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Anchoring technique?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bill Root
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Bill Root

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  1. OWNER - I own a Hatteras Yacht
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54' MOTOR YACHT (1985 - 1988)
I have anchored out several times on our cruise from Florida to SC and back. This was the first time I had occasion to use the 60lb Danforth in soft mud. It held very well, even in multiple tide shifts in the rivers and creeks of the AICW. The problem has been breaking it loose.

The windless won't break the anchor out. I had to maneuver around quite a bit to free it, which I think is putting too much strain on the pulpit. My last anchor was a CQR, so I have had no experience with a Danforth type anchor on a large boat. I always put out at least seven to one scope, and admittedly backed down pretty hard to get a good set, but it still seems it shouldn't be this hard to pull out. Is there a technique for dislodging this style anchor that I'm not aware of?

I'm hoping the "anchoring experts" on this forum can provide some insights.
 
this often happens to me, whether with the FX55 on my boat of the 176 Bruce on the boat i run.

When i notice the rode is near vertical and the WL is straining, I just release the windlass switch and wait a little while. usually 10 or 15 seconds with the rode vertical is enough to dislodge the anchor out of the mud. usually the momentum of the boat going past vertical is enough to pull it free with minimal stress. If you are concerned about the integrity of the pulpit and the anchor is really hard to get off the bottom, you can always quickly rig a bridle and power the boat forward... i've never had to resort to that.
 
I do what Pascal does w/ my 60 lb Danforth.
 
I have always bring the anchor line to vertical with windlass, shut it off, then slowly drive over it to break it free. I then use windless to bring line rest of the way up. I was kinda pissed when the new Good windlass I installed kept tripping the breaker when I tried to break anchor free. Got a hold of owner at Good who told me about this technique (it's stated in the operators manual as well to proceed as I described). The Good windless and Danforth I use are both oversized for the boat.

Here's a nifty trick I came up with (never see anyone else doing it, so I'll take credit :) ) Once I get anchor back up to pulpit, usually covered in mud, I let about 15' to 30' of line back out, depending on depth – you don’t want it hitting the bottom. I then put the boat in reverse at a good pace and drag the anchor and line that was lying on bottom thru the water for about 15 seconds. Windless it back up and 99% of the mud is gone.
 
My FX55 requires a bridle to break it loose without pulling the pulpit off the boat! ;)

I'm confident the method Pascal uses will work given some time to allow it to happen but I'm too impatient for that. I get overhead, attach the bridle and give it a bit of slow, ahead. It still tends to stop the boat but after one or two pulls, it reluctantly releases.
 
Pascal, Bill, Mike, Scott:

Thanks for the great advice. I'm pleased to hear that it's not just me having a problem breaking a Danforth loose. Apparently I need to be a little more patient, and I need to make a bridle.
 
"Here's a nifty trick I came up"

Sadly, you can't collect the prize money for that one. My uncle did that on his small fishing boat in the mid '60s. Everybody I know who anchors out does that. I suspect the technique has been around as long as there has been muddy/sticky bottoms, anchors, and boats. :)
 
yeah, i always leave the anchor a couple of feet below waterline and back up a little, or if the anchorage is crowded i pivot the boat 90 degrees back and forth to create flow around the anchor then bring it all the way up.
 
When I was more energetic, while anchoring in the North Channel the mud is so tannic that it stains your fiberglass if it touches the boat. So my father would break loose the anchor and I would launch the jet ski from the TNT lift, take a toilet scrubber with me and scrape, wash, and purify the anchor while it was just at the surface. By the time we were drifting down on other anchored boats or hit the shore, we'd finish up. He drag the anchor at the surface out to a wide channel. I'd put the jet ski back on the lift and scramble up to the bow to pull the last 10 feet in and secure the anchor. Now how stupid was that!
 
Bill, I noticed you say you always put out 7-1 scope. I this an all chain rode or chain and rope? I the the latter you really only need a bridle to help break out the anchor, in which case some three strand line and a rolling hitch will do the job. 9 out of 10 times, just getting the rode close to vertical, not bar tight, with boat horsing a little and waiting a couple of minutes does the job.

I have all chain and use a bridle all the time as a snubber to add some stretch and take the load off the windlass and pulpit while at anchor. Again this can be accomplished with some 3/4" three strand and a rolling hitch, or a couple pieces of 5/8 and a devil's claw hook which is what I use now. When it has to be deployed for anchor break out duty, I shorten it up to about 5 feet and re-hook it.
 
Many of you mention a "bridle".... I am not familiar with the term. What is a bridle?
Thanks.
Rick
 
Many of you mention a "bridle".... I am not familiar with the term. What is a bridle?
Thanks.
Rick

Its what a future father inlaw puts around the grooms neck before the wedding.
 
It's just a "V" of line with a chain hook (assuming you have chain rode) running in the middle. You attach each end of the V to a bow cleat (bridle runs UNDER the pulpit) and the hook to the chain. Then lower anchor rode (chain) until thee is a loop in the chain and the bridle/cleats takes all the strain instead on the pulpit/windlass.
 
I use colored zip ties on the chain when the anchor is still in a few feet of water but off the bottom. Then I know when I'm off and can drag the anchor clean. Bridles are great.
 
George:

I have all chain rode on the Danforth which is the primary anchor, 20' of chain and 200' of 3/4 nylon line on the FX-55 secondary anchor. Based on what I'm hearing here, I can't wait to have to pull that one up.

We're tied up at Ortega Landing Marina in Jacksonville for the Labor Day weekend. Very nice facility. I will be taking the boat over to Lamb's Yacht center in Jacksonville Tuesday for a bottom job and some other maintenance. I will put the bridle together while I'm there. I plan to anchor out at least twice when we leave Lamb's and head back to Sanford later this month, so I'll have a good opportunity to try out the bridle.

Thanks again to all for the great advice.
 
Learned something new about anchoring yesterday. Actually, it's total common sense but it had never actually occurred before so I had never thought about it...

We took the boat to St Michaels, MD. Anchored outside the harbor with the rest of the "fleet." We never do that since we never go there on weekends; we normally anchor in the harbor area. OK...we noticed that nearly everyone was anchored in about 20-22ft of water. Moving through the field we found 9 ft of water and I wondered why everyone wasn't anchored closer in, in the 9 ft. So we deployed the FX55; it wouldn't set. We trled it 3 more times - wouldn't set.

Finally it occurred to me that maybe all those other boats know something I don't so we moved back to where they were, in 20 ft, deployed the anchor, backed down and, as usual, the FX55 jerked the boat to a halt.

We dinked into town, ate/drank/shopped, dinked back, loaded up and left. As we were leaving we turned on the sonar display and realized what the problem had been - the 9 foot depth we were trying to anchor in sloped rapidly to the 20ft depth so we were trying to set the anchor in the downhill slope so it was just pulling out immediately because there was no "ground" there.

Like I said - a total lack of common sense thing and too much of the "Why the heck are all those idiots anchoring in 20 ft when they could be anchoring in 9?" Wrong idiot! ;)
 
Your Windlass should be used for raising your anchor only. To break the anchor loose, use the boat. I have a rocna and boy due they set so I have to employ patience, patience patience which I'm usually in short supply of.

A bridle is a must , IMO, if you are going to stay on the hook alot. IMO you should never anchor leaving your chain or rope on your windlass, if you are not using a bridle. There is simply to much strain on the Windlass shaft and there is a chance that in a storm the windlass may activate (mine has) due to water getting to the switches etc. The bridle also cuts down on hobby horsing and a little on swinging around in the wind.
 

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