Bowsprit Kranzeirn to take anchor snubbing loads?

[Ian McColgin]

I never experienced it as much of a strain onto the end of the bowsprit even in hurricane winds in the 80's with gusts high 90's. The down pull is modest as you'll have considerable scope. In the hurricane we rode in an little creek the anchor was actually up on land and in the most extreme moments the span of 200' was out of the water and about dead horizontal.

Where there was loading was some rather sharp side loading. When the wind dropped a bit between high gusts, Granuaile would surge ahead as the line's streatch contracted. She'd inevitably veer one side or the other till the rode snapped her around to the other tack. More stuff came loose in the cabin than ever broke adrift in tough sailing into violent short head seas! But even at that, the loading is not all that severe. Having seen chocks (albeit stupidly installed chocks on some production boats) ripped out due to side loading but the whole point of putting the rig out on the end of the bow sprit is to reduce that - and it does.

A snubber does not take the break-out strain, which can be rather severe.