Anchor and other ground tackle

[MyLady]

When we had a Trident 24 sailing cruiser, we had an anchor and warp. I used it once, just to stop for luncheon.

 

Now we have a 55' narrow-boat and happily (you remember the old saw about ignorance being bliss) cruised down the Aire & Calder and Calder & Hebble without one. Recently we've had a saga following hitting underwater obstructions, so while I'm still confident that the engine (Mitsubishi K4) will continue to run, I'm far less confident that it will continue to drive the prop (and, of course, no sails). We don't have a chain locker, as we did on the Trident, so have little or no stowage for ground tackle...

 

What do more knowledgeable forum members advise? What anchor, how much chain, how much warp, where the hell to stow it?

 

The only good thing we have is a strong looking eye-bolt to which we can attach it all.

 

We hope to use the navigations again and maybe the Ribble link to the Lancaster canal, possibly other river/estuary links.

 

The deeper waters pose fewer underwater hazards, but we want to be safe, not to become a newspaper headline, or an unfortunate statistic, in the course of our continuous cruising.

 

With the Trident we once had to call out the Lifeboat, but those guys soothed our feelings ("You were doing OK" and "It's much more fun than being at work."), but still ended up in the local paper. Now I'm 66 instead of 40, I don't want to kill my wife. I didn't then, but had much more unjustified self confidence.

 

What should I do/buy?

 

Roger

[The Bagdad Boatman (waits)]

One of the fold flat danforths, 20m chain and a good kermantle type rope 20m that will double as the front warp. we stored the chain in the box that was the front step, and stored the anchor under the bed. Wenever we went on a river we set ip up ready in the foredeak.

[John V]

Saw a narrowboat with a fold flat anchor clipped to the for'd bulkhead of the cabin next to the front door, depends on your layout but it's surprising where you can find space if you think outside the box

[MyLady]

One of the fold flat danforths, 20m chain and a good kermantle type rope 20m that will double as the front warp. we stored the chain in the box that was the front step, and stored the anchor under the bed. Wenever we went on a river we set ip up ready in the foredeak.

 

Thanks for that, but what weight of danforth - and chain - to hold a 55' narrowboat in an emergency, swept away by tide/current in a no-drive situation? Prices I've seen range from 25 quid up to over 300 (just a light anchor, or a complete heavier anchor+chain+warp kit), I'd hate to buy the wrong one, either too heavy to handle, or too light to hold Milady!

 

Next, what is 'kermantle type rope'? On the yacht, I learned that cable length required depended on depth of water (less chain or more rope for any given depth of water - the chain absorbing jerks by the catenary from its weight, the rope by elasticity, e.g. nylon). What depth will those lengths cope with - river navigations or estuaries?

 

Or do I need to take advice from a salesman who wants to earn more commision?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Roger

Edited September 24, 2014 by MyLady

[Alan de Enfield]

You need :

 

A length of 12mm chain

A length of 14mm NYLON rope

A 20kg+ Danforth type anchor

Shackles to attach them together.

 

If you base the length of chain only at 3 times water depth, and Rope only at 10 times water depth, and a 50/50 mix of rope and chain at 6 or7 times water depth you will be 'OK'.

 

In the example above of 20 metre chain & 20 metres rope you should safely anchor in 6 metres of water.

[Grace and Favour]

What Alan de Enfield said

[David Schweizer]

It has always been my understanding that whilst it is fine to use an Anchor on rivers or on the river sections of a canal, they shouold not be used on dug canals as it risks damaging the clay puddling. Much of of the two navigations referred to in the OP fall into that catagory, where it would be OK to use an anchor, bnut it should not be used on the manmade sections or on any other manmade canals.

 

To answer the op's question, I would go for a Danforth; they are normally graded according to the length of your boat, the supplier should be able to advise.

Edited September 24, 2014 by David Schweizer

[ditchcrawler]

When we had a Trident 24 sailing cruiser, we had an anchor and warp. I used it once, just to stop for luncheon.

 

Now we have a 55' narrow-boat and happily (you remember the old saw about ignorance being bliss) cruised down the Aire & Calder and Calder & Hebble without one. Recently we've had a saga following hitting underwater obstructions, so while I'm still confident that the engine (Mitsubishi K4) will continue to run, I'm far less confident that it will continue to drive the prop (and, of course, no sails). We don't have a chain locker, as we did on the Trident, so have little or no stowage for ground tackle...

 

What do more knowledgeable forum members advise? What anchor, how much chain, how much warp, where the hell to stow it?

 

The only good thing we have is a strong looking eye-bolt to which we can attach it all.

 

We hope to use the navigations again and maybe the Ribble link to the Lancaster canal, possibly other river/estuary links.

 

The deeper waters pose fewer underwater hazards, but we want to be safe, not to become a newspaper headline, or an unfortunate statistic, in the course of our continuous cruising.

 

With the Trident we once had to call out the Lifeboat, but those guys soothed our feelings ("You were doing OK" and "It's much more fun than being at work."), but still ended up in the local paper. Now I'm 66 instead of 40, I don't want to kill my wife. I didn't then, but had much more unjustified self confidence.

 

What should I do/buy?

 

Roger

I was coming down the Caldon canal at tickover 2 weeks ago and the engine just died and wouldn't restart. Dirt in the primary diesel filter. Nothing is 100% reliable.

One of the fold flat danforths, 20m chain and a good kermantle type rope 20m that will double as the front warp. we stored the chain in the box that was the front step, and stored the anchor under the bed. Wenever we went on a river we set ip up ready in the foredeak.

When I feel the anchor may be required it sits on the foredeck held in place with a piece of core tied in a bow. The chain and rope sit in a plastic bucket sitting on the deck beside.

[ditchcrawler]

It has always been my understanding that whilst it is fine to use an Anchor on rivers or on the river sections of a canal, they shouold not be used on dug canals as it risks damaging the clay puddling. Much of of the two navigations referred to in the OP fall into that catagory, where it would be OK to use an anchor, bnut it should not be used on the manmade sections or on any other manmade canals.

 

To answer the op's question, I would go for a Danforth; they are normally graded according to the length of your boat, the supplier should be able to advise.

I think if a Narrowboat was pulling hard enough to cut an anchor through the puddle then there the rope would break or you would pull the bows under.

[MyLady]

You need :

 

A length of 12mm chain

A length of 14mm NYLON rope

A 20kg+ Danforth type anchor

Shackles to attach them together.

 

If you base the length of chain only at 3 times water depth, and Rope only at 10 times water depth, and a 50/50 mix of rope and chain at 6 or7 times water depth you will be 'OK'.

 

In the example above of 20 metre chain & 20 metres rope you should safely anchor in 6 metres of water.

 

As far as I can see, the only estuaries I'm likely to want to use are the Ribble link (to get to the Lancaster and back) and possibly the Severn (to get from Avonmouth to Sharpness, or vice versa) - anywhere else on the system I believe I wouldn't be taking Milady, but hiring another boat - I would like to do the Scottish ones (Grand Canal?).

 

I don't have the requisite charts to look up depths of water (though I acted as ignorant crew with Rod Taylor when he did the Severn), do you know if 6m of water covers these two - at least at the right stages of tide? (Or where to look on line?) I think (silly me) that 6m depth would be fine for the river sections of the navigations.

 

It has always been my understanding that whilst it is fine to use an Anchor on rivers or on the river sections of a canal, they shouold not be used on dug canals as it risks damaging the clay puddling. Much of of the two navigations referred to in the OP fall into that catagory, where it would be OK to use an anchor, bnut it should not be used on the manmade sections or on any other manmade canals.

 

To answer the op's question, I would go for a Danforth; they are normally graded according to the length of your boat, the supplier should be able to advise.

 

The canals tend not to have much current and meander anyway so that if wind is the problem, we'd end up on one bank or the other anyway sooner rather than later, so an ordinary moor would be fine - why should I want to use an anchor?

 

When we lost drive this recent time, we were blown to the bank quite soon - and while it was the 'wrong' one (offside) a passing boat towed us to the tow path side, long before RCR arrived. An anchor wouldn't have helped. If we'd had a tender to lay out a kedge, we could have taken a shore line instead.

 

Ditchwater, as I now know, to my cost, is right and our problem, or some other, could have happened on a river, nearish to a weir - that's an example of when ground tackle might have been the difference between life and death. Mere inconvenience - or even cost (we're lucky enough to receive two of the last, index linked, final salary pensions, so we can happily say, "It's only money" and relax) - is a relatively minor concern.

 

* * * * *

 

Thanks to all for stowage suggestions. Since our plans for the winter, as far as we have any, are to visit the Llangollen, an anchor isn't an immediate worry, the Trent, etc., can come later, but we need to have A PLAN before we do.

 

Incidentally, has anyone had to deploy an anchor in anger? I think I remember that just dumping the whole lot over the side is not a good idea, since that is likely to end up with the chain around the flukes - and no grip. Equally, feeding it out hand over hand is likely to give you rope burns, if not take your hand off, when the anchor bites. I think Ditchwater's bucket solution sounds good - the anchor cable would feed progressively out of the bucket, but I'd guess that a rapid retreat into the cabin, with doors closed, would be wise after throwing the anchor overboard...

 

Anchoring whilst in control was a much simpler process! (Plus the Trident was 'only' 3 tons, so the tackle was much lighter; I was 20 years younger; etc. It was just fun, not threatening at all, to anchor in a deserted bay to lunch...)

 

eta Where to buy it?

Edited September 25, 2014 by MyLady