OK all you CD25 owners out there, I have a question for you.
How do you carry your anchor and when singlehanding, how do you deploy it?
Anchor on CD25
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Lee Kaufman
- Posts: 95
- Joined: Apr 22nd, '05, 12:31
- Location: CD25 #12 "Morning Star"
I have the danforth anchor mounted on the bow pulpit using the metal fluke style rail mount (link below). I also tie a nylon line from the anchor to the pulpit to ensure the anchor doesnt fall out (just cut the line in an emergency deployment situation). This anchor is really there for lunch and emergencies (e.g. motor failure). Note - I keep a 20lb CQR in the starboard cockpit locker for overnight purposes.
However, I have to admit I have never used either anchor... I sail single handed 100% of the time and typically rent a mooring ball for overnight stays. I too am interested to hear how single handed sailors have delployed AND retrieved an anchor by themselves.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... lassNum=89
However, I have to admit I have never used either anchor... I sail single handed 100% of the time and typically rent a mooring ball for overnight stays. I too am interested to hear how single handed sailors have delployed AND retrieved an anchor by themselves.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... lassNum=89
"Life begins at 2 knots."
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Lee Kaufman
- Posts: 95
- Joined: Apr 22nd, '05, 12:31
- Location: CD25 #12 "Morning Star"
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henry hey
- Posts: 192
- Joined: Oct 14th, '06, 00:48
- Location: Former owner: CD25 - 'Homeward Bound' hull #711. Now sailing with C. Brey aboard Sabre 28 Delphine
Anchor - CD25
Hi,
I'll be doing a decent amount of singlehanding this coming year -- finally got my dinghy situation figured out.
As for an anchor, I have a fortress fx-11 that I suppose is my mainstay (for long island sound) as well as a bruce. They both live in the cockpit locker and I just go forward to attach the anchor to the chain/rode when I want to use it.
I do have a small bracket that I fashioned for my fortress so perhaps I will start hanging the anchor from the bow pulpit again. My previous anchor was a cartoony looking danforth that hung up there with two clips that attached to the stock. This was all well and good except for the time that I got into pitching swells and the anchor CAME OFF IT'S MOUNTS in the middle of a blow. It was flopping around on the foredeck as the boat plunged through waves -- not a comfortable feeling.
Actually, whether or not I get around to mounting my anchor on the pulpit, I feel pretty good just having it accessible in the locker. The CD25 isn't all that heavy and as long as I leave the motor running I feel confident to just go forward with anchor in hand and toss it in.
The Fortress is especially nice because it's so light, comparatively, and easy to handle.
Of course, hauling the anchor up certainly involves having your engine running nicely before you begin.
my 2 cents
-henry
I'll be doing a decent amount of singlehanding this coming year -- finally got my dinghy situation figured out.
As for an anchor, I have a fortress fx-11 that I suppose is my mainstay (for long island sound) as well as a bruce. They both live in the cockpit locker and I just go forward to attach the anchor to the chain/rode when I want to use it.
I do have a small bracket that I fashioned for my fortress so perhaps I will start hanging the anchor from the bow pulpit again. My previous anchor was a cartoony looking danforth that hung up there with two clips that attached to the stock. This was all well and good except for the time that I got into pitching swells and the anchor CAME OFF IT'S MOUNTS in the middle of a blow. It was flopping around on the foredeck as the boat plunged through waves -- not a comfortable feeling.
Actually, whether or not I get around to mounting my anchor on the pulpit, I feel pretty good just having it accessible in the locker. The CD25 isn't all that heavy and as long as I leave the motor running I feel confident to just go forward with anchor in hand and toss it in.
The Fortress is especially nice because it's so light, comparatively, and easy to handle.
Of course, hauling the anchor up certainly involves having your engine running nicely before you begin.
my 2 cents
-henry
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henry hey
- Posts: 192
- Joined: Oct 14th, '06, 00:48
- Location: Former owner: CD25 - 'Homeward Bound' hull #711. Now sailing with C. Brey aboard Sabre 28 Delphine
Metal fluke style rail mount
FYI,
This is the very mount that released my previous anchor in the blow.
h
This is the very mount that released my previous anchor in the blow.
h
IF you sail singlehanded often I highly recommend that you get your anchor mounted on a bow roller. If your 25 doesn't have one there are lots of after market systems. You want your anchor to be as easy to deploy, read fast, as possible. NOT for anchorages, but in case you lose all power when in close proximity to land and you need to stop NOW...
As for getting the anchor up and down while alone. The usual process I use is basically the same as when I have a crew. Only difference is that I leave the helm to go forward and drop/retreive the anchor. As in most sailing situation the key is being prepared. Get everything ready on the bow before arriving at the anchorage, so that once there all you have to do is walk forward and drop anchor. If conditions are such that going forward is not a good idea, I get everything ready at the bow run my rode down the side deck to my genoa winch. I then go forward and get my anchor situated such that when I release the rode from the genoa winch it slips off the bow roller and deploys. I usually then go forward and attach the rode to the bow cleats. I did once leave it secured to the STERN cleat. Why? Because it was raining and blowing on and off all night and IF I needed to let rode in or out I wanted to be able to do it from the cockpit. As for retrieval, it's usually the same as crewed.I start the diesel, go forward and bring it in. Depending on conditions I may stay on the bow after the anchor is off the bottom and get it all stowed as I drift. If conditions don't allow much time I may just get the anchor off the bottom and head back to the helm and get moving, going forward after I clear all solid objects. IF it blowing like stink I run the rode back to the genoa winch and winch the anchor up as I motor up to the anchor. Other than the not so nice sound of my chain running along the side deck I can get the anchor back in it's roller from there. I use a Bruce. The chain to rope splice reaches the winch with about 10' of chain still in the water. I have 30' of chain. At this point I can leave it like that for a few as I get out and away and then go forward to get it on the roller. Or as I did once, I can grab the chain and heave the Bruce back up into the roller. One thing that I added to my bow roller was a SS strap in a U form across the top that keeps the chain/rode from ever coming off the roller..
Single handed anchor setting and retrieval is a very dynamic art. Conditions will dictate what will work and what won't in any given situation. Practice, practice, practice.
good luck to you...
As for getting the anchor up and down while alone. The usual process I use is basically the same as when I have a crew. Only difference is that I leave the helm to go forward and drop/retreive the anchor. As in most sailing situation the key is being prepared. Get everything ready on the bow before arriving at the anchorage, so that once there all you have to do is walk forward and drop anchor. If conditions are such that going forward is not a good idea, I get everything ready at the bow run my rode down the side deck to my genoa winch. I then go forward and get my anchor situated such that when I release the rode from the genoa winch it slips off the bow roller and deploys. I usually then go forward and attach the rode to the bow cleats. I did once leave it secured to the STERN cleat. Why? Because it was raining and blowing on and off all night and IF I needed to let rode in or out I wanted to be able to do it from the cockpit. As for retrieval, it's usually the same as crewed.I start the diesel, go forward and bring it in. Depending on conditions I may stay on the bow after the anchor is off the bottom and get it all stowed as I drift. If conditions don't allow much time I may just get the anchor off the bottom and head back to the helm and get moving, going forward after I clear all solid objects. IF it blowing like stink I run the rode back to the genoa winch and winch the anchor up as I motor up to the anchor. Other than the not so nice sound of my chain running along the side deck I can get the anchor back in it's roller from there. I use a Bruce. The chain to rope splice reaches the winch with about 10' of chain still in the water. I have 30' of chain. At this point I can leave it like that for a few as I get out and away and then go forward to get it on the roller. Or as I did once, I can grab the chain and heave the Bruce back up into the roller. One thing that I added to my bow roller was a SS strap in a U form across the top that keeps the chain/rode from ever coming off the roller..
Single handed anchor setting and retrieval is a very dynamic art. Conditions will dictate what will work and what won't in any given situation. Practice, practice, practice.
good luck to you...
Randy 25D Seraph #161
Henry,
When your anchor deployed in the blow was it only attached with the clips or did you also have a line attached? Mine has never come out of the clips but I am hoping that the nylon line would hold it if it did... just wondered if that was part of your experience or not. I definately dont want the anchor falling out while moving, but I wanted something quicker to deploy than having to walk forward with an anchor (e.g. engine fails just run forward, cur the line, drop the anchor).
In regards to the question about the rode. I just lay the chain on deck. I dont have much chain for the danforth anchor because it is only used for quick lunching. The CQR has more chain and is kept in the locker with the anchor. The CD25 doesnt have the best anchor storage setup...
When your anchor deployed in the blow was it only attached with the clips or did you also have a line attached? Mine has never come out of the clips but I am hoping that the nylon line would hold it if it did... just wondered if that was part of your experience or not. I definately dont want the anchor falling out while moving, but I wanted something quicker to deploy than having to walk forward with an anchor (e.g. engine fails just run forward, cur the line, drop the anchor).
In regards to the question about the rode. I just lay the chain on deck. I dont have much chain for the danforth anchor because it is only used for quick lunching. The CQR has more chain and is kept in the locker with the anchor. The CD25 doesnt have the best anchor storage setup...
"Life begins at 2 knots."
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henry hey
- Posts: 192
- Joined: Oct 14th, '06, 00:48
- Location: Former owner: CD25 - 'Homeward Bound' hull #711. Now sailing with C. Brey aboard Sabre 28 Delphine
Anchor clips
No, my anchor was only hanging from the clips.
I suppose that if you tied a couple lines around it then you would have enough security. Those clips just seem a funny way to hang the anchor as it does swing quite a bit when things are rough.
I bought a windline bracket that can also attach to the pulpit. I had to modify it for use with my fortress because of the mud palms and have yet to try it. I think I will like it better as there is no swing.
Certainly a bow roller is the best for anyone who does a lot of cruising, but it requires some modification on the cd25 due to the stem fitting up at the bow.
You can see a good example of a bow roller on Dave Brandt's exquisite restoration of 'prairie' "
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9447350@N0 ... 596173271/
My anchor chain and attached rode live in the foredeck anchor locker. I have a 2nd chain and rode for my bruce anchor in the cockpit locker.
Carter Brey did a fair amount of singlehanding on his CD25. He may be a good person to ask about anchor handling.
-henry
I suppose that if you tied a couple lines around it then you would have enough security. Those clips just seem a funny way to hang the anchor as it does swing quite a bit when things are rough.
I bought a windline bracket that can also attach to the pulpit. I had to modify it for use with my fortress because of the mud palms and have yet to try it. I think I will like it better as there is no swing.
Certainly a bow roller is the best for anyone who does a lot of cruising, but it requires some modification on the cd25 due to the stem fitting up at the bow.
You can see a good example of a bow roller on Dave Brandt's exquisite restoration of 'prairie' "
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9447350@N0 ... 596173271/
My anchor chain and attached rode live in the foredeck anchor locker. I have a 2nd chain and rode for my bruce anchor in the cockpit locker.
Carter Brey did a fair amount of singlehanding on his CD25. He may be a good person to ask about anchor handling.
-henry
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Steve Bryant
- Posts: 159
- Joined: Nov 3rd, '06, 15:44
- Location: 1981 CD25 #815
"Elan"
Ocean Springs, MS
Anchor rode bag
Lee,
FWIW, I use an anchor rode bag to store the ground tackle on my CD25 (14# Danforth, 20ft chain, 150ft rode). Here's a link to the product: http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detail.h ... &group=776
It is usually stored in the cockpit locker while docked or sailing with crew, but when I'm singlehanding I move it to the cockpit sole where the anchor can be deployed off the stern and cleated off on the aft cleat in case of an emergency. If necessary, you can then walk the rode to the bow outside the lifelines carrying the bag and secure it there returning to the cockpit then releasing the rode from the aft cleat so the boat will turn head to wind.
If I am singlehanding and the destination is an anchorage, which are usually, where I sail, in the range of 10-15 ft deep, before leaving the slip I go ahead and cleat the rode off at the bow leaving 50 to 60ft of scope, run it through the bow chock and then take the anchor and excess rode outside the lifelines back to the cockpit. The rest of the rode in the bag is strapped to the base of the mast with a bungee.
Upon reaching the anchorage, I nose it in toward the shore until I pick my spot and then turn 180 degrees and drop the anchor from the cockpit. The boat continues away from shore until the anchor bites and when it does the boat will swing back around head to wind on its own and the force helps set the anchor. You can do this under sail or power. Then its just a matter of going forward and adjusting to the proper scope. The bag keeps the foredeck clear of the excess rode so you aren't tripping over it. It also keeps the rode from getting tangled while stored in the locker.
When you don't have a bow roller or an anchor locker on a small boat, I have found it to be a usefull accessory.
FWIW, I use an anchor rode bag to store the ground tackle on my CD25 (14# Danforth, 20ft chain, 150ft rode). Here's a link to the product: http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detail.h ... &group=776
It is usually stored in the cockpit locker while docked or sailing with crew, but when I'm singlehanding I move it to the cockpit sole where the anchor can be deployed off the stern and cleated off on the aft cleat in case of an emergency. If necessary, you can then walk the rode to the bow outside the lifelines carrying the bag and secure it there returning to the cockpit then releasing the rode from the aft cleat so the boat will turn head to wind.
If I am singlehanding and the destination is an anchorage, which are usually, where I sail, in the range of 10-15 ft deep, before leaving the slip I go ahead and cleat the rode off at the bow leaving 50 to 60ft of scope, run it through the bow chock and then take the anchor and excess rode outside the lifelines back to the cockpit. The rest of the rode in the bag is strapped to the base of the mast with a bungee.
Upon reaching the anchorage, I nose it in toward the shore until I pick my spot and then turn 180 degrees and drop the anchor from the cockpit. The boat continues away from shore until the anchor bites and when it does the boat will swing back around head to wind on its own and the force helps set the anchor. You can do this under sail or power. Then its just a matter of going forward and adjusting to the proper scope. The bag keeps the foredeck clear of the excess rode so you aren't tripping over it. It also keeps the rode from getting tangled while stored in the locker.
When you don't have a bow roller or an anchor locker on a small boat, I have found it to be a usefull accessory.
Steve Bryant
"Elan" 1981 CD25 #815
"Elan" 1981 CD25 #815
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Carter Brey
- Posts: 709
- Joined: Feb 5th, '05, 12:02
- Location: 1982 Sabre 28 Mk II #532 "Delphine"
City Island, New York - Contact:
Anchoring
Henry's right about those pulpit-mount clips for Danforths. They stink. I also had my anchor jump out of them in a seaway. In my case it swung around off the bow and Mary Ellen somehow escaped gelcoat damage.
I replaced the clips with a slide-in pulpit mount. No more problems:
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... 7&id=31525
On my Sabre 28 I have an anchor well, which obviates the need for rail mounting and is deep enough to hold a couple of hundred feet of rode in addition to a claw. Nevertheless, I agree with Randy about the efficacy of a bow roller in an emergency and will be installing one in the spring. A roller also saves your back if you're over a certain age and reduces the chance that the anchor will screw up your gelcoat on the way up or down.
A nice thing about an anchor well is that you can sit in it while weighing anchor, bracing your feet against the forward bulkhead.
I find that the only time singlehanded anchor retrieval gets hairy is when the wind is blowing over 18 knots or so. The back pressure on a 4-ton boat makes it hard to haul in the rode. I raise some main so that the boat sails slowly forward, first on one tack, then the other. When the rode goes temporarily slack as we go forward, I haul it in and cleat it off until the next tack. Lather. Rinse, Repeat.
Use gloves, and keep your fingers from coming between the taut rode and a cleat or chock.
Regards,
Carter Brey
Sabre 28 Mk II #532 "Delphine"
City Island, NY
I replaced the clips with a slide-in pulpit mount. No more problems:
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... 7&id=31525
On my Sabre 28 I have an anchor well, which obviates the need for rail mounting and is deep enough to hold a couple of hundred feet of rode in addition to a claw. Nevertheless, I agree with Randy about the efficacy of a bow roller in an emergency and will be installing one in the spring. A roller also saves your back if you're over a certain age and reduces the chance that the anchor will screw up your gelcoat on the way up or down.
A nice thing about an anchor well is that you can sit in it while weighing anchor, bracing your feet against the forward bulkhead.
I find that the only time singlehanded anchor retrieval gets hairy is when the wind is blowing over 18 knots or so. The back pressure on a 4-ton boat makes it hard to haul in the rode. I raise some main so that the boat sails slowly forward, first on one tack, then the other. When the rode goes temporarily slack as we go forward, I haul it in and cleat it off until the next tack. Lather. Rinse, Repeat.
Use gloves, and keep your fingers from coming between the taut rode and a cleat or chock.
Regards,
Carter Brey
Sabre 28 Mk II #532 "Delphine"
City Island, NY
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Dave Brandt
- Posts: 92
- Joined: Feb 14th, '05, 18:33
- Location: CD-25, #378, "Prairie"
Rochester, MN - Contact:
CD-25 Anchor
Hi Lee,
I single hand Prairie quit a bit as well as anchor out. I have a 14# Delta Fast Set on a bow roller with 200' of 5/8" rode and 30' of chain. I have not had any problems with this set up. It is easy to deploy and retrieve.
I could not find a bow roller that would work on my boat, so I built one. I believe that the older CD-25s like yours did not have the bronze stem head, if that is the case I have seen commercially produced bow rollers mounted with out much fuss.
I added a water tight locker for the rode & chain to the boat. The CD-25 benefits from keeping the weight forward, so I did not have a concern with the weight.
I have a second anchor that lives on the stern rail, it's a Fortress FX-7. I keep the 150' of 1/2" rode and 12' of chain for it in the bilge.
Every thing I read said that 1/2' rode was fine for a boat of this size, but when my boat was straining at anchor that 1/2" rode just looked so thin. I sleep better at anchor now with the 5/8" rode. Another thing that helps with getting a good night's sleep when at anchor, is setting the GPS to sound an alarm if you are dragging. I have a very simple Garmin 12-Map that I can use as an anchor alarm.
As far as deploying the anchor, once I decide where I want to be, I stop the boat, go forward and drop the anchor, then go back to the cockpit, lock the tiller and put the boat into reverse, then go back forward to feed out the rode. When I get to the desired length I cleat it off and go back to the cockpit and set the anchor. I have my rode marked every 30', so I just count off the tick marks.
You can find some photos of how I have it set up at the link Henry provided and at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9447350@N0 ... 605439417/
Funny anchoring story:
Last summer my wife, Jane and youngest son, Clare were sailing with me. We sailed to a beautiful bay on one of the islands, there were already a few boats anchored in the bay. We found a good spot to anchor, Jane & Clare were in charge of deploying the anchor. We had discussed how much rode we needed for a 7:1 scope, they fed out the rode and counted off the tick marks on it to the agreed length while I backed the boat down.
When everything was set we took the dingy to shore for a hike. While walking long the beach I noticed that Prairie was not really in line with the other boats and it kind of bothered me, usually all the boats will be basically in line, so when we got back to the boat I decided to move and re-set the anchor, assuming I had messed something up. Jane and Clare were feeding the rode in as I motored slowly ahead and motored and motored and motored. I could not figure out what was taking so long to get the rode back on board, finally I ask how many of the 30' tick marks they had counted and Jane said 30', I thought you said they were 10' tick marks! I think we had a 19:1 scope......
Dave
I single hand Prairie quit a bit as well as anchor out. I have a 14# Delta Fast Set on a bow roller with 200' of 5/8" rode and 30' of chain. I have not had any problems with this set up. It is easy to deploy and retrieve.
I could not find a bow roller that would work on my boat, so I built one. I believe that the older CD-25s like yours did not have the bronze stem head, if that is the case I have seen commercially produced bow rollers mounted with out much fuss.
I added a water tight locker for the rode & chain to the boat. The CD-25 benefits from keeping the weight forward, so I did not have a concern with the weight.
I have a second anchor that lives on the stern rail, it's a Fortress FX-7. I keep the 150' of 1/2" rode and 12' of chain for it in the bilge.
Every thing I read said that 1/2' rode was fine for a boat of this size, but when my boat was straining at anchor that 1/2" rode just looked so thin. I sleep better at anchor now with the 5/8" rode. Another thing that helps with getting a good night's sleep when at anchor, is setting the GPS to sound an alarm if you are dragging. I have a very simple Garmin 12-Map that I can use as an anchor alarm.
As far as deploying the anchor, once I decide where I want to be, I stop the boat, go forward and drop the anchor, then go back to the cockpit, lock the tiller and put the boat into reverse, then go back forward to feed out the rode. When I get to the desired length I cleat it off and go back to the cockpit and set the anchor. I have my rode marked every 30', so I just count off the tick marks.
You can find some photos of how I have it set up at the link Henry provided and at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9447350@N0 ... 605439417/
Funny anchoring story:
Last summer my wife, Jane and youngest son, Clare were sailing with me. We sailed to a beautiful bay on one of the islands, there were already a few boats anchored in the bay. We found a good spot to anchor, Jane & Clare were in charge of deploying the anchor. We had discussed how much rode we needed for a 7:1 scope, they fed out the rode and counted off the tick marks on it to the agreed length while I backed the boat down.
When everything was set we took the dingy to shore for a hike. While walking long the beach I noticed that Prairie was not really in line with the other boats and it kind of bothered me, usually all the boats will be basically in line, so when we got back to the boat I decided to move and re-set the anchor, assuming I had messed something up. Jane and Clare were feeding the rode in as I motored slowly ahead and motored and motored and motored. I could not figure out what was taking so long to get the rode back on board, finally I ask how many of the 30' tick marks they had counted and Jane said 30', I thought you said they were 10' tick marks! I think we had a 19:1 scope......
Dave
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Neil Gordon
- Posts: 4367
- Joined: Feb 5th, '05, 17:25
- Location: s/v LIQUIDITY, CD28. We sail from Marina Bay on Boston Harbor. Try us on channel 9.
- Contact:
The Boston Harbor Islands make for great day sails and overnights and I find it easier to anchor than to pick up a mooring there. (You anchor for free and can anchor closer in.) Peddocks I. is a good place to practice dropping and retrieving, with lunch, a nap and maybe a swim in between.KDreese wrote:However, I have to admit I have never used either anchor... I sail single handed 100% of the time and typically rent a mooring ball for overnight stays. I too am interested to hear how single handed sailors have delployed AND retrieved an anchor by themselves.
As for method, letting go the anchor is about the same as picking up a mooring alone. Make everything ready before you enter a crowded anchorage. Then just sail or motor to your spot, stop the boat, walk forward and let the anchor go. Feed out sufficient scope, make sure it's set and that's it.
Leaving, prepare to sail or motor off. Heave the rode to straight up and down and break the anchor from the bottom. If there's room to drift a bit, stow everything neatly and then get on your way. If not, let the anchor dangle and sail or motor to deeper water away from the crowd before cleaning up.
Fair winds, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167
Boston, MA
CDSOA member #698
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167
Boston, MA
CDSOA member #698
Why is this discussion format soooooo wide ?
Very interesting discussion but my patience reached it's limit moving text left to read. Why does this happen and how can it be mitigated?
Ron
Ron
Last edited by ronkberg on Jan 5th, '08, 15:30, edited 1 time in total.
Ron Kallenberg
Old Orchard Beach, Maine
Sailing in Saco Bay, Maine
Old Orchard Beach, Maine
Sailing in Saco Bay, Maine
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Warren Kaplan
- Posts: 1147
- Joined: Feb 5th, '05, 11:44
- Location: Former owner of Sine Qua Non CD27 #166 1980 Oyster Bay Harbor, NY Member # 317
I've got a slide in pulpit mount for my FX-11 fortress anchor. I also take a shock cord type sail tie and fix it around the anchor as it is held in the bracket and then around the pulpit rail itself. No way for that anchor to jump out of the bracket even when pounding to windward in choppy seas!
"I desire no more delight, than to be under sail and gone tonight."
(W. Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice)
(W. Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice)
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Sandy D.
- Posts: 114
- Joined: Mar 16th, '05, 12:53
- Location: CD27 #60....BLIND FAITH....
Grosse Pointe,Mi
Dave Brants bow roler
Hey Dave,
Any chance you've got some more pics of your bow roller. Or could you elaborate on fabrication/installation. Thanks a bunch!
-Sandy
Any chance you've got some more pics of your bow roller. Or could you elaborate on fabrication/installation. Thanks a bunch!
-Sandy