There is a sense of confidence that comes from being prepared for 99.9% of what Ma Nature and her partner Posiedon throw at us. It sure would be nice to have it. But I do like a secure bugout route. It lets me concentrate on the tasks at hand without the tanglefoot of terror when the fun begins. To borrow a phrase, the difference between a problem and a disaster is running out of options.

I deal with anchors as follows: For the usual day sail, I keep two anchors (a 5-lb hooker and a folding grapnel) in a plastic bucket in the cabin, as far forward as I can reach quickly. The bucket also holds the rodes, prevents the anchors from chewing up the cabin or the cockpit, and is an ideal place to put a muddy anchor when you don't have time to get it perfectly clean.

In addition, I keep a loop of line rigged from the bow eye and back to the cockpit, tied off on the side rail where it meets the cabin side. The loop is secured to the bow eye with a stainless carabiner and the ends of the line are hitched to a stainless ring. In the anchor bucket, there is a one-handed snatch block with swivel and snap-clevis to attach to the ring. An anchor rode can be quickly and easily inserted in the block and run up to the bow without having to set foot outside the cockpit -- a major advantage when you are setting an emergency anchor in rough water. I keep the snatch block in the bucket to prevent it from banging the side of the boat, and to make sure that it doesn't develop legs. A snatch block can be a pricey item, and could be replaced with a carabiner -- but mind the chafing.

Just to make sure you have a clear picture, here is a sketch.

In a larger boat, you may want to lash the anchor rode to the jib sheet winch or some such. This rig is so cheap, simple, and functional.

General Setup:

1. Get 1/2" line long enough to reach from bow eye to rail and back with enough left over to secure to rail.
2. Loop line around forward end of cockpit rail and secure bitter ends of line to SS 2" ring with anchor hitches.
3. Use SS carabiner to secure bow end of loop to bow eye.

Rest position (when anchor is not deployed):

1. Ring is forward.
2. Bight of line is knotted to rail.

To deploy anchor:

1. Loosen bight from rail.
2. Pull ring back.
3. Clip snatch block to ring.
4. Secure bitter end of rode to boat.
5. Close snatch block around nylon part of rode.
6. Rotate ring and snatch block back to bow, paying out rode to allow keeping anchor in cockpit for now.
7. Secure bight of ring loop to rail.
8. Sail to anchorage, pulling upwind to dead stop where anchor is to be dropped, and toss it over the side.
9. With motor or controlled backdown, pay out rode, cleat, and set anchor.

Retrieval is essentially the reverse of the above, allowing changes for the state of the wind, sea, and current.

Q:  I have lost two hung-up anchors, and wonder how great the stress would be on the cabin attachment?

A:  When the anchor is deployed, the ring attached to the snatch block is adjacent to the bow eye. The aft end of the loop is secured to the front end of the cockpit rail.

Q:  Have you had any problems with too much stress?

A:  As the stresses on the snatch block are lateral, the proportion of the forces transmitted to the rail is less than 25%. The majority of the force is transmitted to a big cleat at the stern. This transfer is aided by the pulley on the snatch block, as it allows the nylon rode to stretch all the way from the stern.

Q:  Do you have any way to protect the hull from the anchor, or have any thoughts how that might be accomplished?

A:  The light anchor ordinarily lives just inside the cabin hatch in a bucket when it is not deployed. It never has a chance to damage the hull. One drawback to to this rig is that it is for short-term use only. I watch carefully for chafe and loose knots.

Q:  How big of a snatch block did you use?  Harken's smallest one is $175, there is a Ronstan cam lock snatch block for $135 and Wichard Ronstan Snatch Block for $100 to $120. There is also a question of whether it needs to be a snap or trunnion shackle? I'm not really worried about the cost, but I want to get one that will work as advertised without spending more than I need to.

A:  I used a Harken 1608 snatch block. It has plastic sides, which I felt would do less damage to the hull if (WHEN!) it contacted it, could be operated with one hand, and had a trunion snap shackle to allow it to be quickly attached/detatched from the ring on the rail-to-bow loop. In addition, while the classic snatch block can fall open if not under strain, the Harken one-hand design has positive locking closure. I'll admit that it is very pricey, but I really don't want to go forward on a P15 if there is any way around it, and it could be very interesting if the snatch block opened and allowed the rode to come around to the stern. Taking seas over the transom is a bad idea. The additional load on the anchor also makes it more likely to take a hike.

Q:  You indicate that you tie off the bight of the bow-rail loop with a knot on the rail. I think that the bight is the curvature of the line as it comes around the rail. Right? Do you tie it off just to make the line tight or to keep the ring from moving away from the bow of the boat?

A:  Both. On installation, I pass the loop around the rail so that there is no way that it can be lost. The knot used to hold the ring forward is typically just a few half hitches of the loose bight around the part of the line that is under strain.

Last Modified 3/4/01