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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

sentinels

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glivs
Admiral

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USA
836 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/16/2007 : 12:29:29

OK....just finished clearing off the 3'+ of new snow we received Wed so it's time to start thinking about sailing season again...

What is a reasonable weight for a sentinel...3-5lbs?

Gerry Livingston, Malletts Bay, VT
"Great Escape" 1989 C-25 SR/WK #5972

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2007 : 12:47:07

By sentinel, I'm guessing you're not meaning someone to guard your boat, right?

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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1889 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2007 : 13:07:23

'sentinel' a.k.a. kellet? I use a small folded grapnel anchor shackled to a large bronze snap hook (a caribiner would work just as well) and about 12' of light line with a loop slipped over a bow cleat. My main goal is to hold a slack nylon rode below the swing keel, rudder, etc. during wind or current shifts. In deeper water and stronger waves, more weight and a longer retrieving line would be better if the goal is to improve holding.

-- Leon Sisson

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5881 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2007 : 13:26:30

I just found a website for a New Zealand company that manufactures a sentinel called an "Anchor Buddy." Their smallest sentinel weighs 20# and is reportedly good for an anchor line up to 5/8" and a boat up to 29' length. Any weight would help, but I wouldn't think 3-5# would help very much. You'd probably do more good by just adding an additional 3-5# of chain. The following hyperlink will take you to their website.

https://secure.ww.co.nz/~anchor/orderform.html

If you do a Google search for "anchor sentinel," you'll get additional websites.

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2007 : 13:56:34

So is a sentinel used in lieu of a length of chain?

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Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1889 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2007 : 15:26:57

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by dlucier
 So is a sentinel used in lieu of a length of chain?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">A sentinel and a chain rode (all or partial) both increase catenary, which applies a more horizontal pull on the anchor, and smooths out changes in rode tension, such as wave action and wind gusts. A boatlength or more of chain at the anchor greatly reduces abrasion damage to a rope rode. An all chain rode, while fine for heavy blue water cruisers, is inappropriate for boats the size of ours. A sentinal is much lighter and easier to handle than even one boatlength of chain. So I use a boatlength of chain at the anchor, and a sentinel about 10'-12' from the bow. In deeper water, the sentnel should ideally be midway between anchor and bow.

-- Leon Sisson

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Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5881 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2007 : 17:30:38

Leon, how much weight do you recommend for a sentinel for a C25?

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dave holtgrave
Captain

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USA
427 Posts

Response Posted - 02/16/2007 : 18:47:41

you guys are as bored with this late winter stint as i am.
supposed to get another 1-3 inches of snow tonite.

went outside this morning for the paper and woke up to a 0 degree temp.

how much longer till spring????

i wanted to plant some lettuce and spinach but, our ground is probably frozen two feet deep..

oh well!!!!

dave holtrave
5722 sk/tr
hard and dry and bitterly cold near carlyle lake in southern illinois

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tinob
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1883 Posts

Response Posted - 02/17/2007 : 07:40:06

"how much longer till spring"

That depends Dave, on how much longer we are in the grips of GLOBAL WARMING

Val on the hard DAGNABIT #3936, Patchogue, N.Y.

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Stu Jackson C34
Admiral

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844 Posts

Response Posted - 02/17/2007 : 13:51:12

A less expensive kellet sentinel combination would be to buy a mushroom anchor (8# or 15#) with /14 inch to 3/8 line and a carabiner with a few anchor shackles. Easy to deploy and retrieve, and much less expensive that a manufactured model, works just as well. Use the carabiner to easily slip the mucshroom over the anchor line.

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photoblank
Deckhand

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5 Posts

Response Posted - 02/17/2007 : 15:39:05

Occasionally, when I which I had a little more anchor chain, I've attached at small mushroom anchor where the chain and rope meet. Don't know if it helps, but makes me feel better. Anyone know of any issues when doing this?

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 02/17/2007 : 16:49:51

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by photoblank
 Occasionally, when I which I had a little more anchor chain, I've attached at small mushroom anchor where the chain and rope meet. Don't know if it helps, but makes me feel better. Anyone know of any issues when doing this?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
That's basically what's being discussed here--a weight that holds the rode closer to horizontal so the anchor bites better and is less likely to break out. In deeper water, it's a good way to get away with less scope.

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zeil
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1308 Posts

Response Posted - 02/17/2007 : 21:50:19

Our neighbour is complaining that he can't get his garage door open anymore... Here's why (just kidding)

We have 2 approx. 6 lbs each 5"round by 4" thick galvernized garage door counterweights with a 3/4" hole in the centre that can be lowered on the rode to stop before the 25ft 5/16 achor chain to keep it on the bottom in heavier conditions... A messenger line is attached to retrieve it before breaking out the anchor.

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Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 02/17/2007 : 23:44:11

Henk... your comment really hits on the value of a kellet over additional chain... dividing the weight load into two halves makes life better.

I was thinking a while back...a single man given enough time could have placed the cap stone on Stone Henge... a lot of shovels of dirt to make an earthen dam around the piers... and then a lot of buckets of water to float the barge built under the cap stone.

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zeil
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1308 Posts

Response Posted - 02/18/2007 : 14:22:52

Yes... this forum is colorful and enjoy the entire spectrum

Earlier in my career selling commercial greenhouses our slogan was "Covering Canada A Little Piece At A Time"

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Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2007 : 08:40:39

Henk... I'm chuckling

here this morning... I was fully expecting Bristle or Lucier to come back at me with the reality that at one bucket at a time, the dude would never keep up with evaporation...

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zeil
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1308 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2007 : 12:10:32

Could be that they're away looking for bigger buckets...

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2007 : 12:24:04

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Arlyn Stewart
 ...I was fully expecting Bristle or Lucier to come back at me with the reality that at one bucket at a time, the dude would never keep up with evaporation...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I just figured he could use bottles of that pink antifreeze.

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zeil
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1308 Posts

Response Posted - 02/19/2007 : 19:26:47

The bubbly pink kind of antifreeze??

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