I 've read in various places, of people that get stuck on a sandbank or rock with a falling tide, opting to kedge out an anchor from the top of the mast using a halyard - thereby leaning the boat over and shortening the draft of the boat and freeing her of captivity...

Does it work?

My masthead is 63ft above the water. Draft is 6 '6". Granted I 'd have a lot of leverage working, but if one estimated a need for a (minimal) 3 to 1 scope to provide sufficient traction, I 'd need to attach the halyard to a rode that is 150ft long (plus the 60ft available from the halyard). Of course, if the water is deeper where I 'm dropping the anchor, that rode length would have to go up more. I don 't have a (readily available) 150ft length of line to kedge off with - so by the time I dug it out of the secondary anchor locker, the tide would probably have dropped too far!

My other concern is that the maximum length of rode that can be used to set the kedge, is restricted by the length of the halyard... as soon as the shackle reaches the sheave, you 're done...


Your thoughts appreciated... Am I missing something? or perhaps mis-reading stories of kedging off using a halyard...

Why do I ask this? It occurs that if this is a useful ploy, that it would be helpful to have an extra long halyard going up the mast - and sure enough, the previous owner of our boat did indeed install a very long (double length) halyard. Was it for a possible kedging arrnagement - or was it to enable a 2:1 halyard arrangement? (Whatever, it 's a Royal PITA storing all that line at the mast!)

Bill Balme

Hi Bill,
Having the motor on while well heeled over is likely problematic. Most engines will not tolerate more than 25-30 degrees of heel, some even less. And you also get into water intake issues. I would say that I was over 60+ degrees when we got our portlights in the water.
As to twisting moment, that is likely determined by whether your boat is a sloop or cutter. My experience is on a yawl and we came off sideways. My present boat (a Valiant) is a cutter so the mast is almost amidships so there I would think I would slide sideways. I believe, if memory serves, Outbound’s (I have always admired their design) are double headsail sloops so you may be correct to think that they will wish to go forward as well as sideways as the mast goes over and draft decreases. With a rib, you could direct them to pull aft of amidships to mitigate the twisting moment.
I believe also that Outbound’s use Lighthouse windlasses. These are extremely powerful and, properly led, can drag a bow around or pull a mast down easily.
Different boats would get set up differently. My spinnaker halyard is not lead to a winch so getting it, a snatch block and the rode to the mast head after setting the anchor might be a challenge. But I think your suggestion is good.
Are you still in Scotland? We are in Lerwick at present.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy, Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland