Icicle hitch, sea anchor, and chafe

[william h]

A sailor with no sea anchor experience is planning a para-anchor system for a 27’ Albin Vega sloop.

Victor Shane’s Drag Device Data Base and Lin and Larry Pardy’s Storm Tactics are the resources so far. Chafe where the nylon rode leaves the boat is a major concern. Two feet of chain spliced in every 100 feet along the rode would allow increments of rode length with the chain taking the chafe at the bow roller and heading the bow directly into the storm. The Pardy’s prefer a bridle to hold their monohull near the hove-to position 40 to 50 degrees off the wind, allowing the slowly drifting hull to make a turbulent slick. They claim the ride is better and the slick prevents seas breaking against the hull. Larry has contemplated 30 feet of chain at the bow snatch block, but how does he set it up?

Here’s a possible solution which no doubt can use improvement. It requires an extra snatch block at the bow to handle a sort of “inverse” snubber. This snubber could be either a chain or a 7x19 wire rope with a Toss Stropcicle spliced to one end. All this complexity goes against the KISS principle so it may have some fatal flaws.

Suppose the para-anchor is set with its rope rode holding tension thru a bow snatch block. Another block is snatched onto the outboard rode to form the Pardy bridle leading to a sheet winch for adjusting the boat’s angle to the wind. Stropcicle in hand, the sailor reeves it thru the extra bow snatch block and draws up an icicle hitch on the tight rope rode, outboard and as close to the boat as possible. The snubber is belayed to a Samson post. The rope rode is surged slightly to allow the chain to take the tension. (Where does one obtain a marine snatch block that handles chain?)

If the rode needs to be lengthened, the chain would be gently surged just enough to allow the rope rode to again temporarily take the tension while the icicle hitch is released. (Is it safe, or even possible, to “gently surge” a loaded chain at a Samson post?) After the rode is lengthened, the process is repeated and tension goes back on the chain. Then the single hander goes below for some rest.

Would the icicle hitch be too dangerous to adjust during a storm?
What kind of rope-chain splice at the inboard end of the stropcicle can be trusted on a safety device like this with tons of force involved?
Would the icicle hitch chafe the wet rode?
The planned rode is 400 feet of ½” double braid nylon. Perhaps single braid or 3 strand nylon would be better? Words of wisdom out there?

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
Not completely clear on the configuration you propose, so until I can see some pictures, here are some General Truths.
First, stay away from chain. The only reason that people use it for rodes is that it is hard to cut (catenary is essentially a rationalization). Instead, consider Dacron or Spectra for chafe-resistant pieces. Much easier to deal with, in blocks and hawses, and on bitts.
Next, take a real close look at loads, and scale accordingly. I've talked with Larry a bit about this. Near as I can tell he puts some too-scary loads on parts of his system, where high-loaded lines change direction.
Safe to adjust an Icicle Hitch in a storm? Of course not! It's not safe to do much of anything in a storm. The key element here is that the knot lives in you; can you tie it while tired, cold, wet, and/or panicking?
Chafe on the rode won't be an issue.
Single-braid Nylon and Dacron, for optimal energy absorption, ans well as flexibility for deployment and stowage.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss