The bitter end!

[waterwheels]

Ok, my new Eclipse has a great looking chain pipe and very roomy chain locker......but what are you all doing with the bitter end of the anchor rode?
My thoughts are to find an eye-strap big enough to fit on two of the bolts in the chain locker holding on the deck cleat or bow eye. What are others doing?

Thanks Don

[wes]

What the factory provided on my 1988 boat was a teak disk, about 3" diameter with a 1/2" hole in the middle through which you poke the bitter end and tie a stopper knot. Just keeps the end of the rode from being lost overboard if you experience a moment of stupidity. There should never be any load on it - the rode will always be cleated to the deck when anchored.

Wes

[HenryC]

On large ships, the bitter end of the anchor rode is not made fast to the ship at all, the last link of chain is loose, and if the rode is allowed to run free, it will simply go overboard with all the ground tackle--straight to the bottom.  The idea is that there is no single weld or shackle, or chain locker wall, strong enough to hold the weight of the entire chain, and there are times when it has to be entirely removed and spread out on deck or the pier for scraping and painting.  It is too dangerous to send a hand below into the chain locker to loosen the chain.  The chain could shift and crush him to death.

The anchoring loads are taken up temporarily by the windlass, and by stoppers (massive pelican hooks bolted or welded to plates on the foc'sl deck. These also support the weight of the anchors when they are aboard, or when the hook is dug in, so the strain on the windlass can be eased.  This saves weight because you don't need an extra heavy duty steel plate gauge for the chain locker, and only the deck pads the pelican hooks are shackled to need be heavy and strong enough to take full anchoring strains.  When anchoring, the bail on the pelican hook on the stopper is struck with a sledge hammer, releasing the ground tackle, and it rattles noisily over the side through the hawsepipes.  When sufficient rode is deployed, the windlass takes up the slack, the stoppers fastened to the chain, and the windlass disengaged. You don't want to risk damaging the windlass by having it support the rode when at anchor, or when the anchor is fully secured. The windlass brake is only used to stop the chain on the way out, and the motor is only used to recover the rode on the way in.  The rest of the time, the windlass is disconnected from the chain.

In a smaller boat, it would be too expensive to reinforce a pad in the chain locker to take the strain, so usually a cleat or two on the foredeck are the only deck fittings strong enough to take the heavy strains of anchoring in a seaway. The anchor is deployed and the rode hitched to that cleat.  For safety's sake, I usually tied the bitter end to the towing eye on the stem (which is usually the strongest fitting on the hull) so even if the foredeck cleat failed, the rode would not be lost and the boat would remain anchored.  None of my boats had a chain locker, I used a bucket, which I kept in the cockpit, with the rode carefully coiled inside.  This allowed me to anchor without leaving the helm, but had the disadvantage that part of the rode was exposed, on deck or alongside the hull, when underway.

PS
On large ships, the anchor chain is usually painted black for rust protection.  The last quarter or so is painted white, so the crew will know it is rapidly nearing the end, even at night.  The last few fathoms, the links are painted red, warning the crew the bitter end is about to go over the side, whipping about dangerously, and to clear the foredeck immediately!

[Craig]

On Kailani I simply take a bowline around the mast which is in the forward locker just aft of the chain locker proper.

[waterwheels]

Wow, a teak disk.....that seems like the simplest idea, and as long as it sat on the bottom of the locker it shouldn't cause any tangling.

Henry, I hope I never have a boat big enough to look after that much rode....but I like the colouring the last bit so you know you are getting near the end.

I do understand that all the load should be taken up on the bow cleat, I just thought it would keep the deck cleaner to not have the end come back out of the chain pipe (hawsepipe) to tie on the bow eye or cleat.

Thanks everyone.

Don

[Eagleye]

Don,
I tend to subscribe to the "kiss" philosophy.  I use a piece of 1-1/2" pvc pipe 10" long with a hole drilled in the center.  It is easily dropped through the hawse pipe and the rest of the rode lays on top of it.  After removing the rode you can reach in the hawse pipe and turn the pvc to remove it without having to get into the cabin and untie it.





-Allen

[kickingbug1]

   it would be nice if that bitter end piece floated ----just in case

[philb Junkie19]

I used a strap bent so that the 2 holes fit over one bow bolt on my previous 16.  I didn't think of something so simple as a block of wood with a hole. I like the PVC concept a lot but the smaller pipe where you can't reach in very well on the newer 19 would call for mods. Maybe a one inch dowel, hole on he middle, with an additional very light line fastened to one end of the dowel and then to the knot above the dowel (the knot above the pvc in Eagleye's pic). 

How do others add additional anchor rode to a line already attached or with the end inaccessible?
On the 16 I never needed more than the 150 feet that was attached to the strap.  Without a working end on the rope I guess I would have used a figure 8 on a bight on the attached line and a bowline or another 8 on a bight on the second length. In ropes course work the figure 8 is used as a strong safe easy to tie / untie and pretty fool proof knot. In the past I've used 2 Bowlines to connect a second line.

[skip1930]

My bitter end is tied around my compression post on the CP-19.

I added the hatch. I also carry a lunch anchor with chain and 100 foot of line under my settee.

Just drifting along with the three color Star-Cut spinnaker. The anchor is nicely tucked out of the way but ready for use.

Anchor pinned on the bow sprit roller tang and lays on deck with vinyl coated chain to keep the chain 'round' and ready.

TIG'ed up a Sampson post from old scrap aluminum-bronze fuel line. Kind of neat I think.

Bow sprit wood is off at time of pic but anchor pin idea is clear.

You'll never know when you'll need a lot of line ...for some thing.














skip.

[relamb]

On my boat the bitter end is just tied around a wooden stick or dowel, similar to the PVC pipe idea. I can turn the stick and pull all the rode out of the anchor locker, but otherwise the stick is crosswise to the hawsepipe and I won't lose it all overboard if I accidentally let it out to the bitter end.
probably about a 5/8" diameter piece of hardwood, 8" long.  The stick may have a notch or flat on one side in the center, to keep the knot from sliding off the end of the stick.  Been too long, I rarely see that end of the anchor line.

[Ivo]

Same idea as others.  I do like how others can pass a rod through without untying the line.