Torries

HANDS-ON SAILOR

93

january/february 2017

cruisingworld.com

by pressing a bronze eye ring

into the slot, which prevents

the swivel from crawling up

the shank.

The debate over rope and

chain rode really comes down

to boat size and retrieval

equipment. Throughout a

13-year circumnavigation, I

successfully used a^3 ∕ 4 -inch

three-strand nylon rope rode

with a 60-foot chain lead,

buoyed to lift 20 feet of the

chain off the bottom. I had

no windlass, but as I moved

up in displacement from 6

to 9 tons, and in age from a

couple of decades to many,

I upgraded my next boat

fi rst with a manual windlass

and eventually with a 1,200-

watt electric windlass. With

this added weight-carrying

capacity and remote pulling

power, there was no reason

not to employ full chain, with

its attendant catenary eff ect

and resistance to chafe.

Overdoing the chain thick-

ness does not necessarily

add to safety. Once you have

met your required tensile

strength, using a^3 ∕ 8 -inch chain

over^5 ∕ 16 -inch will certainly add

to the weight and theoreti-

cally increase the catenary

eff ect. But due to weight or

space restrictions, your chain

may be shorter. In severe sit-

uations, it will be the scope,

not the chain weight, that

will determine the outcome

because, perhaps unbeliev-

ably, the chain will be pulled

bar-tight and the catenary

benefi ts will be minimal.

It is here where a strong

20- to 30-foot-long three-

strand nylon snubber will

save the day. It can stretch

up to 20 percent beyond

its own length, adding a bit

of cushion to the load and

thus minimizing the direct

snatch force on the anchor.

Many captains employ a

bridled snubber, i.e., two lines

running from foredeck side

cleats to the chain. However,

if the nylon is doubled, overly

thick and short (as bridles

tend to be), it will not stretch

suffi ciently to create the

desired cushioning eff ect.

Either way, snubbers do

take the shock load off the

windlass axle and place it on

the ship’s main bollard or

cleat, where it belongs.

As to the type of chain,

there is an unfortunate

amount of confusion. There is

high-test (often called Grade

43, made of 1002 carbon steel),

BBB (Grade 30, made from

1008 carbon steel) and proof

coil (also made with 1008 car-

bon steel). High-test boasts

nearly twice the strength of

BBB or proof coil, and thus a

smaller diameter can be used,

allowing for more scope at an

equal weight. BBB is popular

due to its lower cost and com-

patibility with most windlass

gypsies. Because of its short

links, it “behaves better,”

meaning it piles well and is

less likely to foul. The misno-

mer “proof coil” implies that

every link has been certifi ed

by the manufacturer, as some

chains are, but this is not the

case. Proof coil often fi nds a

home as a short lead in a rope/

chain system, but it should not

be considered for heavy-duty

windlass-driven work. Vessels

that ply extreme waters might

opt for a heat-treated high-

test, which adds signifi cantly

to the chain’s strength but

may lose its temper in the re-

galvanizing process. Given

the extreme areas I have done

much of my sailing in, and the

aforementioned loss of cate-

nary eff ect once the chain is

pulled taut, I believe the addi-

tional strength and length of

high-test is well worth the

additional cost.

Any chain, however,

requires constant inspection

for corrosion and stretch. I

end-for-end my chain annually.

In the past, it was more

economical to re-galvanize a

chain than to replace it, but

as the cost of galvanizing rises

rapidly, that gap closes. In

In Figure 3a, the swivel slid down the shank slot before

tension was applied to the chain. This can cause the swivel

to jam on the top of the shank, resulting in a bending force

on the swivel pin instead of the desired pulling. Figure 3b

shows a preferable situation, with an eye instead of a slot

in the end of the shank. Here the direction of pull allows

the swivel to articulate as intended.

No amount of backward or direct upward force will free

the anchor in Figure 2 from foul ground. By attaching a

light polypropylene trip line longer than the maximum

tidal depth, you can motor up to the buoy, pick it up and

go past the anchor before applying force. This will pull

the anchor out backward.

TIM BARKER

ALVAH’S TIP

Snubbers take the shock

load off the windlass axle

and place it on the boat’s

main bollard or cleat,

where it belongs. When

used properly, they also

minimize the direct snatch

force on the anchor.

Figure 3a

Figure 3b

Figure 2

CRW0217_HOS1_Anchoring.indd 93 11/22/16 10:26 AM