Patent ID: 8181589

Claim:
A method for installing a gravity anchor on the sea floor from a vessel having a winch, without the use of a crane, comprising the steps; a. providing two separate anchor units that are rotationally linked together, for limited rotation, in series on the deck of the vessel; b. attaching a mooring line to the anchor unit farthest from the end of the vessel from which the gravity anchor will be deployed; c. attaching a line from the winch on the vessel to the same anchor unit as the mooring line; d. pulling the gravity anchor off the deck of the vessel with the mooring line and using the line from the winch on the vessel to control the descent of the anchor units to the sea floor; and e. disconnecting the winch line from the winch after the gravity anchor is installed on the sea floor and attaching the winch line to a buoy.