[Rhodes22-list] Bow Eye vs. Bow Cleat?

[Peter Nyberg]

I am in total agreement with Roger on the benefits of anchoring from the bow eye rather than the bow cleat.  

My approach to doing so is a little different.  I have 10’ of 3/8” line with a thimble in one end permanently attached to the bow eye with a shackle.  I refer to this line as my ‘painter’.  When I’m not anchored, the painter is looped over and tied off to the pulpit.  After I’ve anchored, I attach the painter to the rode, and let out more scope so that the painter takes the load.  

In addition to effectively increasing your scope, this approach eliminates any chafing that might occur where the rode comes over the toe-rail.

I originally tried this approach because someone way back in the archives suggested that it would reduce the tendency of R22 to swing on its anchor.  Unfortunately I did not find this to be true to any significant extent.

Peter Nyberg
Coventry, CT
s/v Silverheels (1988/2016)


> On Apr 23, 2020, at 5:51 PM, ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi All,
> 
> There is a real advantage to rigging the anchor line thru the bow eye vs. directly to the bow cleat.  The choice of the bow eye vs. the bow cleat has a significant effect on the anchor scope.  This is because the bow eye is ~1.5 ft closer to the water vs the bow cleat.  For example, suppose we are anchoring in 7 feet of water.  The bow eye is ~2 feet above the water and the bow cleat is ~3.5 feet above the water.  Suppose we let out 65 feet of anchor rode.  The scope using the bow eye is 65 / (7 + 2) = 7.2  The scope using the bow cleat is 65 / (7 + 3.5) = 6.2  A scope of 7.2 is sufficient for decent overnight holding with a minimum 65 foot radius swing circle.  A scope of 6.2 is marginal for an overnight night stay.  Sometimes, there isn’t sufficient swing room to let out more anchor rode, say if you are the last boat to drop the hook in a crowded anchorage.  In addition, it’s considered bad anchoring etiquette to use up all the swing room in an anchorage even if you are the first one there.
> 
> Fortunately, you don’t have to tie off to the bow eye in order to get the scope advantage of using it.  Simply run the anchor rode thru the bow eye first, then up to the bow cleat, and cleat it off.  This will give you all the scope advantage of using the bow eye and all the ease of tying off to the bow cleat.  When departing, reach down and hook the anchor rode with a boat hook below the bow eye.  Pull the anchor rode on board, hang on to it, and then uncleat the rode from the bow cleat.  Easy peasy and no stress on the knees!
> 
> I always use the bow eye in the manner described above.  There is just no reason not to, the extra safety margin on scope helps me sleep better, and I don’t annoy my fellow boaters.
> 
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>