Have your Anchor ready: Don't be caught out

[Theo]

Having just come up the Severn and the Avon the fact that my cooling water pump has just failed emphasized how important it is to have an anchor ready to be deployed.

 

We are on the North Stratford now and the engine cooling water pump is defunct but it is a manageable problem.  If it had happened on the Severn and we hadn't had the anchor ready it would have been life threatening.  On wide rivers like the Severn and the Trent we have the anchor at the front.  On these rivers, if you are going downstream there is room to be brought up and swing round head to the current.  On narrow rivers like the Avon and the Soar we have the anchor at the stern if going downstream.  Not ideal but better than being unable to turn and wedging right across the river with the current trying the capsize us.

 

I know that this topic has been aired before but I think that it's worth saying again that on a river an anchor is an essential piece of safety equipment and needs to be ready for deployment in an emergency. 

 

I frequently pass boats with the anchor neatly stowed on the roof with nothing attached to it.  Even if the crew know exactly where the chain cable and warp is it will take several vital minutes of panicky work to get it ready to deploy.

 

N

Edited August 15, 2023 by Theo

[IanD]

8 minutes ago, Theo said:

Having just come up the Severn and the Avon the fact that my cooling water pump has just failed emphasized how important it is to have an anchor ready to be deployed.

 

We are on the North Stratford now and the engine cooling water pump is defunct but it is a manageable problem.  If it had happened on the Severn and we hadn't had the anchor ready it would have been life threatening.  On wide rivers like the Severn and the Trent we have the anchor at the front.  On these rivers, if you are going downstream there is room to be brought up and swing round head to the current.  On narrow rivers like the Avon and the Soar we have the anchor at the stern if going downstream.  Not ideal but better than being unable to turn and wedging right across the river with the current trying the capsize us.

 

I know that this topic has been aired before but I think that it's worth saying again that on a river an anchor is an essential piece of safety equipment and needs to be ready for deployment in an emergency. 

 

I frequently pass boats with the anchor neatly stowed on the roof with nothing attached to it.  Even if the crew know exactly where the chain cable and warp is it will take several vital minutes of panicky work to get it ready to deploy.

 

N

 

I'm gonna take the bait -- what kind/size/length of anchor/chain/rope? 😉

[howardang]

3 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

I'm gonna take the bait -- what kind/size/length of anchor/chain/rope? 😉

Here we go again🫤

 

Howard

[Theo]

I'm going to bite and be prepared to be shot down.

 

We have 50ft chain and 40ft rope.  I do wonder if that it really enough on the Severn but I hope that as we approach the weir the water get shallow enought for the anchor to bite.

[mrsmelly]

18 minutes ago, Theo said:

Having just come up the Severn and the Avon the fact that my cooling water pump has just failed emphasized how important it is to have an anchor ready to be deployed.

 

We are on the North Stratford now and the engine cooling water pump is defunct but it is a manageable problem.  If it had happened on the Severn and we hadn't had the anchor ready it would have been life threatening.  On wide rivers like the Severn and the Trent we have the anchor at the front.  On these rivers, if you are going downstream there is room to be brought up and swing round head to the current.  On narrow rivers like the Avon and the Soar we have the anchor at the stern if going downstream.  Not ideal but better than being unable to turn and wedging right across the river with the current trying the capsize us.

 

I know that this topic has been aired before but I think that it's worth saying again that on a river an anchor is an essential piece of safety equipment and needs to be ready for deployment in an emergency. 

 

I frequently pass boats with the anchor neatly stowed on the roof with nothing attached to it.  Even if the crew know exactly where the chain cable and warp is it will take several vital minutes of panicky work to get it ready to deploy.

 

N

You are of course correct, only a numpty would disagree  Believe it or not some eejuts even think you are safer riding a peddle cycle without a helmet on as its much safer you know 

[IanD]

4 minutes ago, Theo said:

I'm going to bite and be prepared to be shot down.

 

We have 50ft chain and 40ft rope.  I do wonder if that it really enough on the Severn but I hope that as we approach the weir the water get shallow enought for the anchor to bite.

And the anchor type/weight?

 

Danforths and similar are cheap and very common but not very effective for their weight -- or looked at another way, the ones used are often too light for a 60' narrowboat because a heavy enough one is pretty unmanageable... 😉

 

(before anyone asks me -- 10kg Kobra + 5m of 8mm chain + 25m of 14mm anchorplait...)

[Theo]

8 minutes ago, howardang said:

Here we go again🫤

 

Howard

Sorry. 😕

 

Moderators, please delete this topic if it's all been said too often.

 

N

[Jon57]

10 minutes ago, Theo said:

I'm going to bite and be prepared to be shot down.

 

We have 50ft chain and 40ft rope.  I do wonder if that it really enough on the Severn but I hope that as we approach the weir the water get shallow enought for the anchor to bite.

Don't worry the anchor will bit the dolphins 😁

[IanD]

13 minutes ago, howardang said:

Here we go again🫤

 

Howard

Oh come on, it's literally *months* since this last came up, there might just be a few people on here who are still actually interested... 😉

[Theo]

6 minutes ago, IanD said:

And the anchor type/weight?

 

Danforths and similar are cheap and very common but not very effective for their weight -- or looked at another way, the ones used are often too light for a 60' narrowboat because a heavy enough one is pretty unmanageable... 😉

 

(before anyone asks me -- 10kg Kobra + 5m of 8mm chain + 25m of 14mm anchorplait...)

16kg danforth

 

[IanD]

1 minute ago, Theo said:

16kg danforth

 

What size boat?

[howardang]

1 minute ago, IanD said:

Oh come on, it's literally *months* since this last came up, there might just be a few people on here who are still actually interested... 😉

Only joking, honest!

 

Howard

[magnetman]

Do they not have barriers to prevent boats going onto the weirs on the Severn? 

 

I've not been so it is a genuine question but it seems slightly odd not to protect such vital infrastructure from boat damage. 

 

 

[blackrose]

I suspect the reason that some canal boaters either forget or neglect to have their anchor ready to deploy is 1) because they aren't used to being on rivers, and 2) because there's no suitable place to store the anchor on the boat so it gets left on the roof or in the gas locker, etc.

 

My anchor is always ready to deploy. I had the hawse pipe welded through the gas locker by a mobile welder, but is it really beyond the wit of canal boat builders to weld a tube in? None of them seem able to do it.

 

 

 

[magnetman]

An anchor in that position on a narrow boat will get caught up on lock gates. 

Less likely to happen on a wide bean obviously. 

[IanD]

1 minute ago, blackrose said:

I suspect the reason that some canal boaters either forget or neglect to have their anchor ready to deploy is 1) because they aren't used to being on rivers, and 2) because there's no suitable place to store the anchor on the boat so it gets left on the roof or in the gas locker, etc.

 

My anchor is always ready to deploy. I had the hawse pipe welded through the gas locker by a mobile welder, but is it really beyond the wit of canal boat builders to weld a tube in? None of them seem able to do it.

 

 

 

Oh dear, that type of old-style low-holding-capacity fluke anchor is surely unlikely to meet with CWDF approval... 😉

[LadyG]

Of course I 've considered  keeping a cassette (full) to use as a mud weight off the stern, but a 56lb weight would be better.

Obviously my Mantus stays at the bow, it's not heavy at 11kg, , but that pesky 8m of 12mm chain stuff makes it all a bit of a pain to carry across the roof.

I have my 30m of anchorplait to deal with as well, though I can detach it (green pin shackle), in case I need it for a Big Lock, I understand they are needed on the Thames, which is a Big River.

Edited August 15, 2023 by LadyG

[magnetman]

3 minutes ago, IanD said:

Oh dear, that type of old-style low-holding-capacity fluke anchor is surely unlikely to meet with CWDF approval... 😉

 

Smiths patent anchor? 

 

 

[LadyG]

3 minutes ago, IanD said:

Oh dear, that type of old-style low-holding-capacity fluke anchor is surely unlikely to meet with CWDF approval... 😉

"More form than function", were you tempted to say?

[magnetman]

The question is "is it lead weighted?" 

 

Theres a lovely one of those at Greenwich maritime museum which would just about hold the boat !

 

 

Greenwich museum 

 

 

 

I've got a rather smaller version which is indeed lead weighted and is remarkably heavy for its size. Still not a very good anchor though compared with modern stuff. 

 

 

 

 

Correction: This is a Halls patent anchor not a Smiths patent anchor. 

 

Mine is a Smiths. Slightly different shape same basic stockless design. 

 

 

 

 

The one in the photo from @blackrose does look like a Smiths patent anchor. 

[ditchcrawler]

52 minutes ago, Theo said:

I'm going to bite and be prepared to be shot down.

 

We have 50ft chain and 40ft rope.  I do wonder if that it really enough on the Severn but I hope that as we approach the weir the water get shallow enought for the anchor to bite.

Not a lot of danger at Bevere Lock

[Alan de Enfield]

16 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I've got a rather smaller version which is indeed lead weighted and is remarkably heavy for its size. Still not a very good anchor though compared with modern stuff. 

 

Known as an Admiralty Pattern and is used as the basis to compare the perormance of other anchors.

 

It has very poor holding power and basically relies on weight rather than form and shape.

 

Even the ubiquitous CQR anchor performs at least 2x as well at the AP.

Edited August 15, 2023 by Alan de Enfield

[blackrose]

33 minutes ago, magnetman said:

An anchor in that position on a narrow boat will get caught up on lock gates. 

Less likely to happen on a wide bean obviously. 

 

Ok, I'll take your word for it. It's never happened to me, not because it's a wide beam but because the leading edge of the bows are the rubbing strakes and below that the hull angles back towards the baseplate so there's no way to catch anything unless it's protruding just above the waterline. Isn't narrow boat hull design the same?

29 minutes ago, IanD said:

Oh dear, that type of old-style low-holding-capacity fluke anchor is surely unlikely to meet with CWDF approval... 😉

 

That's a Stockless anchor and if it doesn't meet with CWDF approval that's probably because some CDWF members don't know as much as they like to think.

24 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Known as an Admiralty Pattern and is used as the basis to compare the perormance of other anchors.

 

It has very poor holding power and basically relies on weight rather than form and shape.

 

Even the ubiquitous CQR anchor performs at least 2x as well at the AP.

 

It isn't an Admiralty Pattern anchor. That's an Admiralty Pattern anchor.

 

Edited August 15, 2023 by blackrose

[Sea Dog]

51 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Less likely to happen on a wide bean obviously. 

They're known as broad beans down our allotment, or have I misread that? 

[enigmatic]

As the token person who's actually deployed one in a narrowboat emergency (started going backwards at 2000 revs heading upstream on the Thames, which turned out to be a drive plate failure), I'd say yes they're definitely useful. You do actually have more time than you mightk think, but better to use that to try to restore drive or see if you can glide into a bank than trying to move an anchor and attach it to something

 

I did have a bit of a scare right above Beeston Lock weir on the Trent recently too (must have just been something caught on the prop) but managed to use the little bit of steering I had to get close enough to the lock landing to chuck a line ashore to a helpful boater. would definitely pick that over testing the anchor's holding power in front of a weir if you have the choice

(Credit to the boatyard for deploying the safety boat pretty darn quickly as well, even though it turned out to be unnecessary)