Anchor trip line

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HarlenW

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Reading the other post about trip lines and buoys/balls.

Would this work: attaching the trip line to the anchor, making sure it is as long as your anchor point is deep at high tide, and then just tying the line to the anchor chain before you put out your rode. It should be available for use if needed and you don't have to contend with the buoy or marker. I worry that someone could come by and snag the marker.
 
We use a trip line attached to the anchor, and I use a crab pot bouy to float the line. I have it marked, so I know how much to put out, and it tells me where the anchor is, and most boats avoid quickly, thinking it is a crab pot.
 
If you use an anchor buoy mark it with large letters. "Private mooring, $20 per hour with a minimum of $50 if picked up"
Just collect the money if anyone touched the buoy.
 
At night I attach a light stick to the buoy.
 
Dusty, that's funny as we do the same thing. Since I'm all chain, I don't use it as a trip line, but rather just have the float there to keep people away. It works wonderfully to keep the idiots away (and there seems to be no shortage of idiots boating in the Chesapeake).
 
It will work if you really need one. The question is do you? Depends on the bottom condition in your area, personally out of the thousands of time I ve anchored on the east coast or bahamas I ve never has the hook snagged. I lost one a couple of months ago because of a failing swivel but even with that I don't think it it s worth the extra hassle especially since I single hand a lot

if you re in lakes or rivers or bays with snags then yes it s worth it
 
HarlenW,
That's a good point you are making about keeping the trip line submerged until needed. Most of the coves we anchor out in do have some level of boat traffic and sometimes a buoy along with an anchored boat in the same proximity could restrict the other boaters movement in or out of the cove or increase the chances that someone would snag the buoy.
 
quote:
Originally posted by PascalG

It will work if you really need one. The question is do you? Depends on the bottom condition in your area, personally out of the thousands of time I ve anchored on the east coast or bahamas I ve never has the hook snagged. I lost one a couple of months ago because of a failing swivel but even with that I don't think it it s worth the extra hassle especially since I single hand a lot

if you re in lakes or rivers or bays with snags then yes it s worth it

Click to expand...
Thanks, Pascal that is just the information I am looking for. I only have a little experience with anchoring and knowing that a snag is a rare occurrence is helpful. Now that you mention it, I have never heard from friends who boat in my area that they snagged an anchor.
 
quote:
Originally posted by HarlenW

Would this work: attaching the trip line to the anchor, making sure it is as long as your anchor point is deep at high tide, and then just tying the line to the anchor chain before you put out your rode. It should be available for use if needed and you don’t have to contend with the buoy or marker. I worry that someone could come by and snag the marker.

Click to expand...


Yes, it works.
 
HarlanW, based on considerable anchoring experience in the PNW, B.C. and SE Alaska, I can report that we have never lost an anchor. Having the anchor foul seems to occur every 10-12 years or so, but we've always been able to finally get it onboard. The main culprit has been anchorages in B.C. and SE Alaska that had former logging camps with floating gear. Some of these locations had extensive wire/line rigging that eventually ended up on the bottom.

But for the great majority of normal anchorages, there is extremely little chance that you will need to use an anchor trip line in recovery. For these locations, especially when crowed, every now and then it is instructive to those who anchor later to know exactly where your anchor is. But you don't acutally need to size this gear for use as an anchor trip line.

Even then, I don't see this as being worth the investment of time and materials in buying, rigging, and handling the extra gear. Jay
 
I used a trip line and buoy once, on the Wacamaw river in a wooded area. This was recommended by the cruising guides.

It turned out I didn't need the trip line but I did pull up a pretty large sunken tree branch with the anchor.

I think you have to consider what might be on the bottom when deciding if you should use a trip line or not.
 
quote:
Originally posted by HarlenW

Would this work: attaching the trip line to the anchor, making sure it is as long as your anchor point is deep at high tide, and then just tying the line to the anchor chain before you put out your rode. It should be available for use if needed and you don’t have to contend with the buoy or marker. I worry that someone could come by and snag the marker.

Click to expand...


That should work as long as you can tie it off higher than the water depth (considering tidal changes).
 
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