Anchors Aweigh!

[bizzard]

A long heaving line kept coiled and ready for use is a very useful tool and has many uses, like;- Chucking to someone on the towpath to pull you out of trouble. Chucking to another boat to tow you out of trouble. Chucking to someone in distress, drowning. Towing. Tying up mutinous crew members. Tying between two trees to practice tightrope walking. Tying between two trees and slinging a tarp over to make a tent. Abseiling, scaling cliffs and mountains. Lassoing Buffalo ect.  The art of correctly heaving a coiled rope needs practice.  Manipulating wet ropes and heaving lines can make your hands chapped and horny, just like a real Jack Tar, keep a tube of Nivia handy, it will help to keep your hands nice and supple.  A lump of old iron like an old gearbox or an air cooled lawn mower engine make good mud weights tied to your rope, all the bits sticking out and the fins really grip the mud well.

Ah, I forgot to mention, they make a good strong washing line too.

Edited April 3, 2017 by bizzard

[MtB]

I have a light heaving line on my boat with a grappling hook on the end instead of a monkey's fist.  

Jolly handy for holding the stern in and stopping it flapping about in the stream after mooring by tying the bow to a tree overnight in a wild bit where there is no bank to moor on.

[Wanderer Vagabond]

As a sort of follow up to my original comment regarding a preference for being held bows on to the current by an anchor rather than sideways across a weir restraining chain, what is the advisability of going down the weed hatch under those circumstances? It occurred to me after I posted that with the current now coming onto the boat sideways and with some obstruction wrapped around your prop, opening the weed hatch could possibly make a bad day a whole lot worse. On the one hand you'd need some engine power to get off that sort of position, but on the other hand if the obstruction on the prop diverted the flow of water upwards through the weed hatch you then wouldn't have to worry about getting off, refloating might become more of an issue!

[Naughty Cal]

10 hours ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

As a sort of follow up to my original comment regarding a preference for being held bows on to the current by an anchor rather than sideways across a weir restraining chain, what is the advisability of going down the weed hatch under those circumstances? It occurred to me after I posted that with the current now coming onto the boat sideways and with some obstruction wrapped around your prop, opening the weed hatch could possibly make a bad day a whole lot worse. On the one hand you'd need some engine power to get off that sort of position, but on the other hand if the obstruction on the prop diverted the flow of water upwards through the weed hatch you then wouldn't have to worry about getting off, refloating might become more of an issue!

I should imagine you would be better off getting towed to safety before going down the weedhatch!

[rusty69]

Or a lift by a passing Chinook. 

[Murflynn]

11 hours ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

As a sort of follow up to my original comment regarding a preference for being held bows on to the current by an anchor rather than sideways across a weir restraining chain, what is the advisability of going down the weed hatch under those circumstances? It occurred to me after I posted that with the current now coming onto the boat sideways and with some obstruction wrapped around your prop, opening the weed hatch could possibly make a bad day a whole lot worse. On the one hand you'd need some engine power to get off that sort of position, but on the other hand if the obstruction on the prop diverted the flow of water upwards through the weed hatch you then wouldn't have to worry about getting off, refloating might become more of an issue!

now you're suffering from over-active imagination paranoia.

[MtB]

On 04/04/2017 at 08:30, Naughty Cal said:

I should imagine you would be better off getting towed to safety before going down the weedhatch!

 

Safety from what, exactly? 

(Given the chances of going over a securely barraged weir are virtually zero, on the slow and gentle Thames in summer.)

[Naughty Cal]

6 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Safety from what, exactly? 

(Given the chances of going over a securely barraged weir are virtually zero, on the slow and gentle Thames in summer.)

It is safer to be moored to a bankside mooring then it is to a weir!

[MtB]

On 04/04/2017 at 09:34, Naughty Cal said:

It is safer to be moored to a bankside mooring then it is to a weir!

Agreed, but neither is particularly dangerous.

I'm just trying to counter the hysterics here about how dangerous it is to cruise the Thames in summer without an anchor, and how it must be enormous and secured to a special extra strong anchor tether. This might be true for the Trent but for the Thames specifically in summer and with no 'stream warnings' as the OP is planning, the real risks are minuscule.

If you want total safety, don't go out in a boat.

I think the OP will be fine with a 20kg anchor tied to the tee stud if he feels he would like to take one.

1) He probably won't break down in mid stream in the first place

2) If he does, he will probably have at least half an hour before of drifting at 0.5mph before getting close to anything let alone a weir

3) If he deploys his easy-to-handle undersized anchor without the 70 metres of insanely heavy chain usually recommended on here it might bite or it might slowly drag along the bottom like a mudweight. Either way it will eventually turn the boat bow-to-stream and probably slow its already slow progress to virtually zero

4) Should the OP decide to invest what will turn out to be many hundreds of quid in the 'right' anchor and anchor chain and have a suitable tether point welded in, should his engine stop in mid stream on the Thames in summer I bet he would still elect not to chuck it all over the side knowing he will probably lose it, preferring to drift sedately until he meets the bank or a tree somewhere to grab. 

[rusty69]

5 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

Thames in summer 

 

6 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

should his engine stop in mid stream on the Thames in summer

Still can't see the summer bit! 

[Naughty Cal]

Just now, rusty69 said:

 

Still can't see the summer bit! 

No neither can I.

Nor low summer flows.

[MtB]

On 04/04/2017 at 10:06, rusty69 said:

 

Still can't see the summer bit! 

 

Perhaps the OP could help us out and say just when he plans the trip. I get the impression it is a summer trip planned. 

[rusty69]

6 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Perhaps the OP could help us out and say just when he plans the trip. I get the impression it is a summer trip planned. 

Perhaps it is and perhaps no strong stream warning will be in force and perhaps all will be fine with the engine

But as the OP is even asking the question and the official advice is to carry one, it would be irresponsible to advise otherwise. 

[Naughty Cal]

5 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Perhaps it is and perhaps no strong stream warning will be in force and perhaps all will be fine with the engine

But as the OP is even asking the question and the official advice is to carry one, it would be irresponsible to advise otherwise. 

Even in the summer we can experience periods of heavy rainfall which will affect the river level and flows.

Better to be prepared then not.

[rusty69]

3 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Better to be prepared then not.

Tis a first for us NC, I agree. 

[mrsmelly]

14 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

Perhaps it is and perhaps no strong stream warning will be in force and perhaps all will be fine with the engine

But as the OP is even asking the question and the official advice is to carry one, it would be irresponsible to advise otherwise. 

Yes and I think we may as well never carry a first aid kit as I have no intention of injuring myself and whata waste of money fire extinguishers are as fires are very very rare. Perhaps we dont need A and E departments or ambulances if we are all careful.

[rusty69]

Just now, mrsmelly said:

Yes and I think we may as well never carry a first aid kit as I have no intention of injuring myself and whata waste of money fire extinguishers are as fires are very very rare. Perhaps we dont need A and E departments or ambulances if we are all careful.

I think some health and safety stuff is OTT, but when your talking about a relatively cheap piece of equipment compared to your boat that you may have paid tens of thousands of pounds for, not to mention the lives of people on board, then for me anyway it's an easy decision. 

Even if it costs a couple of hundred quid,  they can always sell it on after the trip. Second hand or borrow one is also an option. 

[MtB]

On 04/04/2017 at 10:40, rusty69 said:

I think some health and safety stuff is OTT, but when your talking about a relatively cheap piece of equipment compared to your boat that you may have paid tens of thousands of pounds for, not to mention the lives of people on board, then for me anyway it's an easy decision. 

Even if it costs a couple of hundred quid,  they can always sell it on after the trip. Second hand or borrow one is also an option. 

 

More hyperbole.

Can you cite how many people die on the Thames each year for lack of an anchor please?

If not, then have a guess. My guess would be none. 

 

[rusty69]

20 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

More hyperbole.

Can you cite how many people die on the Thames each year for lack of an anchor please?

If not, then have a guess. My guess would be none. 

 

 

20 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

More hyperbole.

Can you cite how many people die on the Thames each year for lack of an anchor please?

If not, then have a guess. My guess would be none. 

 

I'm trying to keep up with you regarding the hyperbole. 

No you are correct, I couldn't say how many people may have lost their lives due to lack of an anchor. 

I'm not sure its something you could guess. 

 

Edited April 4, 2017 by rusty69

[Naughty Cal]

10 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

More hyperbole.

Can you cite how many people die on the Thames each year for lack of an anchor please?

If not, then have a guess. My guess would be none. 

 

Mike

It is clear that you have no concern for your own safety or that of your boat. So why bother responding to a post where someone clearly has and is asking for advice regarding anchors?

 

[rusty69]

14 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Mike

It is clear that you have no concern for your own safety or that of your boat. So why bother responding to a post where someone clearly has and is asking for advice regarding anchors?

 

I am far from clear whether mtb thinks it's a good idea or not. 

[Alan de Enfield]

29 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Mike

It is clear that you have no concern for your own safety or that of your boat. So why bother responding to a post where someone clearly has and is asking for advice regarding anchors?

 

You only have to read his signature - Mike 'to a T'

[MtB]

1 hour ago, Naughty Cal said:

Mike

It is clear that you have no concern for your own safety or that of your boat. So why bother responding to a post where someone clearly has and is asking for advice regarding anchors?

 

 

And it is clear you have no experience of the Thames on a calm summer's day, and are shooting for the lip as usual.  

[Naughty Cal]

15 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

And it is clear you have no experience of the Thames on a calm summer's day, and are shooting for the lip as usual.  

I take it that your crystal ball is telling you that the OP is doing the trip on a calm summers day?

And also the weather conditions leading up to the trip?

You will have to let us know what model of ball you are using.

[rusty69]

10 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

I take it that your crystal ball is telling you that the OP is doing the trip on a calm summers day?

And also the weather conditions leading up to the trip?

You will have to let us know what model of ball you are using.

Maybe he could attach the crystal ball to a length of chain and use it as a mud weight.