockhead** · 21-02-2011, 12:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete7

The rock ledges look like a huge maze underwater and easily the size of a heavy goods vehicle.

For a sun trap Scratchell's Bay tucked into the corner just south of the Needles is a great spot if its calm. There is a rock awash to the South of the bay close in, but easy enough to see and a nearby cave a good snorkel. The heat off the white cliffs in the summer is a sun trap.

The other interesting one is Alum Bay under the multi coloured cliffs. Sadly the bottom is again smooth pebles so lunch time only for me. Again a good clean spot for a swim and trip ashore to look at the coloured sands in the cliff.

Pic of the rock awash in Scratchells Bay.

Pete

Hmm, well, I spent the night in ALum BAy once, in a NE-sterly gale at that. The anchor held fine. As usual I Didn't sleep a wink but as usual we didn't budge an inch.

Thanks for sharing the photo - so that everyone sees what a paradise we sail in. I think hardly anyone not local knows how extraordinarily gorgeous the south coast os England is.

**Pete7** · 21-02-2011, 12:47

Couldn't agree more, photos from Solent Ribster another rib owner. To put those cliffs into perspective look at the size of the yacht in this one. Thats some sun trap.

Pete

**Dockhead** · 21-02-2011, 12:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

The proper term is "rolling hitch" and a lot of folks use one to tie a line to chain. Here's a link to it. I usually take several turns around the chain before putting on the additional half hitch, and then I put on one or more extra half hitches too. I've had the entire weight of the boat on the rolling hitch through some serious blows up to hurricane force and they have held without slipping.

I agree. A rolling hitch is peculiarly well suited to joining rope to chain. It is a flawless knot for that application, IMHO. What's really amazing is how easily it can be undone, after carrying the whole weight of your boat in a 'cane. A magic knot.

S/V Alchemy · 21-02-2011, 13:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Thanks, Gord -- this is great information. I think you posted something about this before, because the idea of an anchor spring line is well imprinted in my memory. It did not occur to me in this case because I wanted her head into the wind -- not off it.

But now that I think about it -- why wouldn't it work against a current, too? Hmmm. Wow, why didn't I think of that??

I think I read about an anchor spring line in either the Pardey's "Storm Tactics" or in Hinz's "big blue book of anchoring". Like you, the concept rang a bell, but I have yet to try it in practice or in earnest.

I am not sure if the 120 degree conflict of wind and swell could have been mitigated in any case, but would a riding sail and a rode bridle have helped?

beetle · 21-02-2011, 13:40

I wouldn't call a stern anchor a kedge - as I tend to think of a kedge anchor as a hook set out just to pull you over when aground. I would think of what you're doing as using a stern anchor in an attemp to rotate the boat such that it doesn't lay beam-to the incoming swell.

For handling rolling in swell I will usually look for somewhere else to anchor, for starters. If there's nowhere else around to go, then I will sometimes put out a flopper stopper - I have a Forespar version, it works fine, so do the plastic platic kind, the ones that I've heard do not work are the bunch of cones in a vertical line - and that dampens the swell.

For running two anchors, I like to Bahamian moor with both rodes lead up to the bow roller (this is where the set and retrieval is done from. If there's room, I'll set the main anchor, pay out rode to where I want the stern hook to go, drop the stern hook and pull back in on the main anchor to position the boat between the two. To do this, I have a lot of rode: 275' of chain backed up with 300' of nylon rode on the bow, and 50' of chain with 350' of nylon rode on the stern anchor. You do need to have an overly long rode on each anchor to work this way, and a fair bit of room to maneuver in while setting the hooks.

In a tighter area it's nice to use the dingy to set the stern anchor, as you can direct the dinghy to be exactly where you want it to be and then let go the anchor.

In the US Pacific Northwest it's common to see boats with a 600-1200 foot spool of polypropylene line (it floats) mounted on the stern rail. The bottom can shelve off so rapidly in some anchorages that it can be difficult to set two anchors - so the main anchor is set well, then the dinghy is used to run the spool line from the transom to shore, run it around a tree or log and back out to the boat. If all goes well, you can retrieve the stern line in the morning by casting it off from the boat and pulling it all the way back around the tree without having to go ashore. Sometimes that doesn't work and you have to go get the line by hand... Having the line stored on a spool sure makes it easy to use the next time you need it (and keep a sunbrella cover on the spool when stored to retard the rate the sun burns up the polypro).

Oh right - rolling hitch is a good way to tie onto chain with nylon, much better to my thinking than a chain hook, as the nylon won't tear up the chain's galvanizing the way a chain hook can.

And Gord's mention of side-tying to the anchor chain is right on, though I've only tried it perhaps twice and each time not for long.

- rob/beetle

craigsmith · 21-02-2011, 18:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bash

Now that one I've heard of! But I wouldn't recommend a rolling hitch to chain on a boat displacing as much as Dockhead's Moody 54.

Don't be silly, it's fine. We use a rolling hitch to attach snubbers to 12 mm chain all the time on a much heavier boat and consider it quite superior to a chain hook.

Bash · 21-02-2011, 19:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by beetle

I wouldn't call a stern anchor a kedge - as I tend to think of a kedge anchor as a hook set out just to pull you over when aground. I would think of what you're doing as using a stern anchor in an attemp to rotate the boat such that it doesn't lay beam-to the incoming swell.

"Kedge" tends to be used more broadly the further you get from San Francisco. Think of it as a smaller anchor than the primary, and you'll have a more international usage.