A completely trivial anchoring mystery

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Yesterday we took the launch up the river with a cargo of children, anchored off a tiny beach and let the boys go ashore in the dinghy to "explore". Now, we were lying to a baby CQR (about 10lbs; they don't make those any more) and some chain and warp in a 16ft launch with a draft aft of 2ft and forward of about 6 inches with a strong flood tide and a fresh wind with the tide.

Should have lain quiet as anything, should'nt we?

We sheered about all over the place. Does anyone know why?
 
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I suspect that the wind was blowing at a slight angle to the tide so that it blew your bow off (which, because of the draft configuration had less grip then the stern). Once the water pressure on the hull exceeded the wind pressure on the topsides, the bow sheered back to start the whole cycle again. I guess the only way to get the launch to lie quietly would have been to experiment with a second anchor led back from the stern so that the boat was moored.
 
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I rather agree with the above suggestion. Hosanna draws less ford than aft, and in such conditions she does tend to sheer about a bit, unless I let go a second bower under foot which dampens it down a bit. Mostly we do not bother as the sheer lets some cool air into the side scuttles.
 
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Thank you both

I have often cursed Mirelle for sheering and blamed her sheer, her bowsprit and her generally clumbungy gaff cutter rig for causing excess windage; since the little launch does it, without a mast at all, I must forgive her!

Incidentally if you ever see a tiny CQR lying around, snap it up - it's a remarkably good little boat anchor, despite what Hiscock says about them not working in small sizes.
 
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I agree.

I find with my outboard powered boat the wind and waves grab the bow and try to turn it down wind (no tide).

Solution : I moor (lunch etc stops) off the stern and have no problem.
 
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Re: Thank you both

I have a little Fisherman anchor of around this weight and I swear by it when I know that there is kelp down there. With a couple of fathoms of 3/16 chain attached to a lengthy warp it can hold my 34 footer quite happily for a lunch time stop. But I have'nt had the bottle to rely on it overnight yet. For that the old 35lb CQR backed up (on the odd occasion) by a 17lb Danforth has not let me down (yet!).
 
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My boat used to sheer around even at a swinging mooring. This habit of behaving like a colt being broken was mitigated by putting a radome post a'stern and finally seems to have been cured by adding a wind generator to the radome. So I'd go along with John and Bill's hypothesis, with the slight mod, that you don't need any cross current, just a stationary boat turning broadside to wind, picking up speed, coming to a halt and doing the same the other way. All you need is a lot of windage and only a little bit of hull in the water - that's why traditional long-keelers don't do it.
 
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Comparative study..

See on www.spade-anchor.com - technical study

In sand, the holding of the 9 kg fisherman anchor was nearly Zero.. In the same place, the mean holding of a 9 kg CQR has been 596 daN and the holding of a 3.1 kg SPADE anchor has only been 1494 daN... or weight for weight, around 20 times the holding of the CQR..

Do you really need to "back up" a 35 lbs CQR with a 17 lbs Danforth??? Keep it simple... and efficient.
 
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Re: Comparative study..

First, I do not give a toss for "comparative studies" or all the techno mumb jumbo that some people spout at the drop of a hat. There are occasions when you need all the ground holding power you can get and the times when that is needed is determined by long, hard won experience that cannot be obtained merely from books or, for that matter, comparitive studies.from books.
 
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Re: Comparative study..

I fully agree with you.. "There are occasions when you need all the ground holding power you can get and the times when that is needed is determined by long, hard won experience that cannot be obtained merely from books"

What do you think about this following story??:

- "We bought last fall our new anchor which we now use on our trip through Mexico. Our anchor has never disappointed us and we deploy it with full confidence. As the true test, we went through Zihautenajo's "Storm Of The Century" in March, the worst storm anyone can remember, anchored in the bay. The storm was unpredicted and came out of nowhere. The high in our anchorage was a sustained 59 knots and we watched in horror as many, many boats started dragging, including a large powerboat headed right toward us. At the last moment, it was able to veer off. One sailboat was lost on the rocks, another got holed in two places, and I would say at least 1/3 of the fleet dragged, many with damage. What happened to us? We just sat there, glued to the bottom. We didn't drag at all and the one thing that made that storm bearable was my total assurance in the SPADE Anchor. Eric Stephan - S/V "Indara" ...

Is it what you call "hard won experience that cannot be obtained merely from books... " ??? But unfortunately at least 1/3 of the fleet dragged, many with damage and most of them where poeple "who do not give a toss for "comparative studies" or all the techno mumb jumbo that some people spout at the drop of a hat."....
 
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Re: Comparative study..

I fully agree with you.. "There are occasions when you need all the ground holding power you can get and the times when that is needed is determined by long, hard won experience that cannot be obtained merely from books"

What do you think about this following story??:

- "We bought last fall our new anchor which we now use on our trip through Mexico. Our anchor has never disappointed us and we deploy it with full confidence. As the true test, we went through Zihautenajo's "Storm Of The Century" in March, the worst storm anyone can remember, anchored in the bay. The storm was unpredicted and came out of nowhere. The high in our anchorage was a sustained 59 knots and we watched in horror as many, many boats started dragging, including a large powerboat headed right toward us. At the last moment, it was able to veer off. One sailboat was lost on the rocks, another got holed in two places, and I would say at least 1/3 of the fleet dragged, many with damage. What happened to us? We just sat there, glued to the bottom. We didn't drag at all and the one thing that made that storm bearable was my total assurance in the SPADE Anchor. Eric Stephan - S/V "Indara" ...

Is it what you call "hard won experience that cannot be obtained merely from books... " ??? But unfortunately at least 1/3 of the fleet dragged, many with damage and most of them where poeple "who do not give a toss for "comparative studies" or all the techno mumb jumbo that some people spout at the drop of a hat."....
 
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Re: Comparative study..

I fully agree with you.. "There are occasions when you need all the ground holding power you can get and the times when that is needed is determined by long, hard won experience that cannot be obtained merely from books"

What do you think about this following story??:

- "We bought last fall our new anchor which we now use on our trip through Mexico. Our anchor has never disappointed us and we deploy it with full confidence. As the true test, we went through Zihautenajo's "Storm Of The Century" in March, the worst storm anyone can remember, anchored in the bay. The storm was unpredicted and came out of nowhere. The high in our anchorage was a sustained 59 knots and we watched in horror as many, many boats started dragging, including a large powerboat headed right toward us. At the last moment, it was able to veer off. One sailboat was lost on the rocks, another got holed in two places, and I would say at least 1/3 of the fleet dragged, many with damage. What happened to us? We just sat there, glued to the bottom. We didn't drag at all and the one thing that made that storm bearable was my total assurance in the SPADE Anchor. Eric Stephan - S/V "Indara" ...

Is it what you call "hard won experience that cannot be obtained merely from books... " ??? But unfortunately at least 1/3 of the fleet dragged, many with damage and most of them where poeple "who do not give a toss for "comparative studies" or all the techno mumb jumbo that some people spout at the drop of a hat."....
 
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Clearly you had to anchor 3 times before getting a good hold! NM*.

nm*
 
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Re: I don\'t know Why..

As you posted in triplicate I assumed you anchored in triplicte! Sorry, a very small joke I promise I won't make any more.
 
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