reef anchor retrieval
Submitted by petermac on Sat, 2013-06-29 21:53
i nearly lost the boat today while i was trying to pull up a stuck reef anchor using the boat motor first tryed to reverse it out and couldnt budge it so i tryed a couple of differet angles then decided to try and get it up by driving over which beryed the bow just as we got smashed by a huge swell luckily i hit reverse and got the bow back out and the anchor rope snapped otherwise we would have had heaps of water over the bow and being a center console would have been in the boat has any onne out there got another method for getting up stuck anchors
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DhuBoi
Posts: 896
Date Joined: 25/05/09
Where did you anchor mate ?
Where did you anchor mate ? Anywhere Along the five fathom / inner reefs unless its REAL calm I never anchor to risky to especially in a swell.
living is fishing
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
yes
was on the five fathom dont realy know the waters (that swell at least 4 to 5 +today at times though 2.7 was predicted on seabreeze) that well down here after a life time in the north west i will remember your advise for next time
catchalittle
Posts: 1875
Date Joined: 04/09/08
pm sent
pm sent
Nathan
tot
Posts: 1174
Date Joined: 31/01/10
use the correct anchor
the reef pick that you bend the prongs out is the go. they are easy to straighten with a bit of power. otherwise the float retrieval method is good. don't use a sarca or the likes on reef.
surely with all the boat diving and years of boating/fishing up north over coral you would have this sorted???
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petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
you would
you would have thought but I have never seen swells like they are down here to get a pick up in the north you just yank it out with the boat or dive down and get it but as I had no dive gear today and was in 22m I wasn't prepared to go over the side with out at least a set of goggles and weight belt and yes was using a normal reefy I suspect the chain got wrapped around some stubborn reef
tot
Posts: 1174
Date Joined: 31/01/10
dont use chain
defeats the purpose of a reef pick
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petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
realy?
is that true ??? I will take it on board if yes but always have thought you needed chain I might be an old dog but always ready to learn a new trick
tot
Posts: 1174
Date Joined: 31/01/10
works for me
steel doesn't float;) sure will take longer to get down but still effective. if you know the ground is bad I keep the boat over where I drop it then when you feel the bottom drift off so it grabs. this is easy to do with chain also but if you use a heavy chain you may get stuck. I still use chain when I anchor deep and dropping on sand chain is a must.
Reverse cycle a/c supply and install - Ducted and wall splits
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
How bigs the reef anchor,
How bigs the reef anchor, they normally straighten. Or get a attachment at the spike end and cable tie the chain to main attachment so it snaps when pulled hard!
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
anchor size
to tell the truth I thought it wasn't big enough for the boat just a medium size reefy but I had 3 meters of chain on it
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
will
I will give it a try still tend to think you need some chain but I will let you know how it goes (will make my deckys life easier too) he had a heart attack 5 weeks ago and still is determined he can get the anchor in
sea-kem
Posts: 15228
Date Joined: 30/11/09
I reckon you're really
I reckon you're really chancing it in a big swell trying to drive it off. Saying that ,that's the method I usually use but in mild conditions.
Love the West!
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
agree
totally agree with you I better go home to the n/w the cold and the swells down here are going to kill me as my mate said today (we have been mates since we were 11) 'I think we just used up our ninth life"
sea-kem
Posts: 15228
Date Joined: 30/11/09
I usually do it myself Pete.
I usually do it myself Pete. slow throttle and tie the rope off when the slack is straight down. If it doesn't come off then I'd serously be thinking cut the rope. You must've been on some good ground.
Love the West!
beachsoul
Posts: 215
Date Joined: 14/06/12
In my boat
We wait for a lull in the swells...... we don.t actually tie off just do a few wraps so it;ll slip easily if the deckie is not holding the rope tight.
Then we try to power it off. If swells come through we wait with slack rope out and try again after they have past.
I think this is a safe methoed if the skipper and deckie are both aware of what they need to do. In saying that it is a time when extreme caution should be used and the skippers instructions ( thats me!) followed with haste.
Often what happens if you are having trouble running it off the reef is that the anchor chain has gone under a tight ledge. If I can.t get it off after a circit around in both forwards and reverse I would either cut the rope or dive down. Remember an anchor, some chain and a bit of rope are only cheap compared to your life and or your boat
fishy fingers
Posts: 1719
Date Joined: 28/04/07
I dont power off
only as a last resort, I have a 6m glass boat and even that can be pulled down at the bow,what I do is pull it myself thats the first trick! the next trick is dont use an anchor you cant pull straight then I get the deckie to drive over it slowly until i have gathered in all the slack and when the rope is pointing straight down i give it a few sharp jerks upwards quickly and 99% of the time it breaks free and up she comes, I've only had to power off a couple of times and had to cut off once in over 25 years
fisharoo
Posts: 297
Date Joined: 02/07/11
Yeah scary situations.
Yeah scary situations. Always a shit end to the day getting the anchor stuck in reef. Found that its usually the chain and rope that gets wrapped around the bottom of the bommie of some sort. Now I always drive upwind past the spot and get my deckie to lower the anchor slowly by hand. I reckon this keeps the chain and rope sitting straight and not looping around anything. Haven't lost another anchor ( touch wood) but had a few close calls tho. Always a risk anchoring on reef.
cheers
squidder
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 03/09/10
Agree
with fisharoo totally.
Too often people just hurl the anchor and a handful of chain over and wait for the rope to go slack. In doing this there is a good chance of the chain beating the anchor down and as fisheroo has mentioned, the chain may have looped around the reef in such a way there will be no chance of recovery.
Always pays to keep a bit of tension on the rope as she goes down.
sea-kem
Posts: 15228
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Like it Bruce I blew the
Like it Bruce
I blew the deckie up for that once. Tha's why I do the anchor now set and retrieve.
Love the West!
uncle
Posts: 9639
Date Joined: 10/02/07
whats going on
your letting all the skippers down, its the crewies job!!ha ha
all aggressive fish love bigjohnsjigs
sea-kem
Posts: 15228
Date Joined: 30/11/09
ha ha yeah I know mate sad
ha ha yeah I know mate sad state of affairs. I've even had to do basic 101 retreival of the sea anchor, you know pull the blue cord not the red one lol.
Love the West!
choc
Posts: 670
Date Joined: 05/01/12
If you dont use chain(as
If you dont use chain(as mentioned above)wont your rope be ruibbing reef with the swell going up and down?
Paul H
Posts: 2104
Date Joined: 18/01/07
Not using chain could be a
Not using chain could be a recipe for disaster in my opinion - what happens when your motor shits it and your over ribbon weed or similar but close to and drifting towards reef/broken waves and you really need your anchor to grab and hold????? No chain and your in a spot of bother when your anchor just drags...
Shackle the chain to the prong end and then run the chain down the shaft and cable tie it to the other end. That way when struck you can break the cable tie and pull the anchor out backwards. If the chain and or rope (rope can do the same) wrap around something and you can't get it out you'll just have to cut it and get another. As above when trying to pull it out don't tie it off just loop it around and hold it so it can be released quickly - Not worth the risk for the price of an anchor and bit of chain and rope. If using the cable tie method when stuck you'll be able to get it back 99% of the time.
+2 with lowering under some tension and not just the pick up and throw the lot method!! also less disturbing for the fish your about to target.
Cheers
Paul
Youtube Channel - FishOnLine Productions
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbUVNa-ViyGm_FTDSv4Nqzg/videos
tot
Posts: 1174
Date Joined: 31/01/10
I have a sarca on chain and rope
and reef pick on just rope. I have had no charfing(sp) and it always holds the bottom. works for me anyway.
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Rob H
Posts: 5900
Date Joined: 18/01/12
true choc it will be. But a
true choc it will be.
But a reef pick should NEVER be used when the safety of the boat/crew depends on it.
i.e anchoring over night, diving unattended etc.
Secure anchoring depends on setting a dependable plough type (and its various evolutions) etc anchor in sand or mud where it is self resetting. Chain is to help keep the angle of the pull on the anchor as low as possible.
A reef pick which is designed/intended to have a limited holding ability to enable the tongs to straighten relies solely on the bit of rock, coral, shopping trolley etc it happens to grab. Who knows how strong that piece of coral is unless you are diving and swim down to check it? Once the tongs straighten the boat is gone and wont set again.
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
squidder
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 03/09/10
Long chains
can be good and bad.
Having a lengthy peice of chain on a rough day is an advantage.
As the boat takes up on a swell or wind the chain acts as a shock absorber,but, when the days are calm and the winds variable, long chains can be slowly lifted as the boat changes direction and the unsuspecting boaty can find themselves with the long chain wrapped around all sorts of obsticles again making it near on impossible to retrieve.
It always pays to have spare anchors and a length of rope with a 2 or 3mtre peice of chain on board in case you do have to cut your rope.
Paul H
Posts: 2104
Date Joined: 18/01/07
I was thinking more so of the
I was thinking more so of the motor dies and you only have time to get the anchor hanging off the bow into the water type senarios (to buy more time). Not so much mooring where time is on your side to do it properly.
In most trailerable boats your reef anchors should be able to hold the boat in an emergency provided it of the adequate weight for the boat and with enough chain and rope out. If not you either need a different anchor or to think about the conditions your fishing in and where you fish (probably shouldn't be fishing to close to reef etc if the motors not 100% reliable either) . By all means use a prong anchor with rope only but have a backup rigged and ready to go at all times.
I wouldn't want to be telling the insurance company you lost the boat beacuse and the reef anchor with no chain wouldn't hold (and you didn't have anything else rigged and ready to go).
cheers
Youtube Channel - FishOnLine Productions
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JimmyG
Posts: 74
Date Joined: 31/03/13
Hi petermac not sure what
Hi petermac not sure what size boat you have but you could try one of those slip ring anchors.
I have a 6m plate ali runabout so not overly heavy, and always anchor over reef with mine. On the odd time it gets stuck I take up the slack line and get a couple of turns on the bollard and just drive over it as mentioned above.
Usually pops free on the first go. Always try powering over it the opposite direction the anchor and chain was run out, that way the ring will slip to the fluke end of the anchor and pull it backwards to free it.
Lost that anchor once when diving, the shackle pin came loose (yes should have been moused). Super calm day and the boat had only drifted 50m, the people on the boat didn't even realise they had drifted off the spot. Anyway went back dived and retrieved the anchor a week later, and there was the pin sitting next to the shackle, chain and anchor.
Anyway they're really cheap too so if you are unfortunate enough to lose one it wont break the bank.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8701
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Straight down
Motor up until your anchor rope is straight down and do the jiggle trick, jerking it up and down without putting too much strain on it.
Most times it will come free without the need to use the motor to straighten out the tines.
Definitely use chain and at a bare minimum of a boats length.
tot
Posts: 1174
Date Joined: 31/01/10
dissagree
with having to definitely using chain on a reef (prong) anchor. agree with you method of deployment though!
Reverse cycle a/c supply and install - Ducted and wall splits
carnarvonite
Posts: 8701
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Holding ability
Without using chain you get a jerking action on the anchor each time the boat moves causing it to move and eventually work its way in to a crevice or to free itself and have you drifting.
As others have explained, the chain acts as a shock absorber taking all the jerking action off the anchor.
I like to use shock rubbers when anchoring up overnight on sand anchors for exactly the same reason even though I use heaps of chain.
tot
Posts: 1174
Date Joined: 31/01/10
everyone disagrees lol!!
oh well, works for me , ill keep at it.
when you snag the bottom drifting(fishing that is) does the line break from rubbing?? I havnt noticed any extra jerking action either. when a reasonably strong current is running do you think the chain would not be pretty much straight?
Reverse cycle a/c supply and install - Ducted and wall splits
carnarvonite
Posts: 8701
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Suggestion
To find out more I suggest you get hold of a copy of "Small Ships Manual" brought out by Queensland Transport, it goes in to great detail on why and how to anchor a vessel plus everything thing else you need to pass a Master 5 and Marine Engine Driver tickets`. Navigation, safety at sea collision regulation, shapes and lights, stability, radio usage, first aid rope and knots boat handling and many more important subjects if you are serious about boating safety.
But if you are set in your ways there is nothing that anyone can do to change it.
tot
Posts: 1174
Date Joined: 31/01/10
fantastic suggestion!!
I don't consider myself a know it all , far from it but thanks for answering my questions!
Reverse cycle a/c supply and install - Ducted and wall splits
marble
Posts: 787
Date Joined: 03/09/09
Only bloke I have ever heard
Only bloke I have ever heard advocate no chain on an anchor in my 30 odd years of owning a boat, you could be a trendsetter ;-)
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tot
Posts: 1174
Date Joined: 31/01/10
im an idividual! lol
oh well , sometimes is nice to be different lol. I used chain for a while on the reef/spike but lost a couple of anchors so tried without. I know how easy the prongs bend so put it down to the chain becoming stuck. What iv talked about has/does work! and im talking about rough rocky ground, certainly not sand.
Reverse cycle a/c supply and install - Ducted and wall splits
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
all above
all the different comments are interesting thanks blokes for all the points of view I have only ever lost two anchors 2 date but have found a few diving yesterdays experience just showed me you must never never never underestimate the power of nature and just because you have done something a squillion times before things can turn to shit quicker than you think I will be honest enough to say it was a wake up call for me and everyone needs a wake up call every 50 or so years
scotto
Posts: 2474
Date Joined: 21/04/08
Always use chain
On reef and sand anchors. The chain does most of the work. Within reason, the more the merrier.
Anchors should be lowered, rather than dropped. It will stay in a straight line, thus avoiding the chain getting snagged/wrapped around reef.
sea-kem
Posts: 15228
Date Joined: 30/11/09
I remember all the moorings
I remember all the moorings at the Mackeral islands were just long lengths of heavy chain. Old Bernie would just drag them with the tractor.
Love the West!
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
seen a few things
I remember seeing the original owners of the mackerel island resort launching 3 new dingys with the trailers strapped to the hulls at Beadon Creek to get them over there, most of the mooring's at west lewis are made from loco wagon wheels "salvaged" from the then Hamersley Iron tip
Browndog
Posts: 597
Date Joined: 10/04/12
FFB
Five Fathom Bank has taken more than a fair share of my anchors, now I rarely drop one, and just in case I carry two sand anchors with chain & rope. Plan to get myself a sea anchor come this summer, and perhaps a prong type reef as well because I'm not keen on losing any more.
Sorry Petermac that I don't have any solutions, just wanted to say you are not alone. Have tried powering off before out there and nearly came a cropper, fishing solo. Decided that was enough, so stayed there fishing for another hour, then the anchor came up no problems. It did have a sizeable lump of coral wedged tightly in there, needed to smash it with a hammer on dry land to remove it.
Cheers,
BD
marble
Posts: 787
Date Joined: 03/09/09
A spearo mate found and
A spearo mate found and rerieved a reef pick and a sand anchor shackled to the same chain the other day . Talk about hedging your bets
PMY 25 Centre Console DF300 Suzuki