How do I set up an anchor bridle?

[TheOtherLine]

It's probably not called that but that's what I recall hearing...so here is what I am trying to accomplish; hurricane season is coming and since I sold my trailer, I have to move my boat to a somewhat protected cove, anchor and use the dinghy to get back to shore.

The BOAT US claims people told me to get an extra heavy anchor and instead of tying off to either of the bow cleats, tie the bitter end of the anchor rode to some sort of double looped "bridle". Then, tie the bridle off to EACH of the two bow cleats.

Presumably this will share the tension between the two cleats. Then they said, as a back up ( in case the waves pull out the cleats ) tie a line from ahead of the bridle to the eye in the anchor locker.

Has anyone done this? Van anyone point me to any online sources to see how this is done? I've tried googling "anchor bridle" but all I get is either horse stuff or anchor pictures...

Thanks..

Larry

 

[TWOBOATER]

All you need is a heavy (5/8") 3-strand NYLON (for stretch) dockline approx. 14 long. (the longer the better) Splice an eye in either end to attache to the bow cleats and attach to your anchor rode with a cow hitch through a bowline or another eyesplice on the end of the anchor rode. For a safety, I would attach the third line to the bow eye where you would normally attach your trailer winch line. Leave this line with some good slack in it so it doesn't load up and wear until or unless the other lines chafe and part. This is a super strong attachment point and provides a clean lead to the anchor to minimize chafe.

You can attach all these lengths with knots but splices are better and do not diminish the rope strength as much as knots do.

 

[jeffnick]

I love splicing 3 strand - here's what I'd do:
I'd cut off 2 12 foot pieces of 5/8" 3 strand and splice an eye in one end and a thimble in the other.
I run the eye thru the bow cleat(s) and then over the cleat.
I'd use a stout shackle (with safety wire) to mate the two 5/8 thimbles to a thimble in the mooring line.

As mentioned. a slack line between the mooring thimble and the trailer eye is a good backup safety as well.


http://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2014/01/whipping.html

 

[TWOBOATER]

I was thinking, given the better lead, you might consider setting up the line to the bow eye as your primary atachment and leave the lines to the cleats as slack secondary lines.

 

[TheOtherLine]

Great tips guys, thanks!

I need to think this through. I can't reach the trailer eye from up top, so I'd either have to get in the water or, feed the line through the eye while she's still on the lift and just tie the line to the rail until I get to my destination.

Not clear on this...

.... Splice an eye in either end to attache to the bow cleats and attach to your anchor rode with a cow hitch through a bowline or another eyesplice on the end of the anchor rode.

Did you mean splice an eye in BOTH ends, attach to both bow cleats and connect to your anchor rode to that using a cow hitch?

 

[jeffnick]

Did you mean splice an eye in BOTH ends, attach to both bow cleats and connect to your anchor rode to that using a cow hitch?

You'd make two of these (one for port the other stbd) and the eye ends would attach to the two bow cleats as pictured. They'd need to be long enough that you could shackle them together from the bow sprit.

The thimble ends would be shackled together and attached to the rode. Make a dedicated rode for the length you like and if it's nylon, put a thimble in the bitter (boat) end - you'd then have a single stout shackle holding all three thimbles together.

I'd make these bridles out of 3 strand as big as you can thread under the cleat.

I just looked at the 2120 my friend has in the back yard to see what diameter of line would thread under a cleat. The 2120 doesn't have typical port and starboard cleats, it has two cleats on the bow sprit. You don't have a fair-lead with those for a typical bridle. You'd need to run yours over the bow sprit. You can see in the pic that the line would chafe on the lower part of the bow sprit if it was led down and forward from the cleat as a typical bridal would run.

So you would still make the port and starboard bridles, you'd just run them both to the roller at the end of the bow sprit. This way the load is shared between two cleats. I'd use at least 5/8" line.

I had to look up cow hitch. :roll: I wouldn't trust anything but mechanica/metall attachment for two lines in questionable conditions - I'd be too worried about chafe.