Anchor Chain Marking

By popular demand, here is the anchor chain marking system that we use on Bella Star.  If you ask 10 people what marking system they use, you’ll probably get 10 different answers.  We wanted something visual, simple and void of complicated math (like some of the systems out there), so we came up with this:

Here’s the pattern:
Red = 25’
Yellow = 50’
Green = 75’
Blue = 100’
Black = 100’ + (length of the other color)

Let’s say you see black and another color on the chain.  The amount of chain would equal 100’ plus the length of the other color.  So if red equals 25’, then “red, black, red” would equal 125’.  “Yellow, black, yellow” would equal 150’ and so forth. For lengths over 200’, just use two black markers.

It’s true that the gypsy has been known to eat zip ties, but we put multiple ties per link and go over the chain once a year or so to replace any missing ties.  “Red, red, red”  = 25’

If you’re fancy, you could always mount a digital chain counter on your windlass, but where’s the fun in that?  They also sell markers that fit in between the links, but zip ties are waaay cheaper.