anchor and hoist it aboard with some sort of
tackle rigged to a crane or boom.
For these reasons, almost all yachts
fitted with anchors in hawsepipes have sub-
stantial chafing pads or plates around the
hawsehole for the anchor to rest on and com-
monly also at the stem by the waterline,
where the chain may rub. Usually, these are
of stainless steel, but sometimes they are of
plastic such as UHMWPE.
Finally, of course there are many fine
large yachts with properly fitted and installed
anchors in hawsepipes (Figure 24-16). These
anchors are often ensconced in recesses in
the side of the hull, all lined with stainless,
and with stainless chafing built in around the
stem. You can see this in the photo of the
Jack Hargrave–designed motoryacht Ilona
(Figure 24-16).
How the Big Fellows Do It
Figure 24-17 shows an anchor windlass, with
stud-link chain (navy type in this case) running
through a hawsepipe on a 950-foot (290 m)
ship. Though it sure is a whole lot bigger, it’s re-
ally set up the same way as on any boat. The
claw extended near the railing on the left is the
chain claw for tensioning the anchor chain.
The hand wheel at the far right tensions the
brake band on the chain wildcat drum. You can
get a feel for the scale from the railing on the
left. It’s about 40 inches (1 m) high.Chain-Locker Requirements
Of course, as you retrieve your anchor,
the rode (rope and chain) has to go
somewhere—into the chain locker. This is
one of the most common sources of foul-ups
(literally) with anchoring systems. Ideally,
the chain locker should be as deep and high
and narrow as possible and located as
directly under the windlass exit pipe as pos-
sible. The pipe that leads the chain down
into the anchor locker is called either the
spurling pipeor the chain pipe, not the
hawsepipe. There should be a minimum of
18 inches (46 cm) clear from the bottom of
the spurling pipe to the top of the chain pile
(24inches, or 60 cm, is better) when the
locker is full. The spurling pipe should be as
vertical as possible, ideally straight up and
down, though a small angle is acceptable.
The angle can never be more than 45 degrees,
however. Each anchor rode must have itsChapter 24: Sizing the Anchor and Rode and Selecting Anchor-Handling Gear
Figure 24-15. Bobstay damaged from
anchor chain
Figure 24-16. Anchors in hawsepipes
(Courtesy Hargrave Custom Yachts)
Figure 24-17. Ship
windlass and
hawsepipe