232 seamanship secrets
Rope Size
As a general rule of thumb,^1 / 8 inch of diameter for every 9 feet of boat length
gives a good starting point for rope size selection. For vessels with high freeboard
or extremely heavy displacement, add an additional^1 / 16 inch of diameter. Th ese
vessels tend to sail or hobbyhorse at anchor and need larger line to handle shock
loads. For instance, a 36-foot medium- to heavy-displacement cruising sailboat
with high freeboard would need^9 / 16 -inch nylon rode (^1 / 8 inch times four, plus
(^1) / 16 inch). Before buying large-diameter nylon line, make sure it’s compatible
with your bow cleats and windlass.
Coiling Down and Faking
Many sailors prefer three-strand line because it’s quick and easy to splice. But it
requires some attention prior to anchoring because three-strand nylon tends to
kink and might jam when running out of the anchor locker. Prevent this by coiling
down.
Pull the amount of line you need from the locker and lay it on deck. Th en
carefully coil it clockwise back down into the locker. As you coil, twist your wrist
a quarter turn clockwise at the beginning of each bight. Th is helps fl atten the coil
and keeps the kinks out. You might prefer to coil or fake the line on deck just before
anchoring. To fake the line, lay down long, narrow bights next to one another. It
uses more room than coiling, but the line runs free of kinks every time.
Double braid usually runs out much more easily without binding, hockling,
or jamming. Coil down double braid without the quarter turn of the wrist. Th e
coils look similar to a fi gure eight, which is the natural lay of this cordage.
Cordage Care
Wash and dry your anchor line with fresh water (rainwater works). Th is helps
prevent fi ber deterioration and hardening from salt and dirt abrasion. Before you
coil the line back into the locker, dry it by faking it over the rail or lifelines.
Thimble Choices
To protect the line from chafe, insert a thimble at the end of the rope rode.
Thimble material choices include steel, nylon composite, and bronze alloy.
Try to find thimbles with keeper arms, which hold the rope securely inside
the channels. Make your eyesplice tight against the thimble apex to prevent
the line from jumping off the thimble.
Steel. Galvanized or stainless steel gives excellent service and stands up
under heavy loads. Galvanized thimbles tend to deteriorate aft er heavy use in salt
water or damp stowage in a locker. Once they start corroding, rusting, or pitting,
eye-splice chafe soon follows. Cut off the splice, resplice the eye, and replace the
thimble. Stainless thimbles are not the best choice if submerged for long periods
in salt water. Th ey tend to rust and deteriorate through galvanic corrosion. Always