The ComPlete Book of Anchoring and Mooring

175 Pages·2005·10.29 MB·English

BY EARL R. HINZ
The ComPlete Book of
Sail BeforeSunset, 1979
Anchoring and Mooring
Understanding SeaAnchors and Drogues, 1986
Second Edition
The OffshoreLog, 1991
Pacific Wanden7; 1991
BY EARL R. HINZ
Landfalls ofParadise: The Guide toPacific Islands, Third Edition, 1993
Witk drawings by R I C H A R DR. RHO DES
The CompleteBook ofAnchoring and Mooring, SecondEdition, 1994
Pacific Island Battlegrounds ofWorld WarII: Then and Now, 1995
Copyright © 1986,1994byCornell Maritime Press,Inc.
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Al!rights reserved. Nopart ofthisbookmaybeusedorreproduced in
anymanner whatsoever withoutwrittenpermissionexceptinthecaseof
Chapter One: Introduction 3
brief quotations embodied incriticalarticlesand reviews.Forinforma-
tion,address Comell MaritimePress,Ine.,Centreville,Maryland21617. The Jargon of Ground Tackle, Setting a Real
Anchor to Windward
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hinz, Earl R.
PART I: THE TECHNOLOGY OF
The complete book ofanchoring and mooring / byEarl R.Hinz ;
GROUND TACKLE
with drawings byRichard R.Rhodes. - 2nd ed.
p. em.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. Chapter Two:Loads at Anchor 15
ISBN0-87033-452-2
1. Mooring ofships. 2. Anchors. I. Title. American Boat and Yacht Council Ground Tackle
VK361.H56 1993 Design Loads, Calculating Ground Tackle Loads,
623.8'62-dc20 93-41799
Current Drag Load, Surge Loading, Ground Tackle
Load Calculations
Chapter Three: Deck Gear for Anchors 27
Stemhead Anchor Roller, Anchor Platforms, Bowsprit
Anchor Stowage, The Catamaran Bow Roller, On-Deck
Stowage, Hanging Lightweight Anchors, Anchor Wells,
The Disassembled Anchor, Rode Stowage, Reel Rode
Stowage, Coiled Rode Stowage, Chain Lockers, Anchor
Chain Chute, Deck Pipes, Other Deck Gear, Bitts and
Samson Posts, Deck Cleats, Deck Chain Stoppers,
Hawsepipes, Anchor Davit
Chapter Four: Anchor Windlass 72
Capstan or Windlass? Common Design Features
of Anchor Windlasses, Manual Anchor Windlasses,
Manufactured in the United StatesofAmerica
Electric Anchor Windlasses, Hydraulic Anchor
Windlasses, Care of the Windlass
Firstedition, 1986.Second edition, 1994;second printing, 1996
V
vi The CompleteBook ofAnchoring and Mooring Contents vii
Chapter Five:Anchor Rodes 96 Chapter Eleven: Rights and Responsibilities 269
The Need for Proper Scope, Anchor Chain, High Conflicts ofjurisdiction, Etiquette ofAnchoring,
Strength Chain, Anchor Chain Connecting Elements, Signals While Anchored
The All-Chain Anchor Rode, Chain Riding Stoppers,
Chain Markers, Care of the Chain Rode, Rope for the Chapter Twelve:Storm Anchoring 284
Anchor Rode, Rope Construction, The Chain Lead,
Cyclonic Storms, Dual Anchor Moor, Storm Mooring,
Combination Rode Connections, Chafing Protection,
ATahiti Hurricane, The Cabo San Lucas Disaster
Care of the Rope Rode
Chapter Six:Anchor Options 140 PART Ill: THE MECHANICS OF MOORINGS
Burying Anchors, Hooking Anchors, Anchor Roll Chapter Thirteen: Permanent Moorings 306
Stability, Testing for Holding Power, Care of the
Mushroom Anchor Single Point Mooring, Screw
Anchor
Anchor Moorings, Multiple Anchor Single Point
Mooring, Fore and Mt Buoyed Moorings, Fore and
Chapter Seven:Anchor and Rode Selection 182
Mt Pile Moorings, Coral Seabed Mooring Design,
Nature of the Seabed, Choosing the Anchor Type, Mooring Maintenance, Rights to Moorings
Selecting Working Anchor and Rode Size, Choosing
a Stern Anchor, Choosing the Storm Anchor Appendix 329
Anchor Manufacturers and Importers, Windlass Manu-
PART II: THE ART OF ANCHORING facturers and Importers
Chapter Eight: Human Factors in Anchoring 200
Bibliography 333
Crew Influence on Gear Selection, On Choosing an
Anchorage, When Not to Anchor, Arm Signals for An- Index 335
choring, The Anchor Watch, Crew Safety in Anchoring
About the Author 341
Chapter Nine: Technique ofAnchoring 217
Preparing to Anchor, Letting Go the Anchor, Catama-
ran Anchor Rode Attachment, Anchoring with Other
Boats, Mooring with Anchors, Anchoring in Coral,
Weighing Anchor, Retrieving the Coral Pick Anchor
Chapter Ten: Anchoring Tricks 249
WaystoStopAnchor Dragging, SettingTandem Anchors,
Rowing Out an Anchor, Kedging, The Buoyed-Anchor
Rode, Anchoring on the Banks, Stern Anchoring, Side
Bridle, Use of a Drogue in a Current, Beaching Multi-
hulls, Roll Dampers, Breaking Out the Stubborn
Anchor, Using an Anchor Chaser, Grappling for the
Snag, Slipping the Anchor, Sliding Ring Anchors
Acknowledgments
This book isthe product of many people's experiences. Iam particularly
grateful to all the skippers of boats on which I have crewed for passing
along valuable bitsof their anchoring knowledgetome.To myowncrews
over the years who have put up withexperimental anchoring systemson
Horizon, I say thank you. And a hearty thanks is due the hundreds of
sailors whoweathered storms atanchor around the worldover pastyears
and made available the knowledge ofhowtheysurvived.Asimilarvoteof
gratitude isowed tothosewhoseboatsdidn't weather thestorms,butwere
stillgenerous enough topassalong the reasons for their failures.
Many manufacturers of ground tacklesupplied information for this
book. I want to recognize, in particular, the Campbell Chain Co.,Wash-
ington Chain and Supply Co.,R.C.Plath, Simpson-Lawrence, and Aero-
quip Corporations. And then there wereseveraltrade associationslikethe
Cordage Institute, the National AssociationofChain Manufacturers, and
the American Boatand YachtCouncilwhowillinglyshared technicaldata
from their filesinthe interests ofmakingboating saferthrough thisbook.
Asignificant amount of technical data on anchors and moorings was
received through the good officesof R.J.Taylor of the U.S.NavyCivil
Engineering Laboratories. I am certain that allrecreational boaters will
appreciate that these data havebeen made availablefor publicuse.
Both Motor Boating &Sailing and Sea magazinesare tobethanked for
allowing me to use technical information generated under their aegis.
Lastly, personal thanks are due specificindividuals without whose
help thisvolume could nothavebeenproduced withsuchcompleteness-
Jack Ronalter who went through the hell and high water of hurricane
Veena in Tahiti in order, I would liketo believe,to give us a firsthand
account of howto do it;"Monk" Farnham, aveteran boatman and writer
himself, who did the firstcarving on thismanuscript and helped tomake
sense out of its immensity; Joe Brown, free-lance boating writer, past
editor of Oceans and a wooden boat enthusiast who smoothed the way
editorially for the reader. And lastinthislineup of assistingtalent isBob
IX
x The Complete Book ofAnchoring and Mooring
Sharp, a lifelong boating friend with whom I have cruised and raced
thousands of miles and whose engineering background was helpful in
clarifYingthe quantitative aspects of the book.
My illustrator, Dick Rhodes, a man of varied talents who has been
associated with the Hokule' a (Hawaiian Voyaging Canoe), redrew the lines
of the square-rigged Falls of Clyde, and made the drawings for many Poly- The ComPlete Book of
nesian canoe books and stories. I was hesitant to ask him tojoin me in a Anchoring and Mooring
subject as mundane as anchoring and mooring, but the subject needed
enlightened graphics and Dick, thankfully, supplied his talents.
While most of the photographs are my own, I gratefully acknowledge
the courtesies of the other photographers whose work I have been able to
include.
The reason for crafting this second edition isto provide the reader with
the latest inanchoring and mooring technology-advances which havebeen
made over the past seven years. For much of this new information Ihave to
thank the people at NAV-XCorporation who sponsored (and inspired)
numerous new anchor test programs as part of the introduction of their
Fortress anchor to the boating public. Many organizations participated in
those tests and, in the end, were responsible for producing awealth of new
knowledge on boat anchoring. Among them were Cruising Worldmagazine,
BOATIUS, and WestMarine Products. Numerous persons (too many tolist),
but whose names are synonymous with the world of recreational boating,
contributed to the conduct and verification of the several test programs.
Anew emphasis on preserving the marine environment has taken hold
in recent years and it isa pleasure to recognize those on the front lines of
the effort to preserve one ofnature's most amazing livingobjects-the coral
reef. I recognize with thanks the work done by the Key Largo National
Marine Sanctuary inFlorida and the University ofHawaii SeaGrant Program
for their development efforts in coral moorings which allowboaters to enjoy
the wonders of coral reefs without needlessly destroying them at the same
time.
The anchoring and mooring of boats has taken on its own high-tech
look. No longer do we simply throw the hook in the water. Now the hook
has been scientifically designed, the ground tackle has been made into a
complete boat system, and the once hidden element of the system, the
seabed, isconsidered apartner to be respected in boating operations.
Although Iappear asauthor of this book, it isreally the entire boating
community that has made it possible. Mayall readers benefit in some small
wayfrom it.
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
Anexperienced and careful master mariner who
nevermadeacallupon underwriters foranyloss.
-Epitaph ofCaptain Augustus N. Littlefield whodied in 1878,
aged 75.Located intheCommlm Burying Ground, Newport, Rhode
Island*
There isno aspect ofboating that islessglamorous or more criticaltothe
well-being of a boat and crew than anchoring. It requires an inordinate
amount of work, heavy gear, somehazard tocrew,and itusuallyisawet
and dirty job. Furthermore, anchoring isthe lastevent ina passage,and
the crew iseager to get ashore. Asaresult there isasenseofurgency that
may result incarelessness.
To minimize potential problems under these circumstances, it is
important for your boat tobeproperly equipped withgoodground tackle
and for the crewtoknowhowtouseit.Then, andonlythen, canyoutoast
asuccessfuldayatseaand sleepwellatanchor.
You may expect a book on anchoring to begin with anchors and
immediately launch into a debate on which is the best anchor. I have
chosen not to do that because the anchor isno more important than any
other component of the ground tacklesystem.
Some months after the Tahiti hurricanes of 1982and 1983,I had the
opportunity to have a round table talk with four skippers who had
survived one or more ofthese storms-three whoseboatsfinallywenton
the beach, but werelater salvaged,andonewhoseboatsurvivedatanchor.
All four skippers emphasized that anchors were not the problem-all
anchors of adequate size did their jobs. What failed were rodes, bow
rollers, windlasses, and people. The fetishofconcentrating solelyon the
*Quoted inRobert Hendrickson, The Ocean Almanac. (GardenCity,N.Y.:Doubleday&Co.,
1984).
3
4 The ComPleteBookofAnchoring andMooring Introduction 5
anchor obscures the real issues,whichare the total ground tackle system "rode," although it isconceivable to have twoanchors intandem on that
and how touse it. rode. A boat is"moored" after it"picksup a mooring buoy" or hasseta
This CompleteBook ofAnchoring and Mooring addresses the needs of multiple-anchor moor of itsown. "Docking" means to"tie up toadock,"
recreational and workboats in the 12-to 80-foot range. It covers mono- which isaland-bound structure. Ifthe boatissimply"docked," then itisin
hulls, multihulls, light displacement sailboats,cruisers, sportfishers, pas- "drydock"-a subtle but traditionally important difference.
sagemakers, and workboats. For the convenience of the reader it isdi- You speak of the anchors of a boat as "hooks," the hook being a
vided into three parts: colloquial expression based onthe desired actionoftheanchor. Intoday's
Part I-The TechnologyofGroundTackleutilizesasystemsapproach to
determine loads at anchor and translate them into ground tackle design
criteria. What wasformerly considered strength through size(biganchors
and heavy rodes) hasbeen refined inorder toreduce weight and loadson
the boat, and to ease the difficulties the crew has in handling the total
ground tackle system.
Part II-The Art of Anchoring brings into play the human factors
which not only help design the ground tacklebutdetermine itslimitations
and application. Techniques are presented that make use of your head
rather than your backtomake the mostofan anchoring situation.
Part III-Pennanent Moorings isatreatise ofitsownon howtodesign
and fabricate permanent moorings for harbors and other sheltered areas.
Available mooring space (including localpolitical restrictions) and your
mode of use ofthe boat are criticaltothe decisiontoput inamooring and
what kind to use.
But, before you can delve into the principles ofmodern day anchor-
ing and mooring, everyone must speakthe samelanguage. The jargon of
the seahasalwaysbeen apuzzletolandlubbers. You'llfindinTheIngoldsby
Legends the statement: "It's very odd that Sailor-men should talk sovery
queer." But itreallyisn'tsoodd whenyouconsider that seatransportation
evolved during a period of history when education wasararity-schools
for sailors did not exist, and seamen, in general, were a polyglot of the
lowest classes of society. Officers came from "midships" or bought a
commission with money gained from land-bound enterprises. Those who
served on ships found itnecessarytocreate their ownlanguage (actuallyit
evolved) because that of the land did not fittheir needs.
Today, those ofyouwhotaketothe sealiketothink youare following
the venerable traditions of the searight down tothe saltyterms employed
around boats. Atleastinthe ground tackledepartment, youcanimprove
your saltytalk byusing nautical terminology correctly.
THE JARGON OF GROUND TACKLE
Astone anchor, used bythe early Polynesiansinthe Cook Islands, is
Anchoring, mooring, and docking are distinctly different ac-
on display at the Cook Islands Museum on the islandof Rarotonga. The
tions. A boat is "anchored" when it "rides" or "lays"to a single anchor rode is made of sennit, a product of the fibrous husk of the coconut.
6 The Complete Book ofAnchoring and Mooring Introduction 7
boating world there are lunch hooks, working anchors, and storm an- fashioned anchor would beunnecessarily awkward and heavyto handle
chors, which haven't alwaysbeen knownbythosenames. asakedge.
In the seventeenth century, Captain John Smithdescribed "proper Smallboatanchor terminology hasdeparted somewhatfromCaptain
tearmes" [sic] for anchors in his A Sea Grammar, published in 1627,as john Smith's Sea Grammar. What wasthe skeat Anchor isnowthe storm
follows: anchor. HisbowAnchor hasbecometheworkinganchor. HisstreameAnchor
is now known as the stern anchor. And, as for the modern lunch hook,
traditional sailors knew better than to risk their boats toan undersized
The proper tearmes belonging to Anchors are many. The leastare
calledKedgers, to useincalmsweather inaslowstreame, or tokedge piece of gear. But the kedge Anchor remains the same-any smallanchor
that isused for kedging.
up and downe anarrow River,whichiswhentheyfeare the windeor
tide may drive them on shore. They rowbyher withan Anchor ina The word anchor comesfrom the Latinwordanchora meaning bend
boat, and in the middest of the streame or where they finde mostfit or bent which certainly suggests the shape of an anchor. But you also
[drop anchor] if the Ship come too neere the shore, and so by a "bend a line" to the anchor "ring" whichthen becomesthe "anchor line"
Hawser winde her head about, then weigh it againe till the like or "rode." At the other end of that lineyou "make fast"or "belay"ittoa
occasion;and thisiskedging. "Samson post" (named after an Israelitejudge ofgreat strength) usinga
There isalsoastreame Anchor, not much bigger, tostemmeaneasie "hitch." If the lineisnot longenough, you"bend" twolinestogether.
streame or tide. Then there isthefirst, second, and third Anchor, yetall The tailofthe linebeyond the Samsonpostiscalledthe"bitter end."
suchasaShipinfaireweather mayrideby,andarecalledbowAnchors. The meaning ofthisterm isvaried, and youcantakeyourchoice.Itisthe
The greatest is the sheat Anchor, and never used but in great end of the anchor line that seesthe leastwear; therefore, itisthe "better
necessity. end." Or, it is the end of the anchor line that ismade fast to foredeck
"bitts" and is,therefore, the "bitter end." But the meaning that willstay
Carrying a variety of anchor types and sizeshas been general practice with you the longest comes from the "bitter" feelingyougetafter having
since the days of Caesar when extensive seafaring covered the Mediter- "letgothe anchor" onlytoseethe tailofthe anchor linefollowthe anchor
ranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean. For routine anchoring off- itself into the briny deep. More than one boater hassuffered the embar-
shore, Caesar's galleyscarried severalanchors ready, fore and aft.Oneof rassment oflosing an anchor and linethisway.
these would belarger than the rest,and inasevereblowthe captainofthe You speak of "line" on a boat, such as an "anchor line," to dif-
galleywould givethe order to"lowerthe lastanchor," the"sacredone,"as ferentiate it from plain rope which isthe bulk material from whichany
seafarers called it. The sacred anchor later came to be known in mer- number oflinescan bemade forthe boat.There areonlyafewlegitimate
chantmen and men-of-war asthe sheetanchor. "ropes" on a boat such as the "bellrope," "bolt rope," and "tiller rope,"
Some traditional anchor terms are stillused, for example, the bow among others. To "know the ropes" isa landlubberly expression sinceit
anchor (orbower)isfound inthe hawsepipesofpracticallyeveryshipand identifies onlywiththe fewropes aboard asailingvessel-nine, infact,on
isused for allanchoring purposes. Mostshipstodaydo not carry asheet a square-rigger-and does not address the dozens of "lines"that consti-
anchor depending instead on twobowanchors and propulsion tohandle tute the working gear ofboatsor ships.
severe weather at anchor. Sailingvesselsthat lackpropulsion-assist may Even the general term "anchor line"hasitsvariations.Traditionally,
stillcarry the "greatest" ofallanchors--the "sacredone." it was called a "cable," and it was 120 fathoms (720 feet) long. Ships
The much misinterpreted kedge anchor is also standard gear on continue to use the term "anchor cable," but the length is no longer a
sailing vesselsand smallboats. Manypersons callthe old-fashioned (also unique 120 fathoms. A ship's small boats--cutters, launches, pinnaces,
known as the Admiralty pattern, fisherman, and yachtsman) anchor a etc.-ride atanchor toalinecalleda"rode," aterm commonlyusedinthe
kedge anchor. This isincorrect unlessanold-fashioned anchor is,indeed, United States. In European boating circles,the term "cable"isstillused.
being used inthe actofkedging. Anyanchor that youtakeout from your You would "take out a line"when the lineistransported awayfrom
vesselfor the purpose ofkedging isreallyakedgeanchor whileservingin the boat bydinghy asin kedging. You"haul in"alinehand over hand or
that role. In comparison to today's patent lightweight anchors, an old- by a windlass. "Slack off' means to ease up or let out a line. "Set the
8
The ComPleteBook ofAnchoring and Mooring Introduction 9
by vicious coral reefs and volcanicbluffs, in bottoms that "shoaled" to 15
fathoms, in seabeds ofslippery mud, and withwindsup to50knots. Inall
of these anchorages (and Iamverygenerous tocallsomeofthem anchor-
ages atall)agood setofthe anchor provided the kindofsatisfaction that is
the equal of the finest after-dinner cigar.
Good ground tackle is the unheralded security blanket for a boat.
Anchors throughout history havebeen the symbolofsteadfastness and an
emblem of hope. When things seemingly are at their worst, a firmly
embedded anchor offers aray ofhope.
Anchoring issuch an integral part ofboating that itisoften taken for
granted-if you can make a boat go, you can also make it stop. Wrong.
Watching "anchor drills" ina harbor can beasource ofgreat amusement
at someone else'sexpense until someone anchors toocloseand then your
amusement turns todismay.
With the increasing numbers of recreational and commercial boats
on the water, competition for anchorages isbecoming more severe. Itcan
only get worse sincethe number ofnatural harbors and bights suitable for
anchoring is virtually fixed for eternity, while the boating population
continues to grow. There is no choice but to make better use of good
An old-fashioned anchor of the admiralty pattern found in the
anchorages and safer use of lessdesirable anchorages. You can grouse
lagoon at Abemama atollinthe Gilbert Islands (nowKiribati).
about it all you want, but itwillbe better for allifeveryone learns more
about proper anchoring to get along inour gregarious and ever-increas-
ing boating society.
anchor" means to snub up gradually on the rode sothat the anchor bill
Recreational and working boats should have nothing lessthan com-
digs into the seabed.
plete ground tackle on board, and the crew should know how to use it.
Anchor terminology hascarried over into the everydayjargon ofthe
Beingabletohold aboatrelativelystilland offtherockswhileacloggedfuel
sailor. Aship issaidto"slipher cable"when the "Old Man"orders that the
filter isreplaced or atorn sailischanged isafarbetter mark ofseamanship
cablebecut and the anchor abandoned. Seamen haveadopted the phrase,
than being abletocallaproper Maydayon the radiotelephone.
"He slipped hiscable," toexplain adeath. Ifawifeor mistress hasrun off
When the winds begin tohowlthrough the anchorage, itistoolateto
with someone else, it is said, "She slipped her cable." A sailor who has
shop for ground tackle and train your crew.The die iscastand you have
permanently left the seaissaidtohave "swallowedthe anchor."
to place the security of your boat on whatever ground tackle sitson the
Although the romance and superstitions of sailingdaysofyore have
foredeck and whatever knowledge your crew has. Before that happens,
been replaced with more scientificand technical nomenclature, there is
however, you can design a proper ground tackle system and train your
every reason to retain the jargon of the sea as it pertains to anchoring.
crew in the proper art of anchoring. Then you willbe ready to stake the
This is a language used in all parts of the world, and it isan important
safety of your boat on itsanchor systeminanyweather.
facet of the anchoring game.
In making a passage at sea, itmatters littleifyou violate some of the
fundamental precepts of steering or sailing. If your passage takes alittle
longer than planned, sobe it. But at the end of the passage, setting your
SETTING A REAL ANCHOR TO WINDWARD
anchor must be done in a proper manner for your boat isnow near its
Long ago Ilosttrack ofthe number oftimes Ianchored aboat, mortal enemy-land.
completing yet another day of boating or another blue water passage. I Most of my blue water cruising hasbeen done without conventional
have anchored ingood anchorages and inbad,inanchorages surrounded marine hull insurance because ofthe prohibitively highcostofpremiums.
10
The ComPleteBook ofAnchoring and Mooring
Introduction 11
Since most serious boating casualtiesoccur in the vicinityof land, Ihave
paid particular attention to the adequacy of my ground tackle and the
process of setting the anchor. I knowof no better insurance for a boat
than aproperly setanchor and areliableanchor watch..
Nowhere in boating is the old saw"a chain isonly as strong as Its
weakest link" more appropriate than in the boat-anchoring game. Few
boaters realize how many links there are in the chain of equipment and
events that constitute successfulanchoring. The waytoinsure yourboatis
to provide capable linksinthe anchor system...
There isan interesting trade-off that youcan make with msurance
premiums. On the one hand, you can buy a paper policythat willreim-
burse your heirs for the price of the boat. On the other, youcan makea
similar investment in the boat to make itmore seaworthyand your crew
more capable. In the latter case,the payoffisthe successfulcompletionof
your voyage. Further, not only has the boat survived, but your person~l
belongings aboard and maybe even your life have been s~ared to sail
another day. Don't skimpon ground tackleandexpectpaper msurance to
Among the later developments of the old-fashioned anchor wasthe
Trotman anchor (about 1846)whichembodied acontemporary stockand
upper shank but hadapivotingarmand flukestominimizethechancesof
the lazyarm fouling the rode. There wasatripping palmon the backside
of the arm which positioned the lowerfluketo biteinto the bottom. The
Trotman shown here wasreportedly carried bythe U.S.battleshipMaine
when it was blown up in Havana harbor in 1898.The anchor wasre-
covered from the bottom in 1912and taken up the Atlanticcoastwhereit
and many other relicswere lostinawinter storm of 1912in IpswichBay
just north of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The anchor wasresalvaged in
The Bay of Islands, Suva, Fiji,has good ho!ding.ground and s~f~-
1975 and is now on display at the Seven Seas Restaurant Wharf in
cient room for visitingcruising boatstoanchor withasmglehook.This IS
Gloucester. Photo:Jim McNitt.
not ahurricane anchorage.