anchoring--trip line

[Mr. Fixit]

Anybody lose an anchor because of not using a trip line?? If you use one how do you float it?? anyone using poloy line???

[ThistleCap]

I haven't lost one, but have fouled the anchor a few times when I wish I had the trip line on.  The trip line should be in nylon, not poly.  As much as I like having a trip line, there is a problem with the line getting snagged by the rudder or screw in a wind against current or current reverse situation.  I've only had that happen once, but once was enough.  For that reason, the trip line should not be longer than the distance from the roller or chock to the rudder, and it should be shortened in shallower anchoring situations so it leads straight up and down at high tide.  I usually take a bight in the line and put an overhand knot in the line if there's too much for the depth.  I also carry two lines of different lengths so I can switch them whether sailing coastal or gunkholing inland.  Outboard rudders are much less a concern, but a poly line would only make the risks greater for you and other traffic passing through the anchorage.  As for floats, I've used lobster pot floats, clorox bottles, and laundry detergent bottles, the latter being my current favorite for their bright color and heavier construction, and of course once the detergent is gone, they're free.
A side benefit of the trip line is it lets others know where your anchor is, which should almost eliminate the risk of anyone crossing your bow (which we all know should never be done anyhow) and snagging your rode.

[newt]

Tcap, have you ever had someone get upset because your anchor trip line was in their way? I heard that was a concern.

[saxon]

I had never used a anchor trip line until someone gave me a smart new plastic bouy, bright orange, with a little lifting eye on the top but unlike some of the dedicated ones this one did not have an anchor symbol printed on it. I decided to experiment and used it on a beautiful sunny, calm day in an empty anchorage in the Egadi Islands just off the Western tip of Sicily.
Went off ashore in the dinghy exploring and returned late that afternoon to find two young teenage Sicilian lads fishing from an open boat...moored to my anchor bouy.. :D  :D  :D

Plastic bottles, pot markers seem a safer bet than a float with a "mooring eye" on the top.. ;D

[ThistleCap]

Newt, I've never experienced a problem in that regard.  My feeling would be that they shouldn't be anchoring close enough that my trip line would be a problem.  Further, it should help prevent a situation of someone sitting on top your anchor when you're wanting to get underway.  I prefer having the anchor position known.  For example, I was anchored in a back creek in Annapolis.  A storm had come through making it necessary to set three anchors.  The next morning a boat ran close and straight across my bow and picked up one of the rodes and dragged the boat and all three anchors over 200 yards before he noticed his speed had dropped.  In my haste to get secured before the storm, I had set the anchors without trip lines.  Since prudent operators normally shy clear of floats, pots or anchor floats, the problem probably wouldn't have occurred if I'd had the trip line floats on.
I should add that I don't use them all the time.  If I'm in a frequently used anchorage, I'm less inclined.  But if I'm out gunkholing where I have no local knowlege, or back creeks where debris and fallen trees may be more of a problem, I definitely like using them.

[Auspicious]

I prefer having the anchor position known.  For example, I was anchored in a back creek in Annapolis.  A storm had come through making it necessary to set three anchors.  The next morning a boat ran close and straight across my bow and picked up one of the rodes and dragged the boat and all three anchors over 200 yards before he noticed his speed had dropped.  In my haste to get secured before the storm, I had set the anchors without trip lines.  Since prudent operators normally shy clear of floats, pots or anchor floats, the problem probably wouldn't have occurred if I'd had the trip line floats on.

From your description the fellow who pulled you down Back Creek (which may be the one I live on - there are several waterways by that name near Annapolis) wasn't paying attention.

That said, I respectfully disagree with you about using floats, particularly in tight places like Back Creek. Certainly I give the bows of anchored boats as much room as I can, but if there is a float on an anchor trip line I am as likely to need to move *closer* to your bow as farther away. There just isn't a lot of room in here. A trip line float is just one more limitation on where I can go. If it looks like a crab pot I also have to worry about pendants and potentially a few extra feet of line at odd angles.

I have used trip lines before, but only where the bottom conditions indicate the potential for snags.