SailCapt, you might find this tread to be of interest. Radiocheck is a reliable source
[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;146573]SailCapt, you might find this tread to be of interest. Radiocheck is a reliable source[/QUOTE]
Cheers…K.C.
Bottom line is it is a percentage thing. If you are running out of room and you need to stop dragging having the engine is a very good bet, close to 100% assuming you have room to get things under control. Usually when I drag the ship puts the wind on the beam and blows us sideways. Running out extra chain, unless you are on a short stay to begin with might work but it’s not a sure thing. Plus if you have to move you’ve got more to recover.
[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;133111]At least some ships are equipped with some kind of arrangement where the pin or whatever can be pulled on the last shot without too much difficulty. Hopefully there enough tricks up the sleeve it doesn’t come to that. The key factor is how much room you have to leeward. If it’s tight it’s prudent to pick up and leave before you are forced to.[/QUOTE]
Warships have a ‘weak’ link or shackle that attaches the chain to the bulkhead in the chain locker, if rust and crust is flying’ round the wildcat with a yellow shot on deck, THAT ain’t the time to hope the brake holds so you can get a hand below to disconnect.
Plenty of current in NY Harbor and CHAIN would save the day by keeping that anchor down. DBL32 SUCKED to anchor as she had NO chain on her cable and it would inevitably drag at the lightest provocation. No amount of cable would solve the problem at that point. Cables with chafing chains ALWAYS held better.
Of course if NY Vessel Traffic THOUGHT you were dragging it was better to just reset the hook or you’d be fucking with it ALL night
A utility boat I ran was OK when anchored but under certain conditions would horse on her rode like no other. We would sometimes rig a preventer from the bullnose to fairlead the anchor to the centerline but it wasn’t always helpful. All wire with maybe 20’ of chain. Obviously no DP. If she started dragging her anchor and got the beam anywhere close (45 degrees) to the wind no matter how much wire you let out it really wouldn’t fetch up. I found I had to heave it up on a short scope and re-set it to ever get it to hold again. Whether it was fouled or not I don’t know, just a temperamental bird. Moral of the comment is that anchor dragging Isn’t just a ship thing. There are also counter intuitive tricks for anchoring a barge in wind, although most of you know of course.
The station keeping ability of the anchor and chain on the old ATB SEA SKIMMER/PLAQUEMINE was notoriously suspect. We rode out Hurricane Elena back in 85 in St. Joseph’s Bay. Got hit by that freaking storm three times, if I recall correctly. At least twice, I am sure of. Every time the winds picked up, I fired up the mains so the “old man” (he hated being called that) could keep us from drifting aground. Only one anchor and chain on the barge. . . fun times were had by all. . . .