Anchor Trip Line

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

........... We don't like it when we see folks in anchorages using floating trip lines, they are an accident waiting to happen. A passing boat can easily become entangled and pull out the anchor. Or, some knucklehead will think it's a mooring resulting in a similar outcome. Stuff can and does happen while you're ashore enjoying the day.

Well I'm sorry if I offend you with my technique but we don't all do things the same way. So far I haven't had a problem and yours is the first complaint.

[deblen]

Originally Posted by rwidman

You must have missed my post #4. The weight on the free end keeps the line sunk. The line comes straight up from the anchor and goes straight down again after going through the loop in the float.

Clever-you made your own "sinking rope"!
Would work fine in most places-but gets tricky with 25-35 ft tide range here.
Thanks / Len

[Snowpetrel]

Originally Posted by deblen

Clever-you made your own "sinking rope"!
Would work fine in most places-but gets tricky with 25-35 ft tide range here.
Thanks / Len

The system is self adjusting for the tidal range as long as you anchor in deep enough water. In your case it might be tricky, probably need a miniumim of the range as depth at low water, but would still pull some slack out of the rope. We use this all the time on mooring barges to mark the mooring before we pull it. The weight pulls all the slack out of the system.

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[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by rwidman

I use a trip line run through the loop in a round fender. Rather that tying it to the fender I have a small weight on the free end of the line. Not enough to dislodge the anchor but enough to keep the fender (ball) more or less directly over the anchor. The line needs to be longer than the maximum depth of the water but shorter than twice the depth.

This is the method I use on the relatively rare occasions when we set our trip line. In my case though, I have a small block that I pass the trip line through. This makes for easy action, and keeps the float constantly vertical above the anchor. Is there is risk ... yup. So far, never a problem, but most of my cruising has been in relatively remote areas.

In general, I'm not a fan of triplines. I only deploy it in anchorages with clear bottom hazards (big rocks, logs, debris, etc.)

BTW, I like the idea of sinking the float below the water, but so far our cruising has mostly been on Lake Superior. You aren't diving in this water to retrieve a trip line unless you're wearing a drysuit.

[deblen]

Originally Posted by Snowpetrel

The system is self adjusting for the tidal range as long as you anchor in deep enough water. In your case it might be tricky, probably need a miniumim of the range as depth at low water, but would still pull some slack out of the rope. We use this all the time on mooring barges to mark the mooring before we pull it. The weight pulls all the slack out of the system.

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Yes-it would work for me in deep enough water-more than 50ft @ hi water.
Tricky math when tidal range is 3x MLW anchoring depth.25-30+ft (Tides for next Wed 0.0 - 28.6 ft in 6 hrs)
Just simpler, for my area, to use sinking rope.

Another poster mentioned that nylon & dacron,etc sinks-yes it does,but it is close enough to neutral bouyancy,that our tidal currents will drag it all over the bottom,snarling everything it comes across,& chafing it to pieces.
Been there-done that.
Just different tactics for different areas.
Cheers/Len

[Dulcesuenos]

Originally Posted by Bash

Agreed. Last time I used a float on a trip line, a Bayliner came along and tied off to my float. Must have thought it was a mooring buoy.

That was years ago. Lesson learned.

Now that's funny, did you charge them a mooring fee?
Seriously we saw a mono anchored in front of our marina near Tavernier key that had over 150' of line out, with a black bumper or bag float on their trip line, in a busy waterway one would avoid the boat at night, doubtful they would avoid their trip line float we haven't used one in over 5 years and have had to dive on our anchor once to retrieve it from a long lost mooring block snagged in chain and rope.

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[Dulcesuenos]

Deleted post from dumb smart phone

[JK n Smitty]

What about on the ICW? This is the part of our cruise that concerns me with trip lines.

Many of the anchorages are murky so the short trip line you dive for won't help but you are sometimes in crowded areas. How have people handled this on the ICW?


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[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

This is the method I use on the relatively rare occasions when we set our trip line. In my case though, I have a small block that I pass the trip line through. This makes for easy action, and keeps the float constantly vertical above the anchor. Is there is risk ... yup. So far, never a problem, but most of my cruising has been in relatively remote areas.

I should add that the block is tied to our float with a small sacrificial line. The block hangs down below the float, and the tripline passes through it. This keeps the actual tripline well below the surface. My theory (which has never been tested) is that if the float gets grabbed by a passing boat, the sacrificial line will snap before the tripline is snagged.

[derfy]

For tight and crowded anchorages floating trips invite a prop wrap from your neighbors.

One case to always set a trip is on the kedge anchor when kedging off after running aground. I learned this the hard way. Retrieving a kedge anchor from the transom after grinding off under heavy load is nearly impossible without a trip.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Well I'm sorry if I offend you with my technique but we don't all do things the same way. So far I haven't had a problem and yours is the first complaint.

Everyone we know who has used your method, eventually abandons the float trip line method following a mishap involving a passing boat snagging their line... usually at night.

Eventually, your luck will run out too.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by JK n Smitty

What about on the ICW? This is the part of our cruise that concerns me with trip lines.

Many of the anchorages are murky so the short trip line you dive for won't help but you are sometimes in crowded areas. How have people handled this on the ICW?


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I cruise the AICW. Most of the time the bottom is mud or sand with no need for a trip line. Most of the guide books suggest a trip line on or near the Waccamaw River in SC because it flows through wooded areas.

As for crowded anchorages, I expect people to avoid my float just as I would avoid theirs. It's no different than avoiding crab pot floats.

[Triumphant]

I am not a fan of tripping lines for a lot of the reasons outlines above so we rarely use one.

What has worked for us and other people more than once is if the anchor is stuck, winch it up as far as you can so the chain is “up and down”.

Then get a small length of anchor chain (about 8 to 12 inches) and shackle it around the anchor chain with a line attached to the loop of chain. Drop the loop down onto the anchor, because the chain is “up and down" the loop will go down the chain and over the shank.

Then get your dinghy out with the rope attached to the loop of chain and motor slowly towards the direction that you set the anchor, if you can remember (you may not know where but best guesses have worked for us in muddy, cold East coast UK water). Very little pull is required to trip the anchor

Hope it works for you

[Jon Eisberg]

Originally Posted by JK n Smitty

What about on the ICW? This is the part of our cruise that concerns me with trip lines.

Many of the anchorages are murky so the short trip line you dive for won't help but you are sometimes in crowded areas. How have people handled this on the ICW?

I think you'll find that there aren't too many anchorages making that trip where a trip line might really be 'required'... Places where snags or stumps are likely to exist, such as the Alligator River, a trip line is certainly a good idea, but those spots tend to be rather remote and uncrowded, anyway...





Some popular anchorages have a bit of a reputation for the possibility of a bottom fouled with debris, spots like Georgetown and the anchorage off the Charleston City Marina are a couple that come to mind... But I think in general, with the exception of the Waccamaw River, once you've put the stretch between Norfolk and Morehead behind you, you can usually get away without the use of a trip line, if you're concerned about it being snagged by another boat...