Always use a snubber or your boat could end up like...

[dreuge]

Here is a nice video that should convince anyone to use snubbers and not rely on a windlass to hold the chain. The only disagreeable point in this video is short the discussion laying blame on ferry boat wake along with an exonerating statement for the owner not using a snubber "very very few people actually use a snubber".. I hope the last statement is wrong, if not, then I hope this video helps change that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vdaxrGfT1M

[Auspicious]

Too long, didn't watch. Just not a good video. If the first 30 seconds don't make you want to watch....


Maybe the people I know and run across aren't representative. I don't know anyone that doesn't use a snubber on chain.

[sailorboy1]

I didn't watch the video because if they say "very very few people actually use a snubber" then they are idiots and liars who people shouldn't listen to. Sounds more like Idiot with Boat Meets UTube

[senormechanico]

I watched it. What kind of boat is it? It looks like a chopper gun special.

[Suijin]

The ONLY time I don't use a snubber is when I drop the hook for an hour or two in a dead calm lunch spot, and am on the boat. I would certainly never leave the boat without having rigged one.

I always choose and take one of my snubbers with me before I head to the bow to drop the hook. It's just ingrained habit at this point.

To be fair to the videographer, I have seen, just from casual observation, a good percentage of people who don't use one, but would not put it anywhere near "most".

[a64pilot]

OK, I don’t watch vblogs or whatever they are called cause I don’t like endless rambling myself, but I did see spots.
What I saw was some chain hanging off the bow. So what broke? The swivel most likely?
What kind of Wx event broke whatever?

Ok I fast forwarded to where he was drawing the boat and listened. It seems that all that happened was that they relied on the windlass to hold the boat and all the chain paid out and set it adrift?
Well that’s pretty stupid, did they even bother to read the windlass directions?
Then there is chain hanging off the bow in pictures of the boat on the beach, where did that chain come from?
There wasn’t even any severe weather, just boat traffic?

What bothers me the most is the thought that this may have happened in fair weather and in broad daylight and others in the anchorage sat there and watched a boat go aground?

Of course that is an assumption cause I didn’t sit and listen to the monologuing that puts me to sleep.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Suijin

They *think* the boat was waked by passing ferries. What they do know is that the clutch broke, all the chain ran out and the safety line at the end snapped.

I edited my post when you were posting, did this happen during the day?

[senormechanico]

"3 foot" ferry waves caused the anchor winch clutch to fail, all chain paid out, broke the "anchor safety chain".
Boat drifted to shore, keel got between rocks, filled with water.
Boat pulled off by clowns masquerading as salvors.
Total loss.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I edited my post when you were posting, did this happen during the day?

...and then I deleted the post as it was no longer necessary lol. Yes they were out exploring on land during the day. Dunno for how long.

[a64pilot]

Back to what bothers me then is that others had to sit and watch a boat drifting aground and did noting to stop it.
How many of us have jumped into our dinghies and let out more rode etc on another boat that was dragging?
Geez if it wasn’t bad weather then all it would have taken is a dinghy to tow it before it went hard aground, I’d have tied it to the stern of my boat.
Owners will show up.

[zeehag]

they make no sense. if a 3 ft swell will break ye lose ye havent done it right.
isnot the ferry wake it is technique.

we get 3-4 ft swells in our anchorages naturally. make sure technique is adequate for job. is not merely equipment it is ability skill with that ability and practice. lots of that. awareness. lots of that.
ps watched snips of the video.. was truly a not watchable production. concur.
keep practicing and may the next video be more watchable and the technique sparkle with success.....

[Mike OReilly]

I always use snubbers on my all-chain rode. In fact, I almost always run them as a bridle. I’ve seen many examples of people using inadequate sized snubbers (short, or too thin), but I’ve rarely seen all-chain boats with no snubbers.

Beyond all the points already made though, what bugs me about this kind of post is that it seems to be aimed more at generating views of their video, with no real interest in contributing to this community. Sure, use CF to promote your other works, but try and be a little subtle about it — at least pretend to contribute here.

[cyan]

Years ago in ASA 103, anchoring day...
Me: What is the best place to attach the snubber?
Instructor: The what?

[senormechanico]

If he had anchored in Tenacatita or Melaque, the same thing would have happened without any ferries.






Melaque on a calm day

[gaucho]

Mike, the op of this thread doesn't seem in any way related to the people who produced the video. He even claims that he found it shocking that it claims most people don't use a snubber.

Video quality, production, etc apart, it's interesting how something as seemingly innocent as not using a snubber (to a newbie) can end in such a tragedy. So I do think the video and the story adds value to the discussions in CF, and I would not argue it doesn't contribute anything. Evenmore, if there were no video, it would be a 7th hand account, with a lot of information missing. Here, at least, the story is told by the people who were there, and we get most of the information (including their very wrong assesment on who uses snubbers!). Otherwise we would be all over the place with conjecture instead of having very simple facts: a chain only windlass's clutch will not hold a boat, and that's no way to anchor properly.

What amazes me is that after doing a bit of background research on this couple of aspiring utube sailors, they bought a boat and did an atlantic crossing in a timeframe of 6 months? At the same time, we only know people made mistakes when the brown hits the fan. Or as some people call it "you don't know what you don't know".

The information on the video is valuable as I said before, but their conclusions are wrong; very wrong. Still, both them and the poor dude whose boat ends up in the rocks seem to be quite noobs (a guy claiming no one fits a snubber hasn't spent any time at anchor) but both with a fast from zero to ocean crossing experience. This should tell you something about how things are moving these days. Unfortunately, most of the current youtube sailors do a poor job of showing the complete picture on things, unlike people like Distant Shores did.

What I find a bit insulting is that this couple, that evidently have zero experience or empirical knowledge, try to explain and draw conclusions without informing themselves and completely miss the point alltogether. The owner of the boat lacked experience and knowledge. They lack experience and knowledge. Yet, they attempt to sound knowledgeable. This is really bad for those watching youtube sailing videos that don't visit more mature sources such as CF, that will go away with that wrong information. They could have just talked about it with some knowledgeable people. But ... millenials.

I still find that the video, what happened, the discussion that we extend from this, is all valuable to our community.