T&T: Snubbers and bridles

[Albin43SDtr]

Thomas and All,

>OK I know how to use a bridle and snubber with chain but up here in 
>beautiful Lake Michigan the last 6 ft is chain the rest line. How 
>does one but a bridle or snubber on anchor line ?

In place of a true bridle, I used a snatch block, which opens and 
snaps over the line and has a free running sheeve. I then simply ran 
it to one side of the boat and shortened the line so that it pulled 
the snatch block away from the boat at some angle. The force of the 
wind held it there.

A variation on this theme it to run the anchor line through a bow 
chock on one side of the bow or the other. This, too, creates an 
off-center pull on the anchor and causes the boat to lay on one tack, 
but this angle is not adjustable unless there are multiple attachment 
points as are found on most sailboat toe-rails. This can work quite 
well in steady, light winds.

Be careful tying knots, as they can become almost impossible to 
untie. I have tied a bowline in the middle of an anchor line, then 
put a clevis through it and attached bridle lines to that. There will 
be one extra loop in the line, so be careful not to connect into that 
loop! Even with a bowline, the knot had to be loosened with a hammer 
and marlin spike after a hard blow. (This was part of the learning 
curve ending in a riding sail on my old sailboat. I tried everything 
I could think of.)

Snubbers are not needed on nylon rodes, as they themselves stretch, 
thus acting as a snubber.


Take care and be safe.

Wayne
M/V Celestial
Albin43 Sundeck
Panama City, FL area