A Swell Time

Cruising on the sailboat has been a plethora of wonderful new experiences intermixed with hard, uncomfortable and sometimes miserable moments. One of the most unpleasant things is the rolly anchorage. Before our island travels, we had no REAL concept of what a rolly anchorage meant. Its like; wait, I thought we were at anchor not rolling around on the high seas. What's happening here?

The time spent at White Cay were some of the worst nights ever. All because Bosco would not stop rolling.

We knew about the Swell Bridle from research, but never put the the knowledge to action. Well we couldn't stand it any longer and decided from here on out, we will always use this technique in rolly anchorages (if conditions allow).

What is a Swell?

Islands interfere with the dynamics of the swell also. Things like Shoals, groundswells, reflection, refraction, trench effect, island effect, wrap around, etc. all change the nature of the swell. So depending on where you are, the swell will not always behave the way you think it should.

Why do we care? Because when anchored in the sailboat, the bow (or front) naturally wants to face the wind. For the most part, this is the most comfortable and natural position in terms of motion. When the ocean swell comes from a different direction than the wind, it causes the boat to rock and roll. But not the good kind. Get out the Dramamine if your prone to sea sickness!

When the swell and wind are around 45 degrees (or more) off from each other, the boat starts a rockin'. The swell bridle is a means to counteract the natural position of the boat from windward to swell-ward. Is that even a word? It doesn't stop the swell, but forces the boat to face it in a much more comfortable and manageable position. It will pitch up and down instead of rolling from side-to-side. Trust me when I say this is MUCH MUCH BETTER.

The "How To" Swell Bridle

An important thing to note when setting up the swell bridle: You want is a good amount of distance between yourself and nearby anchored boats and the shore. When setting up the swell bridle, you increase windage (i.e. - force of the wind hitting the boat), which increases the potential for anchor drag. Mitigate this by letting out more scope.

1. Attach the bridle to the main anchor rode or chain with a rolling hitch (or chain hook), forward of the bow.
2. Determine where your swell and wind are coming from. This will dictate the side of the boat to set the bridle.
3. Lead the bridle line back to the stern on the side of the boat that will be to windward. Make sure to keep the line outside of all of your lines, pulpits, stays, etc.
4. Wrap the line around a winch and cleat to secure. Winch the line to turn the boat head-to-swell.
5. Adjustments and fine-tuning are necessary as conditions evolve.

The Rolling Hitch

1. Begin by making a turn around the object, bringing the working end back between the object and the standing part. Cross over the standing part away from the desired direction of pull.
2. Make a second turn that exactly follows the first, and hence also passes between the object and standing part and then crosses over the standing part, away from the direction of pull. Make sure the second turn "tucks" between the first turn and the standing part; that is what gives this version extra grip when made around another rope.
3. Finish with a half hitch, moving around the object in the same direction as the first turns, as for a clove hitch.
4. Dress by snugging the hitch around the object before applying load.

We have found that if there is not enough wind, the swell bridle doesn't do anything. The boat should be pulling back on the anchor line in order for the bridle to do its job. Otherwise, the only other real downfall is that you are no longer facing the wind. So no more fresh breeze blowing through. Its such a small price to pay for comfort, and thats why we have boat fans!