Do You Keep Your Bridle Attached ?

[off-the-grid]

If so, how do you stow it, so it doesn't chafe on your chain or interfere with your furling?

[Mark Johnson]

This is the system that has worked for me or decades:

I have my 30' bridle permanently attached. The two far ends are spliced over SS thimbles that are first prised over a 3/8" X 2" SS ring. Also made up onto this ring, between the other two, is a third line that is 3' long X 1/2" or 5/8" Dia. (also spliced onto a thimble)

When using the bridle I set the hook firmly @ 7/1 scope, then pull forward 30', do a rolling hitch on the anchor rode with the 3' center leg of the bridle, then fall back the 30' to where I was. Now that I have the bridle a few feet tighter than the rode, the boat points into the wind without sawing around.

The other (boat) end of the bridle goes through closed bow chocks, (with chaffing gear), then to very strong cleats further back. If the seaway is not coming from the direction that the wind is coming from, (as they occasionally do), I can shorten up a couple of feet on one leg of the bridle, to fix this. For comfort sake, it is better to face the waves!

I have 6" horn cleats mounted on each side of the bow rail, just forward of the headsail. When underway, or otherwise not using the bridle, I do a single wrap of each leg onto their cleats, then flake back & forth the rest of the bridle into a bundle and tie it off. It has ridden up their from Trinidad to the Rio Dulce!

On a smaller catamaran with no bow rail or attachment point it is not as simple... Perhaps you could have a cleat system mounted below the roller furling drum? Or bundle up the works on one side or on the forward wing deck, and pull the opposite leg across firmly & cleat it. As long as it is not being swept by a seaway.

Good luck, Mark

[svcattales]

I keep my bridle attached to heavy duty padeyes on the inside of each hull. The bridle has about 16ft "legs" so when not anchored I pull the port half of the bridle over the top of the sea gull striker in the same groove as the wire rigging. Then I tie the center attachment point of the bridle to the trampoline on the starboard side. It stays out of the way of roller furling and doesn't come loose in rough seas. This way it is always ready to go when I'm ready to anchor.

[zumsel]

Do you have any idea how I could rig a bridle on my cat. I bought is this summer and I'm a little bit puzzled with this layout.

[off-the-grid]

Thanks Mark. Planning on adding some monster cleats, with some heavy backing to the sides of the bows, probably just below the deck cleats.

Even without the center bow rail, like you have, I think I could just pull it up to one side on one the rails, and accomplish the same. Will be close, but should be high enough to not interfere with the drum.

[YOGAO]

Originally Posted by zumsel

Do you have any idea how I could rig a bridle on my cat. I bought is this summer and I'm a little bit puzzled with this layout.

Do you have any rings/strong-points on the underside of the crossbeam?

I don't see a bow cleat on the port side where the anchors get launched from or a fairlead like you have on the starboard bow. When looking at the starboard bow, I would probably run the bridle from the cleat, through the inside fairlead and repeat on the other side, but it looks like that side is very different.

Oh and back to the original question. Yes, we leave our bridle in place all the time except for multi-day passages.

Fair Winds,
Mike