[Rhodes22-list] Tools and Supplies

[Robert Skinner]

Bill Effros wrote:
> Slim,
> I like to have a snatch block on board, too.
> I don't know how I would use it, but I like the sound of it.
> Bill Effros
-----------------------------------------------------------
Bill, of all people, I would have thought you'd 
have a grip (so to speak) on this one:

"snatch block    NOUN: Nautical A block that can be 
opened on one side to receive the looped part of a rope."

>From The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English 
Language: Fourth Edition.  2000.	
 	
As to practical uses:

When deploying an anchor, 

1.  I do not want to disconnect the bitter end of the rode 
from its fastening.  Just bad policy, and further, there is 
usually a shackle and thimble the bitter end (depending on 
the anchor I choose), so it cannot be threaded through a pulley.
A snatch block can be attached at any place and time to the 
center of a line under stress.

2.  I do want the main strain on the rode to be taken by the 
forward cleat, and I want the line to pass through the guide
on the side I want to windward, depending on chop and tide.
But I also want to deploy and retrieve the anchor from the 
cockpit.  When single-handing, as I do most of the time, that's 
the place to be.  It's also easier to wash down the anchor from 
there.  A snatch block allows me to pull the rode back to the 
cockpit from its fastening on the bow deck to manage the anchor.

4.  I do want to be able to rig a bridle so that the boat does 
not "hunt" back and forth while at anchor, and to position it 
properly to minimize the effect of swells and chop.  While a 
rolling hitch would accomplish that, it is slower to rig and 
more difficult to tune at oh-dark-thirty.  A snatch block can be 
added or adjusted at any time with minimal effect on the set of
the anchor.

5.  Having the ability to put a lateral strain on a line easily
is valuable.  With a snatch block, it is so much faster and easier 
than having to (disconnect and) pass a portion thru a sheave that
I regard this gear as very important to have, and it is on the top 
of my main anchor bucket.

Brad, I do have to be careful when explaining this piece of 
gear's name and use when passengers of a delicate nature are on 
board.  It once resulted in a huff that had just that effect, as
my definition was not believed.

One source:

http://store.catsailor.com/tek9.asp?pg=products&grp=416

Usage :

Google "snatch block" usage

/Robert Skinner