Is there anything special that needs to be done when anchoring the
BCC to prevent the anchor chain from sawing across the bob stay? Do
you rig a line to the end of sprit etc…
i will tell you what i have done, some problems and my current untried
solution. i installed a thru-bolt with eyenuts above and below at the end of
my sprit, inboard of the cranse iron. used 1/2" ss allthread and fender
washers to spread load. top eye is for drifter tack. bottom eye i put a
block on and rigged a snubber (5/8" 3 strand nylon) and a galvanized chain
hook. i use all chain rode on my primary. when using a second anchor (nylon
rode) i put a snatch block to the eye as well. this keeps the rodes away
from the topsides and off the bottom paint as well as providing a long lever
arm for the snubber. overall satisfactory but… problems- 1) i bent the
1/2" all thread bolt and the fender washer sunk into the wood of the sprit-
it was bent aft. it may have occurred when i tried to dig in my second
anchor by powering forward. a small spot of rot started before i noticed the
problem. 2) the galvanized chain hook lasted about 2 weeks before totally
rusting. 3)the loop of chain that hangs down from the end of the sprit
clangs against the bobstay and makes a fair bit of racket. 4) when
retrieving the chain in a breeze or current, if the chain from the starboard
rollerleads off to port, it binds on the bobstay and is tougher to retrieve.
solutions 1) removed the allthread, dug out the bad area and inset a 3/16"
brass plate and 4 screws in the area to spread the load more and also to make
a longer lever arm to keep the plate from tipping if the bolt tends to bend.
i will keep an eagle eye on it, particularly below where it tends to be out
of sight, out of mind. 2) bought a stainless chain hook from mcmaster-carr
($15) 3 &4) put a pvc pipe over the bobstay to deaden the noise and to act
as a roller. as i mentioned, i have not actually put these changes into
practice yet as the sprit is still in the garage with the last coat of
varnish just appilied (sure is easier than doing it when it is on the boat)
but i think that it should work ok. i considered either water hose or wood
for the roller, but did not think they would stand up or roll as well as the
pvc although the white is not terribly attractive.
john churchill
“bucephalus” #65
jhiller@ameritech.net wrote:
Is there anything special that needs to be done when anchoring the
BCC to prevent the anchor chain from sawing across the bob stay? Do
you rig a line to the end of sprit etc…BRISTOL CHANNEL CUTTER OWNERS ASSOCIATION
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The most common solution to anchoring is the pennant that Larry figured out. It keeps the boat from sailing at anchor and dampens motion and noise from the bobstay. The details are in Capable Cruiser, though there are some extra points to take into consideration. This pennant leads from the bitts out the 'sprit to a really large block shackled to the cransiron. One trick is at this location. You will need to really look, but you can find a stainless steel shackle which neatly replaces the top pin on your bobstay turnbuckle. It is a 5/8 inch shackle and huge. From that you hang the same block you will be using for your paranchor when you need to rig that. This block is the other trick. It is really hard to find a good inexpensive solution. Sumio and I were searching catalogs today looking for such an item, since the sheave must be really big at 4 1/2 inches. The average large snatch block is just three inches for 3/4 inch line and will lead to chafe. I use a Shaeffer block which does not open for the rope, but unbolts, and has a snap shackle for attachment. It was cheap at a couple hundred. Today, I could not find that block in the Shaeffer catalog, but we did find a Lewmar snatch block with a five inch sheave diameter. It is a real snatch block and opens for the line. These blocks are large enough to lift the entire boat, not that that is needed; it is chafe when using the paranchor that is the issue.
From the block at the cransiron, the pennant leads to the anchor rode. I dispensed with chain hooks without trying them. Stainless will remove the galvanize from your chain fast, and as mentioned, galvanized rusts immediately. Trust a good old prussic knot. Keep it simple sailor. The inboard end is catted to the bitts. You tie the prussic at the anchor roller and let out more chain after going through the normal anchoring routine. The loop of chain hangs in the water and I don't experience any noises at all. When the strain really comes on the system, the chain takes some of the load. If you need to abandon your ground tackle in a hurry, simply untie the end of the pennant at the bitts and proceed as usual, letting the pennant go along with the rode. Don't forget that bouy to mark the gear.
When weighing anchor, the chain often crosses the bobstay and binds badly. If I am solo, I just stop winching and wait for the boat to swing away. If I have crew, I have them sail or motor away from the chain while it is being winched aboard. I've tried the hose, white sani working best, but I cannot stand to look at it, so do without. The pennant is tied and untied at the stemhead roller not down at the water. If you have had a little experience with it, you will find that the prussic may be kept just out of the water so it doesn't get scum and slime. - Roy
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Thank you very much for your thoughtful and well written reply. I am about two weeks away from ordering a new BCC. Final stages for me are to change laminate schedule to make boat a little more impact and collision resistant and design of a crash tank. I love singlehanding and have decided to take the boat to Spitzbergen where risk of ice is high and the distance from rescue is great
Any other suggestions you have are very much welcomed. I have have just sold my trusty Contessa 32 which has been my singlehander for the past 5 years. A very different boat indeed.
Regards,
Jim Hiller
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Roy:
I well written summary of anchoring with a pennant. In your summary, you mention Prusik hitch (knot). The Prusik hitch and rolling hitch are similar. The Pursik hitch is made with a continuous loop of line, whereas the rolling hitch is made with single line - see attached image, the Morrow guide to Knots (ISBN: 0-688-01226-4). Regardless of this little technical detail, your summary was very informative - thank you.
S/V IDUNA
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Hum, after studying the knot shown in Morrow's book, I am more inclined to believe the Knot shown - see image - is a Prusik hitch and not a rolling hitch as stated in the Morrow guide to Knots. Brian Toss in the Rigger's Apprentice shows the knot the way I was taught to tie it - see B&W image. Perhaps, someone would be kind enough to clarify this matter - thanks.
S/V IDUNA
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Rod -- The b&w drawing in your email shows a knot that was called a tautline hitch in the Boy Sprout manuals I learned from. It is very useful in many applications, being a sliding and locking hitch. It is not quite suited to the anchor rode as well as the prussic (prussik) or rolling hitch. I tend to think of these as the same knot. When used by climbers it is usually tied in a loop of webbing. When I use it on the anchor rode it spreads potential chafe over a large length of line, is easily untied, does not slip, and can be locked by a half hitch around the standing part. The difference between the prussic and the "tautline hitch" is that the direction of wrap is reversed across the standing part in the prussic and not in the tautline. A clove hitch may be used on the anchor rode with satisfactory results.
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Hi all,
I am soliciting information on anchor systems being used on BCC's, in particular the bow.
I am about to assemble the bowsprit netting for my BCC and I am wondering how those of you who have netting deal with the issues of anchor line of the bow and potential interference with the bowsprit netting.
Steve
Crystal Swan II
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Steve,
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Hey all,
Steven, like Douglas, I too used line (3/8 3-strand) for a jib net and left a hole where our CQR drops off the anhcor roller (about 3 feet ahead of the gammon iron). I did not leave a big enough space the first time I made it and Mr. Murphy obligingly saw that the anchor shackle caught on the net *everytime* I dropped it.
I liked the idea of the net begin strong enough to support a body (mine?) and in fact I could put my full weight on it when working on the jib stay turnbuckle or whatever.
Stan Roeder .....Waxwing hull #22
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John & Robin
Could you please describe how you attach the anchor line to the bowsprit,
and exactly where out on the sprit you attach it. I know I need to do this,
presently I get so much chafe of the line on the bobstay when the wind
changes. Thanks so much for your input–Pat
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Pat:
This is how we set an anchor pendant aboard IDUNA. We have several loops (strops) made from Dacron webbing. After we set the anchor, we attach a snatch block to either one or two strops at the end of the bowsprit To accomplish this task, I go out on the bowsprit and loop either one or two strops over the bowsprit just forward of the cranse iron then attach the snatch block to the strop(s). A nylon three-strand pendant is threaded through the snatch block. The bitter end is lead back to the bow where it is tied to the anchor chain with either a rolling hitch or a taught-line hitch. Additional chain is let out while letting the pendant run free. Once the attachment point of the pendant is beyond the end of the sprit, the running end of the pendant is made fast around the bitts. At this point in the operation, the chain can be made slack between the pendant and the bow by either letting out more chain or pulling in on the pendant. If the wind is blowing hard, I sometimes rig another pendant on the chain and lead this pendant over the rollers at the gammon iron to help take the strain off the first pendant.
If you do a search at the BCC forum for either anchor pendant or John Churchill, I believe John posted a discussion about his method of rigging a pendant
Fair Winds,
Rod
S/V Iduna
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— In bcc@yahoogroups.com , “prharrison2003” <harrison@g…> wrote:
John & Robin
Could you please describe how you attach the anchor line to the
bowsprit,
and exactly where out on the sprit you attach it. I know I need to
do this,
presently I get so much chafe of the line on the bobstay when the
wind
changes. Thanks so much for your input–Pat
Like most things, I copycatted the Pardeys. See “Capable Cruiser”
p125.
I put an 1/2" SS rod vertically thru my sprit, inboard of the cranse
iron with an eyenut on each end. Used a plate under the eye to keep
it from sinking into the soft wood. I use the upper eye for the
drifter tack and the end of my jackline. I have a block permanently
mounted on the lower eye with a line thru it. One end has a SS
chainhook, keep hooked to the whisker near the stem when underway.
The other end has an eye. I let out my chain, put the grab hook on
it, haul it out to the block while letting slack in the chain. Let
the chain go form a big loop. Inner end is made off to bits. Chafing
strips on sprit protect varnish.
Drawbacks- 1) Hook is not firmly attached to chain, never falls off in
use, but can during retrieval. 2) Eye at inner end cannot pass the
block, to let out more chain in emergency would require cutting the
line, then hook would fall off and be lost. Attachment using a
rolling hitch would solve both problems. 3) Snubber at end of
bowsprit effectively increases swinging circle by 16’, occasionally a
concern in tight anchorages. One solution to this is attaching
snubber to bobstay chainplate, but this greatly inhibits access to it
in emergency, so is unacceptable in my view.
John
Pat:
I use Roger Olson’s set up to get my rode away from the bob
stay. I have a large block (Schaefer Series 7 - 2250# SWL) permanently
attached to the bottom tang of my cranse iron. I then run a
pennant/snubber line (1/2" triple braid) through the block and back to the
samson post. After setting the anchor, I attach this line to the rode with
a rolling hitch and the bitter end of the snubber on the samson post. I
then veer more rode until the snubber is taught and there is a bit of
slack in the rode. Then I tie off the rode, with some slack in it, as back
up should the snubber line fail (hasn’t yet).
Hope this is clear…only trick is to make sure the snubber goes
through the roller in both directions…correct lengths become obvious
after a couple of tries.
Shiny side up…Tom
Tom Harrer
S/V Whitewings III
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Roger:
You give me too much credit. I suspect, our anchor method is just a compilation of techniques from other sailors. Sad to say, but our sea time is rather limited with the BCC. It is time for us to "get out into the big tank."
Fair Winds & Following Seas,
Rod
S/V IDUNA
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Hi Pat and the BCC group.
I read with interest, what Rod wrote and agree with his basic method. I found it easier if a permanent block can be installed under the Cranse-Iron but the method remains the same. There are advantages and disadvantages to using the strop. An individual decision
Some BCC's have two 1/2" holes in the bottom tang of the Cranse-Iron. The aft hole is for the bobstay and the forward hole is for the shackle to take a strong, swivel block. If there is not a second hole, I have drilled one. This will require drilling a small hole first then building up to the required size. If there isn't enough room for a hole, I have seen BCC's with a long shackle slipped over the bobstay clevis or turnbuckle but it must be as near to the Cranse-Iron as possible. I don't like this method as well as the hole but it works.
After the swivel block is installed, a snubber line is run through the block and back to the bitts, as Rod mentioned. I use 3/8" three-strand nylon so it will stretch. If the line is too thick it defeats the purpose of it being a snubber. The breaking strength of 3/8" nylon is about 4,400 pounds and the breaking strength of 5/16 BBB chain is 7,600 pounds. You would want the snubber to break before the chain.
I attach the snubber to the chain using a rolling-hitch. I tried using a chain hook but found it kept slipping off if there was not a constant load pulling on it. After it is once deployed, the hold is great. The problem is that some tension must be on the snubber constantly while it is being deployed. I found that I did not have enough hands to do it in anything but calm conditions. However, I know that some use it and do not have a problem. Perhaps someone has found an alternative????
My snubber line is about 50 feet long. This is really too long but if the wind comes up in the night I like to be able to let out more chain and snubber without bringing the chain up to un-tie the knot. The longer the distance between the rolling-hitch on the chain and the point where it is tied to the bitts make for more stretch. Again, as Rod mentioned, leave a loop of chain hanging down in the water between the Gammon Iron rollers and the snubber line. This serves two purposes. First, if the snubber line breaks, the chain will take the load. Second, the chain loop must be long enough so when the snubber is taut there is still some slack in the chain. So as the boat pulls back on the snubber it has to lift the weight of this chain.
Some say that the load on the end of the bowsprit is too much if there is a strong wind and heavy seas. Not really; first, the pull is mostly aft, not down because the chain is far out in front of the bow and the snubber is only about 20 to 30 feet out in front. Soon as the snubber is untied, the load is transferred to the bow roller or bowsprit roller. Second, if the load were directly down, the load would be transferred to the Cranse-Iron, to the headstay, to the backstay with compression on the mast, then to the boomkin stay. I have used this method for the 13 years I was cruising and still use it today. I have NEVER had a problem with chafe, or anything breaking and I have anchored in some rough conditions.
The only problem with this method is that the snubber line is exposed to the sun all the time. UV breaks down the nylon. I replaced mine every two to three years just in case. It never showed any damage after it was removed but I know it was not as strong as it was originally.
Remember, this is only a suggestion and the method I use. I am sure there are other ideas out there that should also be considered. Eventually, you will find what works for you.
Roger Olson
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