Anchoring - bridle or not

craigswardmtb

As I sit on Block Island in 30 knot winds under anchor I am contemplating my anchor setup. I am fully confident in my oversized Manson supreme as well as my amount of chain and rode out but I am not happy with my bridle setup, or lack of bridle setup. I am simply tied off to the center cleat in the anchor locker. Naturally as the boat swings it applies a good amount of lateral torque to the bow pulpit. 
I'm debating on moving to a bridle for these conditions but not sure what is the best system and what works well on rope rode. I'm curious what you all do in windy anchoring conditions?  Let's hear your setup. 

Liberty44140

Just had the same thought last weekend. Was anchored in 15kt breeze but was in between current and offshore breeze so I was swinging in circles all afternoon which would occasionally whip me and out a lot of tension on the pulpit. Would not want to bend that! I've used anchor snubbers many times with chain rhode but there is no simple product for rope. I decided that next time I am worried I and just going to tie the rhode off on a side cleat at bow to keep tension off the pulpit. 

frenchship

Here are some ideas when you have a chain rode, and the same can be done with the normal rode with a  Prusik knot  If I  remember right rhe subject was discuss by MT. Do a search into the forum.

Wildboating

Not to hijack thread but do you tie off your anchor when it's out?  I just let it out and the motor holds it.  Is this incorrect?

Liberty44140

Wild - you should never just leave it on the windlass while anchored. You should always tie the rhode off to the cleat in the anchor locker unless it is very high winds as this thread concerns and you are worried about damaging the pulpit and then your options are a bow cleat, bow eye or some kind of a snubber set up like this discussion is about. Dont leave it on your windlass, you will ruin the gears over time. 

J3ff

Liberty44140 said:

Wild - you should never just leave it on the windlass while anchored. You should always tie the rhode off to the cleat in the anchor locker unless it is very high winds as this thread concerns and you are worried about damaging the pulpit and then your options are a bow cleat, bow eye or some kind of a snubber set up like this discussion is about. Dont leave it on your windlass, you will ruin the gears over time. 

If it's calm seas and very little wind...it's not terrible to do that.. I only tie it off when it's rough out.. as does everyone else I know in real life.. 

Wildboating

What do i need to tie it off?  

howardrams

Rinker usually gives you about 25' of chain and the rest rope line, so you can tie the line around the cleat after pulling some slack.  Unless you use all chain.  I've seen short lanyards to go from cleat to a chain link, similar to what you'd use as an safety lanyard to prevent accidental dropping anchor.

Liberty44140

Wild, as Howard said it's only 25-30 ft of chain (I have 30) and then line. Just pull the line out once your set and tie it to the cleat in the bow locker. Simple. I would not risk a wave, puff, or wake damaging my gears. In real life I anchor a dozen times a rear and always tie it off.  IMO it's too easy to tie it off to not tie it off. 

LaRea

I guess my view is a little different.  Of the 300+ times I have anchored with a windlass, I have only cleated the rode maybe 5-10 times.  

The windlass on any express cruiser from the modern era (say, 90's or later) is a tough, rugged device.  I've never heard of one that suffered long-term damage from anchoring.  Actually, I've never seen one fail for any reason.  Maybe I'll eat these words someday, but I don't see it as a risk. 

I'd worry more about getting hurt trying to un-cleat the rode if the wind is up.  I've never seen an anchor rode break a windlass, but I've seen one break a finger, and it wasn't pretty.  

Wildboating

That's what I was thinking larea.  Seems like in a wind it could be a pain to untie with all my digits still intact.

reneechris14

How do you get the bridle on? I always see them on the sailboats and big trawlers and say how do they do that.I mean pull some slack up on a 25000# boat? I was on ancor three nights this week and it's was yanking on the pulpit quite good.guess you could use the dink to tie low,get up on the boat pull up to the bow cleat.

reneechris14

I'm also guilty of relying on the windless way to much.5 years never have tied off.Under way have never had a lanyard.

J3ff

LaRea said:

I guess my view is a little different.  Of the 300+ times I have anchored with a windlass, I have only cleated the rode maybe 5-10 times.  

The windlass on any express cruiser from the modern era (say, 90's or later) is a tough, rugged device.  I've never heard of one that suffered long-term damage from anchoring.  Actually, I've never seen one fail for any reason.  Maybe I'll eat these words someday, but I don't see it as a risk. 

I'd worry more about getting hurt trying to un-cleat the rode if the wind is up.  I've never seen an anchor rode break a windlass, but I've seen one break a finger, and it wasn't pretty.  

I tend to boat late into the season up here... there are absolutely times when we are on the boat that the wind picks up and you actually hear the line being pulled out because the windless can't keep up with the force of the wind, those are the times I tie off... it's happened a good 5 or so times before I jump up front and get to it.. 

No perm. damage that I can tell so far. 

About breaking your finger, you should tie the line so that you undo the line from the anchor locker side, not the actual anchor side... kind of reverse what you're used to.. do you know what I'm saying?  All the force should be on the first loop you made, then you tie it off using the side of the rope that isn't under any pressure. 

J3ff

reneechris14 said:

How do you get the bridle on? I always see them on the sailboats and big trawlers and say how do they do that.I mean pull some slack up on a 25000# boat? I was on ancor three nights this week and it's was yanking on the pulpit quite good.guess you could use the dink to tie low,get up on the boat pull up to the bow cleat.

one person bumping it into gear and keeping the boat nose into the wind, the other one getting the gear put together.

If it's you alone... gotta move fast!! 

Liberty44140

Most of those big sailboats and trawlers that you see are all chain rhode so it's easy to put a hook on the chain and let the rhode out until all weight is on the snubber and off of the windlass. Us little chain to line guys are different

craigswardmtb

Winds finally settled a bit tonight. Only blowing 15 or so now and we are swinging much more calmly. The pulpit handled about 24 hours of 30+ mph winds.  Watching the hundreds of boats in the anchorage today was entertaining to say the least.  
It sounds like a prusick not is my best option. However I don't like the idea of having to undo that in a scenario where I'm dragging and may need to act fast. For now I'll stick to tying off on the center cleat. I would not have wanted the torque of the rode on my windlass today. 

Dude_Himself

After setting the anchor shut down, go up front, pull some line from the locker, put the bridge/snubbers on, then pull the line out of the windlass. Retrieving is the challenge: motor forward a bump, take in some line with the windlass (takes tension off the snubbers), then pull your prussic knot/snubbers off.

Dream_Inn

I use the prusik knot all the time. Had it on for the past two nights. I put it on and tie it to the cleats, then let some more Rhode out. Just do the opposite for removing. No need to pull the boat by hand.