Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

Chapter 8: Anchors Aweigh! Making Your Boat Stay Put
In extreme conditions, the sea anchor is sometimes trailed from a bridle on the stern as a
low-powered boat runs through an inlet. A bridle is a harness made from heavy rope,
draped from each side of the transom lifting eyes (stout rings through-bolted to the transom)
to form a secure, centered attachment for a sea anchor or for a line used to tow
other boats. The idea is to keep the stern straight, preventing waves from pushing it into
the trough and rolling the boat.
Anchor Tackle
Ground tackle is your anchoring stuff, the rope (called “rode” or “line” by old salts) and
all the other gear that help you hold bottom.
Anchors work a lot better if equipped with three to six feet of heavy galvanized chain
between shank and line. The chain lies along bottom, keeping the angle of pull on the
shank low and helping the anchor to dig in.
Galvanized anchors are steel coated with zinc to make them rustproof. A shackle is a
C-shaped fastener with a clevis bolt used to secure the eye of the anchor to the anchor
rode, usually through a thimble—a rounded, hard plastic or galvanized steel insert spliced
into an anchor rode to prevent abrasion against the shackle.
The chain, because it produces a large amount of sag in the anchor line, also acts as a
shock absorber as the boat rocks in the waves, keeping pressure off the anchor itself. And
if there are sharp rocks or junk on the bottom, the chain helps prevent your anchor line
from being cut.
BOAT U.S. suggests the guidelines shown in the following table for chain used on
anchors.
119
Sea anchors are nylon or
canvas bags that create drag
when trailed from bow or
stern. They’re used to slow a
drift rather than to fix the
boat in one place.