Anchor setting technique

[petem]

Talking of Fender Buoys, I did sell these for a while...

http://fender-design.com/accessorie...vationen/anchor-roll/anchorroll.html?___SID=U

The problem I had was that they can get lost, for example if another boat rides over it and cuts the cord. Of course, people will blame the product and expect a new one. Therefore, I reluctantly stopped selling them. I'm happy to supply them to forumites but would only be able to give a warranty for manufacturers defects if the buoy can be returned to me.

Pete

 

[Richard10002]

I attached a buoy to my anchor on one occasion in Taormina, Sicily. After watching a few Italian boats hover round it and picking it up, thinking it was a mooring buoy, I never did it again.

 

[BruceK]

I have yet to have an anchor get stuck on the cruiser. I have lost several anchors before using a trip line from my ex small cuddy when fishing so I know it is a very real possibility. I keep a spare length of ~10 foot chain which the idea is if the anchor sticks, I would retrieve some scope up until the anchor chain was taut and lying at about 60 degrees. Leaving the admiral on the throttles to maintain this tension I'd go out in the tender. Loop the loose chain around the anchor chain with the ends attached to a line and pay it out while moving the tender forward until the loose chain had moved up the anchor shank. Signal to the wife to release tension (pay out some more anchor chain) and motor forward slightly attempt to pull the anchor out backwards by motoring the tender forwards. (my anchor is 15kg so not overtly big like some craft here)

Whether this will work in reality I do not really know, but the thought of having a trip line on my anchor in the practise used by smaller fishing boats is not appealing. Last recourse would be to cut the bitter end and buy the local diver mate a bottle of his favourite tipple to retrieve.

 

[noelex]

If you are using a traditional surface anchor float, it is worth putting a weak link (I use a cable tie) a couple of meters below the float.

If the float gets caught on someone's prop/rudder, or if someone tries to use the float as a mooring, the weak link will break.

If the float needs to be used to free a stuck anchor, it is possible to reach the attachment prior to the weak link (if the tide is high you may need to use the tender).

 

[PEJ]

I never bother with all this. In good weather I read the depth and drop say 5x with a nudge in reverse for a second and leave it at that. Couldn't care less if chain is heaped on the bottom because it sorts itself out. I never pull on the anchor with engines to dig it in. It digs itself in. Or not. Never had problem with this "technique" in 20 years.

I wonder if 'setting' the anchor by going astern with the engines just mimics what will happen naturally (but with the risk of putting strain on the boat)? I must admit, I just let the boat drift, dump a load of chain then wait for it to set of its own accord.

I suspect that in may cases, the anchor is not 'set' at all and it's the weight / friction of the chain on the seabed that is keeping the boat still.

.

Interesting.

I was told this technique by Nick from BCU when anchoring in Cala Gran (Next to Cala D'Or) on a windyish day. Ultimately we didn't go anywhere and I assume the wind blew us back, the chain straightened out and the anchor dug in. I tried that technique a few times afterwards but I did not feel confident with it.

However one of the biggest headaches I faced, again anchoring in Cala Gran, was on a really calm day when there was no-one there already. Without seeing how other boats are lying and with no wind to speak of I didn't fancy the drop the chain and wait technique. Cala Gran is not small but it not huge and if you pick a spot close to the cliff I worry that you could spin around and get too close for comfort. So I took a guess at how we would lie. As it happens I either got it wrong or the wind picked up because we spun 180 degrees from where I had laid the chain out. Just as well I picked the middle of the bay.

 

[PEJ]

Talking of Fender Buoys, I did sell these for a while...

http://fender-design.com/accessorie...vationen/anchor-roll/anchorroll.html?___SID=U

The problem I had was that they can get lost, for example if another boat rides over it and cuts the cord. Of course, people will blame the product and expect a new one. Therefore, I reluctantly stopped selling them. I'm happy to supply them to forumites but would only be able to give a warranty for manufacturers defects if the buoy can be returned to me.

Pete

Pete

I get [h=2]404 - Seite nicht gefunden[/h]
When I follow that link.

 

[RupertW]

Interesting.

I was told this technique by Nick from BCU when anchoring in Cala Gran (Next to Cala D'Or) on a windyish day. Ultimately we didn't go anywhere and I assume the wind blew us back, the chain straightened out and the anchor dug in. I tried that technique a few times afterwards but I did not feel confident with it.

However one of the biggest headaches I faced, again anchoring in Cala Gran, was on a really calm day when there was no-one there already. Without seeing how other boats are lying and with no wind to speak of I didn't fancy the drop the chain and wait technique. Cala Gran is not small but it not huge and if you pick a spot close to the cliff I worry that you could spin around and get too close for comfort. So I took a guess at how we would lie. As it happens I either got it wrong or the wind picked up because we spun 180 degrees from where I had laid the chain out. Just as well I picked the middle of the bay.

That's really tricky when other boats are lying all over the place in a calm - that's when I've needed my fenders in the past as we are all fine with any angle and a little bit of wind but where a light boat is drifting one way and a heavy boat is staying the other way you can touch.

But the frequent scenario of calmish day but possible overnight winds is why I mimic the natural forces in advance. Lay out the chain in very slow reverse or neutral if there is wind then dig in by stronger reverse once the anchor has dug in a bit. So then I can be sure the chain is all laid out (so I won't be drifting into another boat as the pile of chain lays out) and so I can feel safe in a squall.

After all the bottom may be just a 6 inches of sand over flat rock so fine in a calm but instant drag in a squall - and I've encountered that more than once when reversing the anchor in so had to move.

 

[Richard10002]

My experience on a Moody 44 was when the wind gets up to more than about 20 knots, the anchor chain will be taught, and the tension on it will be similar to that of a typical yacht engine at 2000 revs, (all back of a cigarette packet stuff).

Reversing gently up to 2000 revs and holding, as the sun is setting, gives a degree of comfort when lying in your bunk in the dead of a windy night

 

[iapetus]

I never bother with all this. In good weather I read the depth and drop say 5x with a nudge in reverse for a second and leave it at that. Couldn't care less if chain is heaped on the bottom because it sorts itself out. I never pull on the anchor with engines to dig it in. It digs itself in. Or not. Never had problem with this "technique" in 20 years.

Your anchor and chain must be so big the boat wouldn't budge no matter what, then.

I used to anchor that way, until the night we stopped in the Baie des Cannebiers (near St-Tropez), were the seabed (mostly sand) is known to be somewhat muddy in places (well, known to most, unfortunately not to me at the time).
Perfect weather, forecasts as well. We dropped 7x as we were staying overnight, I gently reversed for a second or two, took alignments to ensure we were settled, waited for 10 min. All clear. Heaps of mandatory rosé followed (it might be St-Trop, it's still the Var).

At 4am, the anchor alarm went off, the nearest neighbor started shouting profanities at us, etc. We had been dragging slowly for a couple hours since an unforeseen wind had been building up during the night. It was an awful experience to lift anchor and zigzag between angry fellow boaters to find another place, in pitch black conditions. For now, I prefer to reverse for 10 to 20 seconds alternating between engines (using both at the same time puts way too much stress on the anchor or the windlass): if it drags, then it probably will under substantial wind conditions. If it doesn't, then rosé it is.

 

[Hurricane]

My experience on a Moody 44 was when the wind gets up to more than about 20 knots, the anchor chain will be taught, and the tension on it will be similar to that of a typical yacht engine at 2000 revs, (all back of a cigarette packet stuff).

Reversing gently up to 2000 revs and holding, as the sun is setting, gives a degree of comfort when lying in your bunk in the dead of a windy night

2000 RPM on our boat would definitely rip the anchor out but I understand what you mean.

I would "tickle" the engines astern and (as said above) the the momentum pull at the anchor.

 

[jrudge]

My 2 cents for what they are worth.

We had a Squadron 65. It used to drag. There were 2 reasons (a) user error and (b) the supplied anchor was too small. They ALL have upgrades.

User Error ... In Mallorca you are not really going to get more than 3 maybe 4 times scope. There is not the space and you will swing different to everyone else.

What was I doing? Depth says 10m I put out 30m. WRONG.

The depth gauge is 1.5m below the water. The anchor roller is 2m above the water. 10m as far as the anchor is concerned is actually 13,5m - so 3 times is as near as 40m.

Bear in mind 3 times is on the margin - so less than that is a material difference.

Changed that and it pretty much did not move most of the time .

Next Boat - Squadron 58. The anchor was as supplied. To give it credit is never moved for the first 3 months of use, but I wanted a bigger anchor anyway. - I probably read too much on here! Did a deal with Boats.co.uk and put on a S65 Anchor ( ironically form my prior boat !) which is as big as will fit.

The boat has never dragged. Not once. Now there maybe a bit of luck here, and please believe me I am not gods gift to anchoring.

To me the 2 important things are (a) enough chain out and (b) a big enough anchor.

I tend to drift back and give it a tiny blip once the nose dips - but I think that that things above are more relevant.

I did see once in Menorca a 60 ish foot boat drop the anchor and then go back at a simply astonishing speed. Not for me, but the anchor did grab and it came to a spectacular halt. Not for me.

 

[jrudge]

Interesting.

I was told this technique by Nick from BCU when anchoring in Cala Gran (Next to Cala D'Or) on a windyish day. Ultimately we didn't go anywhere and I assume the wind blew us back, the chain straightened out and the anchor dug in. I tried that technique a few times afterwards but I did not feel confident with it.

However one of the biggest headaches I faced, again anchoring in Cala Gran, was on a really calm day when there was no-one there already. Without seeing how other boats are lying and with no wind to speak of I didn't fancy the drop the chain and wait technique. Cala Gran is not small but it not huge and if you pick a spot close to the cliff I worry that you could spin around and get too close for comfort. So I took a guess at how we would lie. As it happens I either got it wrong or the wind picked up because we spun 180 degrees from where I had laid the chain out. Just as well I picked the middle of the bay.

Do bear in mind that the Cala's to the north of Cala Dor all have high sides. This changes the wind in the cala.

I have had strong wind from the North East , and in the Cala Pointed South west - it can also vary allot in the Cala itself and depends on the profile of the boat.

I was in once Cala Ferrera ( 2 up) and over 45 minutes with a strong NE at sea we did a slow 270 degree swing, such that I had to jump from the rib to the boat and thrust away with the stern thruster as we were about to hit the rocks. The variation inside that Cala's is quite amazing so beware Cala's with high sides!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

FWIW I do it this way. When I let the anchor go I try to be relatively stationary. When I think the anchor has hit the seabed, I give a touch astern on one engine to get the boat moving backwards whilst continuing to pay out the anchor. The idea is not to allow the chain to heap up on top of the anchor and to orientate the anchor correctly. Then I will keep paying out the chain whilst the boat drifts backwards. When we have let out the desired amount of chain, I will carefully take up the slack by again going astern on one engine only and in and out of gear. By this time, SWMBO will have the chain lock engaged. The idea is to avoid putting any sudden loads on the lock whilst taking up the slack. Then when the chain is relatively taut, I go astern on one engine only (2 engines is too much). SWMBO feels with her foot for when the chain goes tight and, when it does, we assume then that the anchor is properly set. If its a nice hot day I might snorkel out to the anchor and check that its nicely set and orientated correctly. I must say that with our Rocna anchor this method has never failed to set the anchor first time and we have never dragged

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I never bother with all this. In good weather I read the depth and drop say 5x with a nudge in reverse for a second and leave it at that. Couldn't care less if chain is heaped on the bottom because it sorts itself out. I never pull on the anchor with engines to dig it in. It digs itself in. Or not. Never had problem with this "technique" in 20 years.

So that time when you dropped your hook in Golfo Aranci behind the island and had to lift and reset it a couple of times because you dragged was just for practice then I must say I can't say anything because we managed to get the anchor snagged on one of the mooring cables for the fish farm there and had a hell of a job getting the cable off the anchor

 

[Nigelpickin]

With the Rocna style you’re supposed to head into the wind and let out > 5:1 don’t actively try to set the anchor until it’s at least 3:1 and then only little revs to get the boat moving. Don’t give the the anchor a good pull for at least a couple of hours while the anchor sets itself in.

That’s what we do now based on the manufactures advice....I think that these anchors need less active setting than traditional non rolling spades.

 

[BruceK]

With the Rocna style you’re supposed to head into the wind and let out > 5:1 don’t actively try to set the anchor until it’s at least 3:1 and then only little revs to get the boat moving. Don’t give the the anchor a good pull for at least a couple of hours while the anchor sets itself in.

That’s what we do now based on the manufactures advice....I think that these anchors need less active setting than traditional non rolling spades.

That sounds about right for Rocna. During the anchor debates I recall seeing a video of an anchor test where the rocna dragged very easily without setting if deployed too fast. Though nobody doubted or ever showed poor holding figures.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

With the Rocna style you’re supposed to head into the wind and let out > 5:1 don’t actively try to set the anchor until it’s at least 3:1 and then only little revs to get the boat moving. Don’t give the the anchor a good pull for at least a couple of hours while the anchor sets itself in.

That’s what we do now based on the manufactures advice....I think that these anchors need less active setting than traditional non rolling spades.

It is certainly true that our Rocna sets far quicker than the equivalent Delta we had previously and for that reason you have to be careful how you set it. As I said I dont attempt to set it until I have the full scope of chain out that I think I need

 

[BruceK]

I believe this is the video I saw

 

[Nigelpickin]

It is certainly true that our Rocna sets far quicker than the equivalent Delta we had previously and for that reason you have to be careful how you set it. As I said I dont attempt to set it until I have the full scope of chain out that I think I need

Agreed, I only realised that it set differently after a couple of deployments. It makes sense that it needs to have a lot of rode for it to set in the length of the Anchor, the angle from the boat needs to be shallow, if that makes sense....

 

[Nigelpickin]

I believe this is the video I saw

This is the one that sold it for me...