OnDeck Academy

Video coming soon

The anchor snubber

In the video

What the snubber changes
Rig the vessel's system
Monitor and remove under command

From the captain

Before you start

The windlass is very good at moving chain. That does not mean it wants to spend the night being used as the vessel's shock absorber.

By the end of this lesson

Identify the vessel's approved snubber or bridle and explain its load path without inventing an attachment.

See it

See it for yourself

Where the anchor load goes

Why the vessel moves the load off the windlass, and why taking it off again is also a transfer.

5/5Removal is also a transfer: before removal, the load is transferred in the correct sequence, under command. Never work on the attachment while it remains loaded.

Concept sketch · not the vessel's rig · not to scale · use only the vessel's designated equipment and the officer's procedure

What to look for

The system determines the load path
Identify the designated strong points, line, attachment and chafe protection. The whole arrangement matters, not just a knot or hook.
Removal is also a transfer
The load must be transferred under the vessel's command sequence before the attachment is handled. Apparent slack alone is not authority to remove it.

The lesson

01
What the snubber changes
The approved snubber or bridle transfers working anchor load to suitable strong points and may add elasticity and chafe control. It reduces sustained and shock loading on the windlass once correctly set.
02
Rig the vessel's system
Vessels use different lines, bridles, chain hooks, claws, stoppers and attachment arrangements. Use only the designated equipment and the officer's procedure. Check the lead, security and chafe before it takes load.
Photo coming soon
An anchor snubber rigged at the bow: a line leads from its attachment on the chain to the strong points, with its chafe protection.
One vessel's snubber, as rigged. Every vessel's system differs.
03
Monitor and remove under command
Check for chafe, movement and uneven loading as ordered, especially when conditions change. Before removal, the load must be transferred in the correct sequence. Never work on the attachment while it remains loaded.

Where it goes wrong

A generic knot is improvised on the chain because it appeared in a training video. It does not suit the vessel's hardware or lead and begins to move under load. The mistake was copying a technique instead of rigging the approved system.

Your call

What would you do?

Pick one, then read the feedback on all three.

The situation

The snubber briefly looks slack as the yacht moves. You have not received an instruction to remove it.

Take it aboard

Trace the approved snubber arrangement

Do this during your induction or first weeks, with the person responsible for your work.

Walk-through aboard

Inspect stored or unloaded components with the bosun.

01Identify designated attachment and strong points.
02Trace line leads and chafe protection.
03Explain the monitoring and reporting points.
04Ask how removal follows load transfer.

What a useful result looks like

You name the vessel's actual system.
No loaded attachment is handled.

Stop: Do not approach a loaded snubber or rig a new arrangement for the exercise.

Deckhand Foundation · Job card

Snubber familiarisation

From the lesson: The anchor snubber

Designated system identified.
Lead, attachment and strong points confirmed.
Chafe and condition checked as directed.
Transfer and removal only on command.

System / attachment

Chafe point / reporting cue

Your vessel's procedures and senior crew come first. Nothing on this card is stored.

Quick check

Four decisions, then move on

This check confirms the principle. Your vessel's own induction still comes first.