Anchor drag theory

I am surprised by the level of negativity. This is not Sailing Anarchy. There are many possibilities. It also sounds like it is not the OP's first dance, so I would assume (perhaps incorrectly) that he knew the basics and got them right.

  • Hit a bad spot. Bottoms vary. Happens to everybody if they anchor enough.
  • Didn't power set. By the same token, power setting in a soft bottom is more complicated (needs to be done in stages).
  • Wrong anchor. Not every anchor likes every bottom, as Neeves said.
I'd vote for some combination of all three. If the set feels bad, the best alternative is usually to move, even a short distance.
 
thinwater said:
I am surprised by the level of negativity. This is not Sailing Anarchy. There are many possibilities. It also sounds like it is not the OP's first dance, so I would assume (perhaps incorrectly) that he knew the basics and got them right.

  • Hit a bad spot. Bottoms vary. Happens to everybody if they anchor enough.
  • Didn't power set. By the same token, power setting in a soft bottom is more complicated (needs to be done in stages).
  • Wrong anchor. Not every anchor likes every bottom, as Neeves said.
I'd vote for some combination of all three. If the set feels bad, the best alternative is usually to move, even a short distance.
Click to expand...
Not sure about negativity. Have a look at the youtubes that I linked to and you will see that it is a very heavily used anchorage for obvious reasons. Most anchoring is in the very congested eastern arm and generally the holding is excellent and does not require any specific anchor - most have no difficulty in setting in the mud. However there are, as noted some patches where there is surface weed on top of the mud which might affect penetration, plus there are strong tidal flows, particularly at springs and it is exposed to the SW prevailing wind. combination of high water springs and SW wind means boats are very exposed in the eastern end where they lose the protection of the sea walls. So not surprising some experience drag.

I have been anchoring there for over 40 years and don't think anything has really changed - except of course for the number of boats, particularly RIBs and MOBOs although they tend to just do lunch stops rather than overnight.
 
It was just a thought ????????. Never had trouble in the last 40 years but there is a lot more boats this year. And I mean a LOT.
 
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