Kentallen Bay - Drama on the High Seas

[ash]

Absolutely Donald - couldn't agree more, although we did upgrade our Wee Bruce to Big Bruce

So why / how does a Bruce work ? Genuine question - not a - I use a Bruce myself.

As I understand it - a Spade 'grabs' a big dollop of muck - the muck resists the pressure to be displaced by dissapating the forces outwards in a triangle. What happens as the load is increased? does it suddenly jump out with just the lump of muck in front of it adding slightly to it's weight or does it dig down deeper?

If you look at the profile which is resisting drag on a Bruce, then it couldn't be slimmer. Does it move forward and down during the initial set until the pressure of the muck around it creates enough friction to resist further movement. What happens as the load is increased? does it move through the muck - providing a constant resistance due to friction? When weighing anchor, I'm always happy to see the last few metres of chain covered in mud - is the mud because it's been lying on the surface because I've let out suffficient scope or does the Bruce drag the chain down below the surface - increasing the friction?

The water in LL isn't clear enough to see what's happening and although the Dufour in Greece had a Bruce - I didn't have a mask so couldn't see it there either.

Ash

[Rowana]

Hey - I like Streetmap - hadn't found it before - especially it's use of OS maps - seems to load / refresh much more quickly than other map sites.

Cheers

Ash

I much prefer Streetmap, but I also use Multimap sometimes. Between the 2, I can usually find what I'm looking for!

[ash]

The various map sites all seem to bog down with me - maybe I'm too impatient - other sites are OK - speed checks show that I have 10 Meg broadband.

Use Google earth, google maps, multimap, live, map 24, aa routefinder, etc at different times.

Ash

[Mark]

So why / how does a Bruce work ?

Here's a bruce nicely dug into a patch of mud:

http://fattie.freehostia.com/IonianImag ... get61.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Which doesn't really answer the question...

[Aja]

Although I knew we were well dug in, it just shows you what can happen when the tide changes. This is Arinagour. You wouldn't see what goes on normally.


Donald

[stevepick]

Thats a pretty clear example Donald. I am sure thats happened to me , waking up on a completely still moring in Loch Aline to find the chain running under the boat.
My take on anchors is that I had experience difficulty setting a CQR myself on a day charter many years ago in majorca, the anchor could be seen lying on its side refusing to catch in the sand. I then experienced another CQR drag in the clyde on a friends boat. I didn't think much about it at the time, but when we bought our boat, it had a lunch-time CQR plastimo copy on it and I knew I would need a new , bigger anchor. The tests in the mags had just come out so in april 07 I got my hands on a 15kg Rocna ( 1 "rocna" size up for my boat, incedentaly the lewmar recommendation +1 is about the same weight CQR).
As something of a novice , I have never looked back, we don't have a windlass, and usually sail 2 up , so I don't want to have to reset the anchor if it doesn't dig in first time. So far in our anchoring around the W & NW scotland it has set first time, never budged and seems to dig like a crazy mole as soon as it touches the bottom. It went in first time in canna this year while other boats had to do the Canna CQR foredeck dance (one guy took 5 goes ). The fact that it sets so quickly makes me think that it would just reset if a tide/wind change force a 180 shift on the rode. So I am very happy with it, it has made life easier for us, one of the reasons being that if you have had a hard day , its comforting to think that your anchor is just going to dig in and you won't have a palaver and can rest easy through a possibly rough night. Although we have a ronca, I am fairly persuaded that any of the "new" ones do a similar job.
I would also like marisca to buy a new anchor and not buy new sails - if he gets new sails I have absolutely no chance of ever catching him at WHYW next year

[DaveS]

We should have gone round the corner a wee bit - -

Just found this on t'internet -

http://www.hollytreehotel.co.uk/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here's the map -
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=20 ... hp=ids.srf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(Zoom out one click)

To quote from the hotel site -

"Sailing
The area is extremely popular for sailing and we often have cruising yachts stop off at the Hotel, for dinner or just "refreshments". We have visitors moorings which are free for diners in the bar or restaurant."

Very useful - noted for future reference. The blurb on the site is interesting - it's the first time I've heard the Ballachullish Branch referred to as "the main line"!

[puddock]

I have decided to replace the anchor, a decision taken BEFORE the 'incident' with a new generation version. My reasoning being Value of boat v cost of anchor. The current anchor is a CQR copy !!! What I paid for it barely covers my car fuel for 2 trips down to Dunstaffnage - obviously a false economy.
What I will pay for my new anchor is unlikely to be more than 1.25% of my boats value. When you consider that it may be the only thing between my boat and a hard place, I'd say that was a good investment.
Incidentally, I was talking to a Dave (of Alba Sailing/ Chandlery in Dunstaffnage) who recounted a tale of when he and crew anchored on the West side of Coll.......... they woke up about 15 miles offshore with the anchor hanging uselesslybelow them. He admitted that there choice of spot was probably not the best but due to crew fatigue etc (unexpected weather earlier on) it was considered a good choice for a catnap - except nobody set an alarm.
On a seperate note, any recommendations regarding FOB etc for a stern anchor?
On one hand, I don't want to be carrying a "full wardrobe" of anchors onboard or to overkill but as an Abedeen joiner once told me .... "Big Nail hud lang time..."

[Mark]

Purely my own opinion but I reckon that the chances of your anchor setting and holding quickly are 99.9pc about the seabed and 0.1pc about the anchor.

FWIW with 50m (60m total) of chain on the sea bed and an anchor that hadn't set I tired to winch myself backwards with a line to a rock. The rope was like an iron bar when I gave up and it still wasn't enough to pull all that chain tight - in other words the anchor had taken no load at all.

[puddock]

FWIW with 50m (60m total) of chain on the sea bed and an anchor that hadn't set I tired to winch myself backwards with a line to a rock. The rope was like an iron bar when I gave up and it still wasn't enough to pull all that chain tight - in other words the anchor had taken no load at all.

After pulling in 40m x 8mm chain + anchor in @15m depth, I would agree 100 %.
I also agree with previous post - several times I have noticed that the boat seems to wander around the chain rather than the anchor.......... unless the wind gets up!