Joel has suggested getting an 'anchor buddy'. He and many of his boat owning friends have been using one for years. Based on his recommendation I am thinking of getting one. I think it will be less hassle than the pulley system I have at the moment, although I haven't quite given up on it yet! I still think there is merit in trying to sort it out!
Getting hold of an anchor buddy in the UK is slightly tricky. There is only one supplier that I can find on Amazon/Ebay and through a general web search.
The principles are simple - its a big elastic band. Here is a video clip of how it works
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBWravGEwp4
It is for temporary use only and cannot be left overnight or unattended. Better, I suspect in calm conditions, the idea is simple. You attach the anchor to the anchor buddy. 30 feet out you drop the anchor and attached buddy over the stern and carefully motor into the beach, avoiding wraparound on the propeller! The anchor buddy stretches behind you up to around 45 feet. On arrival at the beach, take a bow line onto the beach, and from the beach, allow the anchor buddy to contract. In doing so, the boat is pulled back out to deep water whilst you pay out the bow line. When you want to leave pull in the bowline which stretches the anchor buddy as the boat comes towards you. Step on board and the buddy pulls you back into deeper water from which you can get ready to sail away after retrieving the buddy.
Further details can be found at
http://greenfieldproducts.com/chain-cordage/anchor-buddy
http://www.lakebound.org/stuff-we-like/2013/12/5/gear-review-anchor-buddy
http://www.danbullard.com/dan/anchor_buddy.html
On a different matter, check out the video on dinghy cruising by our very own Roger Barnes of the Dinghy Cruising Association. Worth listening to the full presentation. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yhs-owd5Eo
Getting hold of an anchor buddy in the UK is slightly tricky. There is only one supplier that I can find on Amazon/Ebay and through a general web search.
The principles are simple - its a big elastic band. Here is a video clip of how it works
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBWravGEwp4
It is for temporary use only and cannot be left overnight or unattended. Better, I suspect in calm conditions, the idea is simple. You attach the anchor to the anchor buddy. 30 feet out you drop the anchor and attached buddy over the stern and carefully motor into the beach, avoiding wraparound on the propeller! The anchor buddy stretches behind you up to around 45 feet. On arrival at the beach, take a bow line onto the beach, and from the beach, allow the anchor buddy to contract. In doing so, the boat is pulled back out to deep water whilst you pay out the bow line. When you want to leave pull in the bowline which stretches the anchor buddy as the boat comes towards you. Step on board and the buddy pulls you back into deeper water from which you can get ready to sail away after retrieving the buddy.
Further details can be found at
http://greenfieldproducts.com/chain-cordage/anchor-buddy
http://www.lakebound.org/stuff-we-like/2013/12/5/gear-review-anchor-buddy
http://www.danbullard.com/dan/anchor_buddy.html
On a different matter, check out the video on dinghy cruising by our very own Roger Barnes of the Dinghy Cruising Association. Worth listening to the full presentation. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yhs-owd5Eo
Presumably you could get the same affect by having a weight (an anchor angel) about half way along the scope of the stern anchor. It would then drop pulling the boat back off the shore.
ReplyDeleteAlso getting some stretchy rope from some local mountaineers might help also.
You can also make your own Anchor Buddy. Buy 15 feet of heavy duty medical tubing. Tie two loops in your anchor line, 50 feet apart. Attach each end of the medical tubing to the loops.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys
ReplyDeleteUseful tips to feed into my thinking
Steve
Have you thought of a killick? I think that's how it's spelled. Basically a heavy weight to which is attached your scope and a long line. When you are ready to "anchor" you place the weight on the bow, land on shore (holding on to a painter or warp well attached to the bow), push the boat off and then, when it's as far off as you want, pull on the line attached to the weight which plops into the water and holds the boat until you're ready to pull her in to the shore.
ReplyDeleteClearly you need to adjust the lengths of the ropes to make all the manoeuvres work, but it's a system that I've seen used a lot by a chum and it's effective for short stays. Easier to demonstrate than describe!
Cheap, too!
Regards
Stuart
Thanks stuart
ReplyDeleteA similar idea is to put the anchor on the bow, push boat out, pull the anchor trip line so it drops off the bow. Then pull trip and drag anchor in when ready to depart.
Definitely a useful idea
Cheers Stuart
Steve