[C320-list] Of kellets and keel wraps

Christopher Nichols cinichols at btinternet.com
Tue Feb 21 10:28:58 PST 2023


   I think the catenary of the chain between the
   Bow and the snubber hook will act like a Kellet so the rope will only
   ever go straight down 10 feet when the load on the anchor is zero.
   I would check this is right next time the tide changes!
   Chris

   On 21 Feb 2023 17:05, "P.F. Ross" <pfrstl at gmail.com> wrote:

   Jack, how timely.  I just returned from a 3 day cruise with our sailing
   group to Panther Key, in the 10,000 Islands in FL Everglades south of
   Marco Island.
   Last year on this same trip, I was anchored by my Rocna 15 with 30' 1/4
   G34 chain spliced to three strand nylon rode.  Anchor area is 10-12'
   sand bottom with a reversing tidal current flowing between two islands
   and I had a total of about 100' of rode let out.  After a tidal cycle
   or two, the nylon rode wrapped around the keel but I was able to use my
   dinghy to push the boat around to unwind it.  The next day it happened
   again along with some anchor dragging.
   I thought about a kellet for this year, but decided instead to add 150'
   of the 1/4" G34 chain.  I also made a bridle snubber from two lengths
   of 1/2" nylon three strand connected to a Mantus 1/4 chain hook.  I
   liked the Mantus since it hooks to the chain with minimum stress risers
   and has a tough rubber strap that will keep it firmly attached to the
   chain even when slack.
   I made the snubber with 30' legs but after I anchored, I worried that
   these snubber lines could themselves wrap around the keel!  I cleated
   them short on the two bow cleats leaving about 10' legs.
   Winds were not strong while anchored and the shortened snubber worked
   fine without any shock loading.  And no anchor rode wrap!
   My question is, will the all chain rode itself keep the rode from
   wrapping or is a kellet still needed?
   Frank Ross
   Beta Wave #206
   Naples, FL

   On Mon, Feb 20, 2023 at 3:15 AM Chris via C320-list
   <[1]c320-list at lists.catalina320.com> wrote:

     I experimented last season using a 5lb weightlifting weight - on a
     line of a length that means when the anchor rode goes slack the
     weight is a foot or so below the keel. An oversize carabiner
     attached it to the main rode and lets it slide down. I found this
     enough to stop getting wraps in the Nantucket mooring field.
     Clearly it is only enough to stop wraps being initiated when the
     rode goes slack in a wind over flow situation but I cannot imagine
     other times a wrap could occur. Ideas anyone?
     Chris Nichols
     (sv Amanda Rose #476)
     -----Original Message-----
     From: C320-list <[2]c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com> On
     Behalf Of Brian McLamb via C320-list
     Sent: 20 February 2023 02:41
     To: [3]C320-List at catalina320.com
     Cc: Brian McLamb <[4]bjcnmclamb at gmail.com>
     Subject: Re: [C320-list] Of kellets and keel wraps
     I have done this same remedy for nearly 10 years. It has never
     failed me in both River , Cape Lookout  and Chesapeake Bay travels
     and tides.
     S / V Serenity #1075
     On Sun, Feb 19, 2023 at 9:36 PM Jack Brennan via C320-list <
     [5]c320-list at lists.catalina320.com> wrote:
     >
     > So we anchor in many tidal rivers in western Florida, and I have
     had a
     > few cases where the rode and chain have  wrapped around the wing
     keel
     > when wind and tide were opposed.
     >
     > Once, it cost me a large, expensive Delta anchor, 30 feet of chain
     and
     > some rode when it happened in Little Shark River in Everglades
     > National Park on the SW tip of Florida. No way anyone was jumping
     into
     > that murky water with the gators and bull sharks. (They breed
     there.)
     >
     > Other times, it is a painful exercise to free the chain and rode,
     > either heavy cranking on a winch and/or diving under the boat in
     chilly water.
     >
     > Lately, I have been experimenting with using a 15-pound mushroom
     > anchor as a kellet to prevent this. Basically, I clip the mushroom
     > with about 15 feet of line (I usually anchor in 8-12 feet of
     water)
     > onto the main anchor and tie it to a bow cleat.
     >
     > When the mushroom slides down the main rode, It pulls it almost
     > straight down. This keeps the rode and chain from angling under
     the
     > boat and catching the keel. As a bonus, it also helps the anchor
     dig
     > in. I’ve found the 15-pound mushroom and 22-pound Rocna to be a
     > bulletproof combination so far.
     >
     > It’s also easier to handle than the next-size-up Rocna for us
     > old-fashioned folks who don’t use windlasses. (A Rocna can be a
     real
     > pain to raise by hand because they dig in so well. A 35-pound one?
     I’m
     > not sure I’d want to try that.)
     >
     > Anyone else confront this problem? Any better solutions?
     >
     > Jack Brennan
     > Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
     > Tierra Verde, Fl.
     >
     >
     >
     >
     > Sent from Mail<[6]https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986>
     for
     > Windows
     >
     > --
     Brian McLamb

References

   1. mailto:c320-list at lists.catalina320.com
   2. mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com
   3. mailto:C320-List at catalina320.com
   4. mailto:bjcnmclamb at gmail.com
   5. mailto:c320-list at lists.catalina320.com
   6. https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986


More information about the C320-list mailing list