Breaking vs Slipping — the Core Distinction
Breaking the cable means letting the anchor go to the seabed with the cable still attached to the ship. The cable runs out under control (or under emergency release) and lies on the bottom with the anchor. The ship retains the option to recover both later, by buoying the cable end before letting go, or by returning to the position to pick up.
Slipping the cable means parting the cable at the ship and leaving both anchor and cable on the seabed. The cable is deliberately let go at the bitter end or at a slip shackle, or the lashing on the bitter end is cut. Once slipped, recovery of that gear requires a diving operation or a dedicated salvage effort — treat it as abandoned equipment for immediate operational purposes.
The examiner tests whether you know which technique applies to which emergency and whether you have actually thought through the consequences as Master.
When to Use Each
Break out and re-anchor (normal anchor work): the cable is veered or shortened in the ordinary way. Not an emergency technique.
Break and buoy the cable: used when you must vacate the anchorage quickly but intend to recover the anchor. Attach a buoy to the cable (ideally before anchoring in an unfamiliar or crowded anchorage), then let go the bitter end through the hawsepipe. Requires pre-rigging — a retroactive decision once you are dragging in a squall is too late.
Slip the cable: used when time is the overriding factor — fire at the anchorage, collision risk from a dragging vessel, imminent stranding. The ship gets clear immediately. The Master must weigh the value of the gear against the risk of delay. Every vessel should have a designated slip point — typically the bitter end lashing in the chain locker. Know where it is and whether it can be reached quickly.
Practical Command Considerations
- Before anchoring in a port or anchorage with a known fouling risk, a strong weather forecast, or a crowded roadstead: pre-rig a buoy on the cable end. This converts a potential slip into a break-and-recover.
- The position of the buoy must be communicated to bridge and deck team so it can be reported to the port authority after slipping.
- After slipping: record position in the log, mark the position on the chart, notify the port authority and, if the gear presents a hazard to navigation, notify the Coastguard/MRCC so a Notice to Mariners can be issued.
- Slipped cable and anchor lying on the seabed may constitute an obstruction to navigation — the Master bears responsibility for that hazard.
- Seamanship note: the bitter end lashing must be accessible and known to all deck officers. A cable that cannot be slipped quickly is a liability.
The Examiner's Trap
Candidates confuse "slipping" with a simple emergency anchor drop. Dropping the anchor in an emergency is breaking the cable (anchor and cable leave the ship together but the cable is still attached). Slipping means the cable itself is deliberately separated from the ship. Get this distinction clean and state it confidently.