what's this? (long rope with small fender attached)

[Catigale]

they will accost you on shore when you arrive back at the club...

[Phil M]

And if you didn't have a radio on board to hear them? What then?

You might get boarded and searched for weapons of mast destruction.

Phil M

[Catigale]

Bazinga!!!

[korn_kid_12]

You know i have a new thought on this. I was overnight in a slip last weekend and there was J boat that was near by and when he went out he set up something like this across the middle of his slip so when he returned it assisted in slowing his approach. My guess is some how it was configured this way since the P.O. kept it in a slip back between 96- and 2001 when he quit using her. I suppose it is possible it was something that was used to grab a hold of if one jumped off the boat.

[Kittiwake]

Anchor Marker. You attach it to the end of the anchor on the part that goes into the sea bottom opposite of the anchor rope or chain. This serves 2 purposes one is it marks roughly where your anchor is depending on current and tides. Second if your anchor gets stuck you can grab this fender and pull the anchor out the oppossite way it is stuck.

This was my first thought too. I have never actually used one. Instead I carry what is essentially a 5"-diameter steel ring, that one can (theoretically!) attach to a separate cord, slip over the snagged-anchor line, and let gravity carry it down the anchor rode, over the snagged-anchor stem, then pull in the opposite direction to the snagged-anchor direction of set (obviously leaving the original anchor rode slack while you motor and pull on the cord tied to the steel ring).
The above approach mimics the role of the steel-ring-in-slot on fortress-type anchors; but I'd be curious to know if anyone out there has ever had occasion to use the steel-ring-on-a-rope trick and whether it actually worked.
Kittiwake
ps. I'm with Paul & kitcat of SW England: in BC coastal waters if you jump overboard (and want to come back), you'd better be wearing a lot more more than a swimsuit

[Russ]

I carry what is essentially a 5"-diameter steel ring, that one can (theoretically!) attach to a separate cord, slip over the snagged-anchor line, and let gravity carry it down the anchor rode, over the snagged-anchor stem, then pull in the opposite direction to the snagged-anchor direction of set (obviously leaving the original anchor rode slack while you motor and pull on the cord tied to the steel ring).
The above approach mimics the role of the steel-ring-in-slot on fortress-type anchors; but I'd be curious to know if anyone out there has ever had occasion to use the steel-ring-on-a-rope trick and whether it actually worked.
Kittiwake

If seen this idea. I theory it should work. However, knowing which way to "pull" the anchor might be a challenge when you don't know which way it's facing. Generally the reason it won't come up is because it's snagged on something. I suppose it couldn't hurt to try as a last resort. Better than leaving your anchor behind.

[prishi]

A fouled anchor will generally come off if you motor towards the anchor and thus bring slack on the chain/rode, then pull on the rode when almost on top, or in the opposite direction (motor all the way to the opposite side of the anchor). Doing this a few times will unhook the anchor unless you have been unlucky enough to have the fluke get caught in a rock (therefore selecting a good anchoring bed is important). If all this does not help, and you decide to abandon the anchor for retreival later, you'd tie the floating buoy to the rode where you cut it (more convenient) or, dive down to the anchor and attach the line from the buoy to the anchor on the bottom. Of course, then, at that time, you could even just tug on the anchor and pull it up, if it were not in too great a depth.

[Catigale]

...at the risk of drifting this topic off anchor.....

I anchor overnight on the Cape a lot, and for breaking out my stuck anchor...

I pull the rode up until I reach chain, I pull the slack out of the chain, and cleat the chain off on a bow cleat... now I retreat to the stern of the boat and bounce up and down to break the anchor free.

[kitcat]

This must look quite funny to anybody watching - as if you are doing your excercises, which of course you are

A good idea nonetheless.