May I suggest you let out 1/3 of chain, then see if windless will
pick up that weight of chain and anchor, then repeat letting out
2/3rds .... etc, etc.
On May 12, 2009, at 11:00 AM, Steve Weinstein wrote:
Thanks, Norm.
As usual you come through with a thorough and concise answer!!
I haven't looked at the anchor set up since I brought the boat down
from Marblehead last October and stayed at marina's for the evenings
so I've never anchored out yet.
Honestly, I'm not even sure how much chain I've got, nor what type
or size. I hope to get out to Oyster Bay this weekend and finish
(actually start!) cleaning up everything so we're ready to rock &
roll over Memorial Day weekend. I had half the boat torn apart over
the winter (on the hard) to install new engine mounts, muffler hose,
steering cables and autopilot arm, and of course, the new radar and
chartplotter. All the cabinetry and access panels are now back in
place, the hull is compounded and waxed, and now comes the elbow
grease down below....
If I get out to OB, one of the things at the very top of the to-do
list is to (assuming zero wind at the mooring) activate the windless
(it worked fine at the survey last September) and let out the entire
rode to measure it and then put markers on the chain to tell me how
much I've got out at any given time. I figure I can just let it out
slowly and have it pile up on the bottom mud below the boat and
measure off 10 or 20 foot increments to mark as it goes out. Once
I'm at the end then I should be able to retrieve it without hassles
(the boat came with a washdown pump and hose in the anchor locker)
and insure it runs smoothly down the pipe into the chain locker.
Friends of mine with the identical boat (and I've heard this from
others) have had issues with the chain falling freely through the
pipe into the locker. A design flaw on some model years of this
model. The more recent boats in the production run solved the issue
so I've got to go through the procedure to see whether mine is one
of them. Otherwise I've got a wealth of articles and emails
explaining how various owners solved the problem.
Steve Weinstein
S/V CAPTIVA
1997 Hunter 376, Hull #376
Sailing out of Oyster Bay, NY
All outgoing mail protected by VIPRE A/V
----- Original Message -----
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 1:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Liveaboard] all chain rode with a windless
Steve,
In calm, stable, conditions we drop the anchor while backing dead
slow. When there is enough chain down we stop the chain with the
clutch, quickly engage the pawl, then release the clutch again so
all the strain is on the pawl. When we expect more than mild pulls
on the anchor we use a chain "grab" hook to attach a nylon pendant
to the chain. We have a short pendant, about six feet long to take
ordinary stress off the windlass, that we use most of the time. It
goes from a eye splice around a bow cleat, then through the bow
fairllead with hose chafing gear where it goes through the
fairlead. Since it is above the waterline and is moved often we
went with a stainless hook, shackle and thimble on the anchor chain
end. Do NOT mix stainless and galvanized ground tackle gear
underwater!
Bottoms where there is little current are usually "tender" mud
bottoms (Fells Point (Baltimore), Gloucester, Oyster Bay) and we
have to "work" the anchor in slowly. We we set the anchor very
gently at first, just backing enough to lift the chain but not
actually pulling at first. Over several pulls I increase the
pulling force but almost never use full power which usually rips out
the anchor. Sand bottoms and hard bottoms kept scrubbed by strong
currents (Hudson River) don't require this technique but hook firmly
right away.
After we are satisfied that the anchor is set we hook the stainless
fast-hook to the anchor chain then pull more chain out of the locker
until the stainless hook takes all the strain and there is a loop of
anchor chain hanging down about two feet below the stainless hook.
If we don't do this then the boat could swing and twist enough to
pull on the anchor chain and drop the stainless hook off the chain.
I loosen the anchor clutch in this operation and leave the wildcat
on its pawl when done. Some would tighten the clutch to have it
ready for instant use if the anchor needs to be hauled quickly, but
I would rather have the pawl, rather than the hoisting mechanism,
take the strain if the pendant should part because it is easier to
repair. I can tighten the clutch in seconds.
We also have a long pendant, about 15 ft for backup and heavier
loads. Since its length puts the hook below water we used a
galvanized hook, shackle and thimble. This has rusted heavily and
makes a mess on deck. We probably should have gone with a just a
length of nylon and a rolling hitch for this one.
Although I have a swivel on my anchor, the Conventional Wisdom is
that it is a weak point and should not be used.
We have a tool consisting of a wood stick about four feet long with
prongs we use to rotate the anchor when it is at the anchor chute so
that it goes into the chute properly. Perhaps when we take the
swivel off we won't need it for that but still it is handy for
getting weed off the anchor that will not wash off.
We have a Johnson brand seawater washdown pump and hose to wash off
the chain and anchor. This a real necessity because the chain
usually picks up a lot of mud. It should be the type of pump with a
pressure switch so the pump stops when you release the hose nozzle
and stop the flow.
Norm
S/V Bandersnatch
Lying Julington Creek
30 07.695N 081 38.484W
Okay, the season 'tis about to start and I'll probably be doing a
bunch of anchoring with the new boat.
This time around I'm blessed with a great electric windless and an
all chain rode. This is a new set-up for me and I've got a concern
about what to do once I get a good set on the hook.
Every other boat I've had was a normal rope rode with about 8' of
chain which was simply a question of tying off the line to a bow
cleat once the hook was set. With this new-to-me setup I recognize
that 1) I obviously can't tie off the chain around a cleat, and 2)
I've read plenty of horror stories of windlasses being torn off
their mounting if the chain stays on the windless.
So what's the procedure to "tie off" a chain rode?
Any help is appreciated!
Thanks,
Steve
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