anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

[mariob]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

just and update...

I went back out on the water today and went looking for the anchor.

and guess what ... I actually got it back. I went out with a buddy of mine and found the 4L water jug I had tied onto the rope and we hooked it up to one of the rear cleats and backed up ever so slowly. It was hooked in there good and I was about to give up when my friend said just back up a bit more. I gave it a bit more gas and it kinda made us go in a circle, and then POP it came loose

thanks for all the tips guys.

 

[Buzzwindrip]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

Yep, lost a Danforth clone in the the Milwaukee, WI harbor. We anchored for a fireworks show, and never could pull it back up. I always thought we got it wedged in some rocks. I think the chain was more expensive than the actual anchor.

 

[scipper77]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

I once lost an anchor in the 1000 islands. It was stuck and I looked on our charts and that's when I noticed the underwater power lines marked. Needless to say I cut that one loose.

Another time, It took everything I had to pull up my anchor. When I got it to the surface it brought an old 55 gallon drum with it. Probably used as a burn barrel for ice fishing???

 

[walt-oxie1]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

I had a stuck anchor just a little while ago on one of my nets. It took everything to get it pulled back up. When I finally got it to the surface it was hooked to another anchor chain. I pulled the anchor chain and got another anchor and 30 foot of rope. The other anchor was hooked to a big cluster of wire rope.

 

[captharv]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

The only anchor I lost was on my first boat, 43 years ago. In a river, snagged something, had a slight current. I just let the rope go and it disappeared beneath the river, It was a 10# "navy" anchor on a 14' boat.

Now, anchoring 101.
If you are anchoring in waters which have snaggs or rocks try this:
On the other end of the anchor, tie a small line on it, like 1/4" nylon. It should be slightly longer than teh water depth. Put a float on the other end. When setting the anchor, just throw the float line overboard and set normally. When retreiving, simply go to the float. Pull it up. The anchor is being pulled up backwards and will break free 99% of the time. This is taught in the boating course I used to teach for the C.G. Auxiliary.
Normal anchor retreival. 2 persons, one at the helm, and one one the bow. The bow person points to the anchor, (because on many boats you can't see the anchor rode (rope) from the helm) and retreives the rode as the boat is moving forward. You have established a direction of which the boat was anchored at, and are moving opposite it. We use hand signals ( I have a cruiser): pointing means go in that direction, arm up means in neutral, both arms up (football touchdown) means anchor is free, and going retreive line, thumb to nose with fingers pointing up: you command is understood and not being complied with, etc. When the boat is somewhat over the anchor, bow person takes two turns around a cleat, and the helm person puts the boat in gear in the same direction as before. The forward motion of the boat should break the anchor out. Anchors do not hold well when the rode is stright up or near so.
My boat has a 13# danforth, chain, and 250' of 1/2" nylon. The above method works well.

Below is attached apic of how to anchor so retreival is easy.
I tried to instruct the boat operator as to proper anchoring technique buy I was told: "Don't tell me about boats; I was in the Navy".

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

good point Bob about the bow pulpit; I don't have one. Same would apply if you have fancy finish or trim under the rope at that point.

 

[AguaSki]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

Just last Saturday my anchor got caught on a submerged tree stump. The stump was loose and had probably washed into the lake several years earlier. It took 4 adults about 20 minutes to pull the stump high enough on the water surface so that the anchor chain and rope could be untangled. We would pull up a couple feet of rope and then tie off on the cleat. When our strength returned we would do it all over again. Eventually we got the stump to surface. I thought I was going to have to cut the anchor loose. Had I been alone, there is no way I could have freed my anchor. Those water saturated stumps are heavy, but I got lucky.