An(g)chor management single handed

[Hydraulicjump]

A question for you veterans. We got the R-27 because it is so easy to single-hand when my spouse is not available or interested in fun. I have mastered launching from and driving onto the trailer by myself (thanks Andrew for the coaching), and am comfortable with docking in less than ideal conditions (after some iterative mishaps). The next challenge is to anchor the boat on my own. Dropping and setting the hook is no major deal, but I'd like to hear from the veterans about retrieving in a stiff current or breeze or both when on your own. All the warnings about not using the windlass to pull the boat to the anchor are disconcerting, and just motoring up on a rode you can't see from the helm is not fun. Thoughts? Secrets?

The recent posts detailing late night re-sets stirred this up.
Jeff

 

[JamesTXSD]

When retrieving on my own, using the windlass, I motor slowing into the current or wind (you can tell from your swing approximately where the anchor/wind/current is. Motor up slowly while raising the anchor with the windlass. Have your anchor line/chain marked with depths (I do 25 foot intervals for markings) so you know when you are reasonably above the anchor. Hold the boat in position with a bit of forward power while you pull the rest of the anchor rode/chain up. Pause just before the anchor comes into the anchor roller so it doesn't override the roller. You can slowly move whatever direction you need at this point. I check the anchor for mud - drop it down just to the water, if necessary, to help rinse it (repeat as necessary). Pull it back up, pausing again to let any twist in the chain spin out, then pull it into the roller... and you are good to go.

 

[Hydraulicjump]

Thanks Captain Jim. The only catch with our Ranger Tugs is the small chain locker. The chain rode piles up in it and causes the chain to jump off the windlass. Guess I should stop just before breaking the anchor free and run up to clear the chain pile first. Then pull it out.

Thanks for the advice.

Jeff

 

[walldog]

Thanks Captain Jim. The only catch with our Ranger Tugs is the small chain locker. The chain rode piles up in it and causes the chain to jump off the windlass. Guess I should stop just before breaking the anchor free and run up to clear the chain pile first. Then pull it out.

Thanks for the advice.

Jeff

I am considering putting a 2x4 or some similar piece of wood in our chain locker to direct the rode to one side or the other. We can only pull up about 8-10 foot of chain before the pile jams the windlass. So it is: "Run the windlass in a few feet, push and spread the chain, repeat." No way it can be done from the helm. Has anyone put anything in the chain locker to stop the rode from piling up under the windlass?

 

[JamesTXSD]

I was not aware of the issue with the chain locker in the tugs. Sounds like a design change could be helpful. Without seeing it, could you put a "cone" where the chain is fed into the locker to spread the chain around and keep it from piling up?

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

We have to re align the chain at least two or three times when retreiving the anchor as well and never thought of the cone or board diversion idea, its worth a try. To Jeff's question about doing this by yourself I have two approaches, depending on circumstances. With little or no current or wind I go onto the bow with the engine already started and bring the rode in by the bow controls. This way I can rearrange the piled chain and continue, see the anchor and if it needs to be cleaned and manage bringing the anchor straight into the bow pulpit with out damage to the bow gelcoat. If it's really blowing or the current is to stiff where it is a concern I apply Capt. Jim's approach from the cabin, up until the chain piles up and then I go onto the bow. It will be interesting to see how this works with a small cone inside the chain locker. Gotta add a small cone to my spring to do list.

Jim

 

[knotflying]

Using the method described above, pull forward, retrieve chain until it binds, clear and start over, I have also done this by opening the hatch in the v-berth, using the control buttons on the bow and hopping out through it. I put the center cushion upside down on top of the other cushions to give me that added lift to get out. I do it this way because being alone I am always afraid that I could always slip and fall into the water and watch the boat float away after the anchor is released. I use 8 plait rode that lays down very well so my binding is less frequent, but it would be nice to have a deeper locker. However that will most likely be at the expense of V-berth length.

Mike Rizzo

 

[Hydraulicjump]

A cone is a great idea. I've got some old plastic "conehead" dog collars around from vet visits. Might try to customize one of those.

Going to haul the rode out tomorrow and mark it. Wll experiment and report back any good results. Thanks for the sage advice.

Jeff

 

[Longbranch Louie]

Wonder if a heavy duty traffic cone, or sport field marker cone (various sizes) might work.
For the solo sailors that might feel wearing a PFD while working up top is not warranted, I lost my brother some years back in a boating accident. He was motoring alone in a 28 foot boat on a calm lake. Boat was found out of fuel, his body never recovered. We don't know if he slipped while up top or fell off the back, or had medical issues but we do know that all PFDs were down below.

 

[baz]

Longbranch:

Sorry to read about your loss. The PFD is excellent advice.

On the cone theory... I find it hard to visualize how the chain might find its way around the cone in a sensible way. I can see that it might but I'm not convinced. Has anyone actually tried this method of having the chain (and presumably the nylon rode) coiled nicely around a cone as the anchor is retrieved.

An anchor swivel can avoid chain wind-up issues to avoid the anchor from swiveling as it nears the boat.

I've only anchored a single time and when retrieving the anchor I did not experience the issue of the chain piling up in the locker nor having the chain bind or jumping off the windlass. I'm not saying it does not happen, but I've not experienced this yet.

I will be interested in knowing if the 'cone' trick works. Of course the cone takes up precious space in the limited anchor locker hold.

 

[BaseCampAnne]

I have anchored @ a half-dozen times and have gone up from the v berth twice and from the cockpit the other times because I did not have enough upper body strength or have a tall solid base prepared ahead to stand on to boost myself up there. (It probably required a rush of adrenaline the times I got up through the 25SC hatch, knowing I needed to get there very quickly due to drifting or something 😳)

The chain bunching up has been an issue for me every single time when bringing up the anchor. Even getting it "unstuck" sometimes has been a problem!

I digress here...Bob Ostlund has made and sells a device that works, using the dinghy to go out on the water and attach the device to the chain, then pulling the chain to the stuck anchor in the opposite direction. As with everything, it would be safer to have two involved in that activity.

It is exciting to think someone here may figure solutions to the anchor retrieval whether it be a cone to keep the chain from bunching up or something else. I cannot quite visualize the cone idea, but Jim has lots of experience. i am rooting for a solution!

As a solo boater and Coast Guard Auxilarist I am used to always wearing a pfd. Being up in front in the wind is enough of a challenge, and I have yet to try with the engine engaged. Sounds scary to this solo boater :roll:

Perhaps it could be done on a 29 or 31 with the side door open and the engine in gear for a nimble, light-footed person moving quickly :shock:

 

[HRowland]

Hopefully someone comes up with a solution, we have never been able to retrieve all of the chain without pausing to clear the pileup.
Debbie has become used to the anchor routine, once the nylon rode is in we pause, she moves the rode to the side to clear space under the windlass, then we bring in the chain. Sometimes we need to clear the chain one time if it piles up too much.

I would not want to lose any legroom in the V-Berth to make the locker deeper, at 6' 3" tall I need every bit of length!

Howard

 

[Hydraulicjump]

Sorry folks. I am of no help. Today I pulled all 50' of chain and 175' of line out of the locker to clean things off and mark at 25' lengths (as recommended). Experimented with pieces of wood and the dog's conehead, but I am afraid the locker is just too shallow for me to make anything work. What worked best is to push as much line as possible to the side just before the chain starts going in. That seemed to reduce the frequency of chain clearing to about one or two. The windlass got a workout.

Small boats require lots of tradeoffs. I'll trade the once or twice a year when I really want a deeper chain locker for the number of times I am glad the V-berth is big enough for me to sleep in.

Again, thanks for the advice. Will test it out next week when the boat moves to Sacramento Marina for a month or two.

Jeff

 

[TonyM]

Hello Tugnutters,
I spent last spring and summer cruising and fishing on the Columbia and I did a lot of single-handed anchoring.
There was no getting around going to the bow to clear the rode in the locker. :cry:
What I discovered was when you get to the chain, clear all the rode to the sides as much as you can so the bottom of the locker is clear.
Now you can retrieve the last 50 feet of chain from inside the cabin without having to go to the bow.
Procedure:
1. Retrieve chain until it jams (around 25 feet)
2. Reverse and let out a few feet of chain (this will flatten the pile of chain in the locker)
3. Continue retrieving the chain, if the chain jams again reverse and repeat procedure.
I have got to the point where I can anticipate when the chain is going to jam so I stop and reverse before it jams, usually three times for the 50ft of chain.
This has worked for me on the chain, now I need a method of retrieving the rode

Tony M
Molly M, R-25 SC

 

[ngleadow]

After a series of dysfunctional episodes with the winch and anchor chain, as detailed by a number of posts in this forum, my wife and I abandoned the winch. Our previous boats (all sailboats) had no winch, so this was not a new method of handling anchoring for us. The noise of the winch, plus the problems of the chain piling up decided us. So I lower and pull up the anchor by hand. To facilitate this, I moved the hinges from the broad end of the anchor locker hatch to the narrow end. That way, it opens away from the winch. This makes it easier for us to lower the chain and line into the locker. So back to basics...abandon the winch and strengthen those arms!

Have fun

Norm on Blue Socks