Saving Your Anchor in MAN OVERBOARD Event

[Mort]

I've been mulling this and couldn't find a previous thread discussing it. I know people talk about keeping a knife near your anchor line in case someone goes overboard (especially in high current areas like Cook Inlet) so you can cut it and go retrieve the MOB. Obviously a person's life is worth far more than an anchor and rode. But is there a way to avoid losing the rode?

I've been thinking about ways to attach a buoy to my anchor line - not the ring for pulling, but actually attached - that would be easy to attach and easy to detach when it came time to move. It would be positioned such that if I had to cut the line just above my cleat, it would remain attached to the anchor rode. I could hit the MOB function on my GPS, retrieve my MOB, and time permitting, return to retrieve my anchor/rode then splice it back in.

Has anyone heard of a system for this, or come up with their own solution?

[0321Tony]

When I was running a charter boat I didn't have my anchor tied off to the boat I had a small body tied to the end of the rope that wouldn't let the ring slide past. If I needed to loose the anchor I would just pop it loose from the quick release and toss the rope. I used this several times to chase big fish in a hard current. The only problem was a hard enough current would pull the body under water but it would pop back up when the tide slowed down.

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[BrownBear]

I have an 18" fender buoy tied to the end of my anchor rope. It stays outside the locker when I coil the line in, stack the chain, then the anchor. Last thing into the locker is the buoy. When setting anchor, first thing out of the locker is that buoy, then I can set. Once the anchor is at depth and set, I cleat off the line, drop the buoy back into the locker on top of the remaining rope and close the hatch.

If someone goes over, the whole works- remaining anchor line and buoy- will go over the side in an armload and the line will be uncleated. to free the boat.

Tried it once just for the heck of it with 200' of line out. No sweat. The remaining 100' and the buoy were easy to toss, and I uncleated in seconds. The buoy was waiting for me when I came back up to it, all that line below.

Slick.

Pretty darned handy too, if I need to chase a big fish. Toss the anchor line and buoy and go do the deed. Then come right back onto my spot and my chum trail.

[MRFISH]

I use a bouy with the "anchor lift" to pull my anchor (it has a sliding bolt so the line only moves one direction), and keep all the line in a basket up on the bow. I can easily un-cleat and dump the whole thing over if I need to run. I have a (large enough) knot tied to the very end of the anchor line just in case the anchor lift fails to lock into place. I haven't had to dump it yet, but I'm 99% sure it would all be there if I needed to go back for it. I think I'd just need to be extra cautious on the re-approach for any of the extra rope drifting down current from the bouy.

[Mort]

Steve, how does the rolling hitch do on different types line? Like your double-braid (in the link) looped onto a standard anchor line?

[potbuilder]

Tie in a buoy with a rolling hitch, if the poop hits the fan just cut off above the knot.

[Mort]

Good points about something tied to the end, but I have 800-900 feet of rode, so if I'm anchored up and only have 200-400' out, I'm looking at a good bit of time to drag that out of the anchor locker. There may be another solution to that, but that's not what I'm looking for right now.

Great suggestions all, please keep them coming!

[potbuilder]

Steve, how does the rolling hitch do on different types line? Like your double-braid (in the link) looped onto a standard anchor line?

It will hold fine if tied correctly, go to the anamated knots site and look up the rolling hitch, scroll down and they talk about variations of it that might also work .

[potbuilder]

Good points about something tied to the end, but I have 800-900 feet of rode, so if I'm anchored up and only have 200-400' out, I'm looking at a good bit of time to drag that out of the anchor locker. There may be another solution to that, but that's not what I'm looking for right now.

Great suggestions all, please keep them coming!

store your rope in one of my rope totes, tie the anchor line into one of the handles and a buoy into the other handle and if you need to dump it just throw the whole mess overboard, rope will pay out as current drags on bag and buoy will hold it up till you get back to it.

[BrownBear]

It will hold fine if tied correctly, go to the anamated knots site and look up the rolling hitch, scroll down and they talk about variations of it that might also work .

It's the traditional knot for tying skiffs to running lines around here, and works really well- even with big heavy skiffs in rough water.

We use it to put a buoy on our anchor line too, any time there's a lot of chop. Set the anchor, adjust your scope, then tie on a buoy and let out another 25-30' of line before cleating off. The buoy acts like a shock absorber in rough water, not only keeping the skiff from plunging and pounding for more comfort, but also helping the anchor keep from popping free on tenuous bottom.

I like the basket idea.

[Garyak]

I tie my anchor line off to my "painter" that is just short enough to not get prop fouled. I used to use a rolling hitch for this but have switched to a modified sheet bend with a slip..(2 wraps before the slip and a half hitch over the slip loop). It has never loosened up on me but comes apart instantly with a firm tug. As suggested, I run the bitter end of the rode through a loop on its container to a buoy so I can pitch the whole business if need be. I also use a sheet bend without the slip to join my floating and sinking shrimp lines.