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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Pulling up an anchor attached to the bow cleat

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Jmurfy
Navigator

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USA
176 Posts

Initially Posted - 09/23/2007 : 17:45:07

Does anyone have a good suggestions or strategies for getting to the bow when the weather changes for the worst and you need to get the rode untied from the bow cleat?

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John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 09/23/2007 : 19:52:08

Pray?

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 09/23/2007 : 21:25:00

I usually walk to the bow, but that's just me.

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zeil
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1314 Posts

Response Posted - 09/23/2007 : 22:06:19

I just follow orders

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sweetcraft
Admiral

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USA
816 Posts

Response Posted - 09/24/2007 : 00:53:03

Get your lifevest on and harness and snap on then go forward.

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 09/24/2007 : 06:34:33

if you fear for your life then an anchor is expendable. I have one of these.

I assume you are concerned that your anchor line will have become so tight on the cleat from the rough weather that you cannot untie it under load. Haul a little line up and wrap, not cleat, it around the other bow cleat, that will take the load off of the tightened one, after you get it loose the new wrapped line will come off easily.

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 09/24/2007 : 12:26:30

I second the suggestion for the PFD. If the boat is really thrashing, keep your butt on the cabintop and your feet on the side-deck until you get to the foredeck, and then one hand on a lifeline or the bow pulpit. (On a C-250, just pray.

)

Also be sure, when anchoring, to make at least a complete 360 turn around the cleat base, and then one "un-locked" turn (bitter end on top) on a horn, before a "locking" turn (bitter end under) on the other horn. That helps to keep the "locked" turn from getting so tight it can't be released quickly.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 09/24/2007 12:27:58

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 09/24/2007 : 12:38:16

first of all get comfortable going to the bow in all weather. Keep this in mind : CRAWL. Also of course one hand for yourself, one for the ship.

Second of all those bow cleats for docklines are totally unsuitable for anchoring. They are too small and not in the right place. I installed a 8 inch Herschoff cleat behind my forestay but in front of the anchor locker, with a big aluminum backing plate inside the anchor locker. This keeps the rode in line with the anchor roller and the excess drops right into the locker.

When anchored, I have the anchor locker hatch open and held to the pulpit with a big bungee cord.

I carry 3 anchors - 2 bow anchors and 1 stern anchor. If I have to set a second bow anchor I use the bow cleat on it.

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 09/24/2007 : 13:19:31

We have started clipping in to our spinnaker halyard if the weather gets nasty. As long as you've got it adjusted to the right height, you can only fall as far as the stretch in the halyard. This presumes that you don't somehow end up over the lifelines and become a pendulum from the top of the mast. Ideally you'd have a connection to a jackline to keep you in place laterally, and the connection to the spinnaker halyard keeps you in place vertically. Thinking about this a bit, I think I'll start having Rita clip into a lifeline as well as the halyard, this would limit her horizontal travel should she go overboard since we don't have jacklines yet. Then I can crank her up with the halyard & winch to get her feet back on the deck

This really only works well if you've got someone in the cockpit who can adjust the halyard as the foredeck person moves about. It also requires that the foredeck person get to the front of the mast w/o the halyard's protection because it' attached to the front of the mast. This is a less than ideal situation, but at least you can go from the front of the mast to the bow pulpit with some protection, otherwise it's harrowing when the deck is pitching and if you go over on a jackline, you're dangling from the bow.

We always wear our auto inflating PFD's, and so far we've had no accidents, but I know I've been scared and Rita terrified on a couple of occasions. We also generally have the Avon tagging along behind us a couple of boat lengths so you have a chance of grabbing it or it's painter as it goes by. Not exactly applicable in an anchoring situation, but maybe something to think about.

I keep meaning to put a chop knife in the anchor locker, but I like the idea of an axe like yours Frank, it takes much less finesse to whack a line with an axe then it does with a knife, plus you've got more reach.

In case you're wondering why Rita goes forward instead of me, it's because she weighs about 1/3 what I do. If I go forward, we lose thrust from the engine about half the time as the waves go through. If she goes forward the engine stays in the water, at least most of the time. The other reason is because she's not experienced enough (yet) to be able to effect a rescue in the case where I went overboard. Most likely I'd die or be unresponsive due to hypothermia before she got the boat back to me. The Puget Sound warms up to about 55° in the summer. I'm not sure of the time frame if you go in, but I'd guess it's less than 15 minutes before you'd be unable to make good decisions or help yourself. We have a Lifesling II, and plan on doing some MOB drills with it the next time we go out. And when we anchored last time, I had her do all the driving while I worked on the foredeck, just so she'd get the experience. By this time next year, I expect she'll be as proficient as me.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 09/24/2007 : 14:34:02

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by delliottg
 ...In case you're wondering why Rita goes forward instead of me, it's because she weighs about 1/3 what I do...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Remember that one, guys!

(Of course, you might never get fed again...)

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 09/24/2007 14:35:19

crcalhoon
Captain

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USA
303 Posts

Response Posted - 09/24/2007 : 18:21:21

One other little trick that works pretty well. Learn to tie a rolling hitch. When you get hard up on the anchor line, clap on a rolling hitch and lead it aft to a sheet winch. Take a little tension on it and you can loosen the anchor line or "freshen the nip." Sometimes when riding through a good blow, it is a good idea to expose a different part of the anchor line to the chocks and cleats. Freshening the nip does that. Just let out a foot or so. Do it again every half hour or so, depending on how hard it is blowing.

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Jmurfy
Navigator

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USA
176 Posts

Response Posted - 09/25/2007 : 22:57:48

Thanks for the suggestions. The ax is a good idea. My boat was recently tossing like one of those bull riding machines while I was anchored and watching an air and water show in Chicago. It takes alot for me to get nervous on "My Joy" but I was really dreading going to the bow when the frequent 5 foot waves started up and I was alone on the boat.

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bbriner
Captain

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349 Posts

Response Posted - 09/26/2007 : 11:36:24

I can't remember what it is called, but the idea is similar to the rolling hitch back to the cleat... we tied a 2nd line to the anchor line (using, yes, a rolling hitch) that has a float on the end. If the anchor line was under too much load to pull up then we can use the 2nd line that would (a) relieve the load on the anchor rode and (b) provide a better angle to loosen the anchor.

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MattL
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 09/27/2007 : 23:43:55

Now I don't anchor all that often. I remember reading in different books, such as chapmans, as a youngster that it is a wise idea to tie the bitter end around the mast with a bowlin.

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Jmurfy
Navigator

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USA
176 Posts

Response Posted - 09/28/2007 : 06:41:54

The rolling hitch with a 2nd line running back to a winch is an excellent idea.

Tying the rode off to the mast base is also interesting. The only problem then would be how to you pull the anchor up presumably over the bow?

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 09/28/2007 : 08:25:56

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by MattL
 ...tie the bitter end around the mast with a bowlin.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">It's a good idea to tie it off somewhere before dropping the anchor. (On a small boat, the mast could be the simplest place.) When paying out the rode in an emergency situation (drifting toward rocks in a blow), you could lose hold of it and... there you are! I suppose it could also be a backup if the bow cleat ripped off... On our C-25, I tied off the rode to a U-bolt I installed in the anchor locker. On my "pot", with the windlass, I have a fist-sized knot inside the locker--it can't fit through the opening to the windlass.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 09/28/2007 08:30:30

tinob
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1883 Posts

Response Posted - 09/28/2007 : 10:27:57

Jeff,

I seldom anchor, but when I do I will run the anchor line back to the cockpit where it's tied off. Up front there are a few places to do this, I prefer using the trailer ring. Set up this way you could use the gunnel mounted winches to haul a heavily set anchor.

Val on Calista # 3936, Patchogue, N.Y.

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Jmurfy
Navigator

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USA
176 Posts

Response Posted - 09/30/2007 : 22:28:54

Val, do you use blocks to run the rode aft and what do you do with the anchor once it clears the water? Do you let it hang in front of the bow?

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