Marking Anchor Chain

[skipperaris]

It seems we have strayed a bit off topic but never mind.

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Yes, at 27.25' it's a hard call. But when you are anchored and the wind is blowing 40 knots, how do you get the anchor up without a windlass? I tried that with a 42' Dehler and had a hell of a time and will call it virtually impossible (I did manage though...)

cheers,
Nick.

I would not go anywhere without my windlass but there are times that it fails. It has happened a couple of times over the years and many more while delivering other owner's ships.

When that happens I either line up all the able sailors to haul in the anchor or if alone I use the genoa winch with a line tied to the chain. It is slow but doable without getting a hernia.

[John A]

Nick,
Your post begs the question. Why leave an anchorage when the wind is blowing 40 knots?

regards John

[Bash]

Originally Posted by John A

Your post begs the question. Why leave an anchorage when the wind is blowing 40 knots?

A wind shift could turn an adequate anchorage into pure hell. Or, you might need to move because you've started to drag.

Many years ago I was anchored in Stillwater Cove (Pebble Beach) during a gale when breakers started rolling through the entire anchorage. At 0200h we decided that it would be much safer putting out to sea than staying put.

That's when it's nice to have a good windlass.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by John A

Your post begs the question. Why leave an anchorage when the wind is blowing 40 knots?

Because it was a beautiful day to sail! It was a glorious sail and we met dozens of other boats. It wasn't nasty weather, just a lot of wind,

While we were trying to get the anchor up the coastguard came out to rescue some windsurfers who didn't want to be rescued at all. We were in the lee of a dike so just some 2' chop and perfect for windsurfers. But the coasties decided to hang around just in case and they came over to us and enjoyed looking at others doing the work for a change (I even heard them laughing and cheering me on ;-). We were inexperienced with anchoring under these conditions and I only thought of using a sheet winch after we got the anchor up.

As we were setting sail a whole bunch of big yachts came out of the marina and set sail too. They were the new Bruce Farr pilothouse yachts (50' - 60') that we had seen during the Hiswa boat show just before (doing test sails for potential buyers?). We were amazed at how easy they had it in these conditions and that was when I finally agreed to buy bigger than the 40-45' range (Josie always wanted bigger because she is claustrophobic).

ciao!
Nick.

[John A]

Nick,

Thanks for the clarifacation, your posts always reflect the enjoyment of your experiences.

John

[Butler]

Thanks everybody!
CF is lurker/newbie paradise. Read the entire thread, as I often do with others, and as always come away with much better understanding than can be provided by any single source.
So much experience and so many well informed perspectives.
Look forward to adding more of my own in the future.

[YOGAO]

Originally Posted by Waterwayguy

This is how we have marked ours, http://tinyurl.com/ya8aod5
It has lasted for at least five years and sometimes more, depending on how often we anchor and most importantly, it will go through the windlass gypsy without jamming. WG

???How bout a pic showing how you mark chain?

We also do the neon wire ties on the side of the link about every 30 feet. We have a little card in the cockpit where we duplicated the color scheme, but most of the time we use the red one (60') or the yellow one (90').

Fair Winds,
Mike

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Yes, at 27.25' it's a hard call. But when you are anchored and the wind is blowing 40 knots, how do you get the anchor up without a windlass? I tried that with a 42' Dehler and had a hell of a time and will call it virtually impossible (I did manage though...)

Firstly, we avoid deep water. 60' of anchorage depth near Papeete was nearly too much.

Secondly, we do not anchor if there is no protection from the seas - collecting the chain when the foredeck moves vigorously 10' up and down also prove nearly too much (New Cal ;-)

Thirdly, we use 60' anchor lengths - (normally only one of 10 mm chain) and shackle them together when necessary. When we have only one 60' chain out the rest is polyester multiplait.

In anchorage depth of 20-40' we can manage everything ban a stupid anchoring decision or not reading the forecast. Learning is a process.

We motor slow forward when collecting the chain. If we do not want to use the motor we sail off the hook. If it is very light and we leave very early I simply pull in by hand, pick up the hook and sail off without waking up my crew nor our neighbors.

barnie

[Cotemar]

Here are few pictures of our anchor chain markers.

We use zip ties and white stamoid with a number every ten feet.

[zeehag]

at 50 ft i have one tie wrap. at 100 ft i have 2 tie wraps. at 150 ft i have 3 of em.. it doesnt matter after that, in these 20 ft depth anchorages....

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by zeehag

at 50 ft i have one tie wrap. at 100 ft i have 2 tie wraps. at 150 ft i have 3 of em.. it doesnt matter after that, in these 20 ft depth anchorages....

Exactly, we do each 60'. I only added 30' in between markers to make it easier to count when it's running out fast. I find that most boats have way too many markers.

[Kettlewell]

at 50 ft i have one tie wrap. at 100 ft i have 2 tie wraps. at 150 ft i have 3 of em.. it doesnt matter after that, in these 20 ft depth anchorages....

Me too! You don't need to measure the length of your rode with a micrometer--when in doubt, let a little more out.

[thinwater]

Clearly, this is gypsy-specific. Some folks are happy with various cable ties and strips, I watched mine (V700) shear off or try to jam within a few drops. For me--and many--paint is more dependable. A head lamp or deck light makes it plenty visible.

I also suspect the bottom matters; sand and coral eat paint, mud does not.

There are reasons experiences and practices vary.

Some have suggested that you can feel the strips in the dark. In my mind, running my hand over the chain in the dark, near a windlass (even on the drop since folks have started them by accident in a bumpy harbor), is asking to lose a finger. Rather like riding a bike without a helmet, you can get a way with it.

[John A]

I found that the tie wraps did not survive to many trips thru the bow roller. Putting out enough scope to keep the shank of the anchor parallel to the sea floor in heavy swells, the sea floor would remove any other markings on the chain. Anything left would be removed when you are required to clean the chain.

When anchoring in Trinidad you'll need to clean the chain from where it enters the water to the sea floor at least every two weeks, either with a wire brush or by letting out more scope to let stuff rub off on the sea floor.

Of course if you're a marina queen you don't need to worry about this stuff.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Clearly, this is gypsy-specific. Some folks are happy with various cable ties and strips, I watched mine (V700) shear off or try to jam within a few drops. For me--and many--paint is more dependable. A head lamp or deck light makes it plenty visible.

I also suspect the bottom matters; sand and coral eat paint, mud does not.

There are reasons experiences and practices vary.

Some have suggested that you can feel the strips in the dark. In my mind, running my hand over the chain in the dark, near a windlass (even on the drop since folks have started them by accident in a bumpy harbor), is asking to lose a finger. Rather like riding a bike without a helmet, you can get a way with it.

I have never seen a windlass that doesn't cope with a 1/8" piece of string attached to the chain. You may want to try that.

There is no need to see it in the dark: that is what deck lights / spreader lights are for. Or just a head-mounted light.