Anchoring Challenge; What would you do?

[Deleted member 478]

There is no wind and no movement (currents/tides etc) of the water in the anchorage. Boats are pointing is all sorts of directions (as can be seen in the photos). The depth in the anchorage varies between 6ft - 35ft. The anchorage is fairly packed. Three questions:
- How would you judge were to drop your pick.
- In which direction would you reverse back (no wind to push you back)
- How much scope would you put out knowing there's likely to be 20 - 25 knots later this evening.

Just to make it slightly more challenging, happy hour starts at the local boozer in 30 minutes and you wouldn't want to miss that.

 

[fien397]

There is no wind and no movement (currents/tides etc) of the water in the anchorage. Boats are pointing is all sorts of directions (as can be seen in the photos). The depth in the anchorage varies between 6ft - 35ft. The anchorage is fairly packed. Three questions:
- How would you judge were to drop your pick.
- In which direction would you reverse back (no wind to push you back)
- How much scope would you put out knowing there's likely to be 20 - 25 knots later this evening.

Just to make it slightly more challenging, happy hour starts at the local boozer in 30 minutes and you wouldn't want to miss that.

Any immediate change in forecast or tide due? If not drop a reasonable lump of chain, dig it in, in whichever direction you fancy, and go enjoy happy hour

 

[Twister_Ken]

Looks like a biggish hole about where the tender is in pic 1. Unless there's something nasty underwater, that would be my first thought.

 

[homa]

If you know there is 20-25kts forecast then presumably you would know from what direction.
i would anchor in shallow water and in the lee of the land with plenty of scope for the water depth. Pull chain out and dig anchor in direction of wind forecast
rig riding light so i can find my way back to boat after dark. paddle ashore for happy hour.

 

[Poignard]

Looks like a biggish hole about where the tender is in pic 1. Unless there's something nasty underwater, that would be my first thought.

Yes. I would choose that spot (or perhaps well astern of the catamaran in the right of the picture) but I'd like to know from what direction the 20-25kts of wind is coming from. I'd give the happy hour a miss; might need a clear head when the pyjama party starts later on.

 

[RichardS]

I'd want a minimum of 5:1 scope at high tide so would find a depth and space where I could lay out at least 5:1.

Richard

 

[LadyInBed]

- How would you judge were to drop your pick.
Just to rear (deeper giving me 1.5m under keel) of the smaller boats. If they drag it's less to hit me!
- In which direction would you reverse back (no wind to push you back)
Reverse toward deeper water
- How much scope would you put out knowing there's likely to be 20 - 25 knots later this evening.
Enough to set anchor, then motor forward / heave in half or so of the chain laid then 'block dump' 5 x Dmax on the bottom. Then if / when the wind picks up the chain will slowly pay out down wind.

 

[photodog]

Bahamian moor.

 

[Tintin]

IS this a bit like spot the ball? Do I win big if I put my x in the right place?

(not that "ex" silly, that would be 6ft under )

 

[Dipper]

If I knew where the last significant wind came from eg F2-3 and above then the yachts' anchor chains will be laid out in that direction even though they may now be pirouetting around the last few feet of chain. So I would find a space that would let me drop anchor and reverse back in the direction that the wind would have blown me had I arrived earlier. This of course assumes that all the boats in the anchorage were there before the wind dropped.

 

[GrahamM376]

If there are no trip lines and buoys to give a clue, I have been known to ask someone which direction their chain is laid, before I drop the hook.

 

[Uricanejack]

Kind of depends on the wind direction expected.
Looks a bit exposed if the wind was to be from offshore.

I like to anchor in about 30 ft. so pick a spot clear of other vessels and put about 5x depth. Like someone else already said I’d set for the wind direction expected.
Put up my “ball” which I don’t have and light.
Pick a transit, plot my position, my even log what the GPS says.

Head for the Pub planning to be back before the wind picks up.

Return to boat, recheck position, check transit, feel the cable, might even post an anchor watch or set allarm for routine checks through the night.

 

[NormanS]

If there are no trip lines and buoys to give a clue, I have been known to ask someone which direction their chain is laid, before I drop the hook.

I've been asked that.

 

[noelex]

To anchor sucsefully you need to be able to estimate where your neighbours anchors are located. Often the wind history will give you some clue. In very light wind boats will rotate around on little puffs of breeze, but the anchor chain will not move.
The best way is to dive, or use a bathyscope to locate the anchors around you. This will also give you some warning which boats are likely to drag when the stronger wind arrives. However, this is only possible in reasonably clear water.

If you cannot be confident your anchor has been dropped a reasonable distance from other anchors you need to stay on board and monitor the situation.

If there is no wind you are better to set the anchor so that it does not have to rotate when the predicted wind arrives. You can do this even if a light is blowing from the wrong direction, but the anchor set tends not to be as good.

 

[longjohnsilver]

So what happened, did you get pissed, did the wind blow and where did you land up?

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

I would ask the nearest boat where his anchor lies. I would then put out two anchors from the bows, bridle fashion, to keep my boat more or less in the same position and clear of the neighbouring boat should it swing around when the wind picks up.

 

[noelex]

You need to be careful using two anchors in a crowded anchorage where the other boats are using a single anchor.

Boats on a similar scope with a single anchor will tend to swing together and can be anchored very close to each other without any conflict. A boat lying to multiple anchors and not moving needs a lot of distance from the boats that will swing.

There are sometimes options to use areas towards the outside of the anchorage where multiple anchors can work, but you need to very sure one of the boats lying to a single anchor is not going to swing into that space.

 

[AndrewB]

Just to make it slightly more challenging, happy hour starts at the local boozer in 30 minutes and you wouldn't want to miss that.

Leaving the yacht within 1 hour of anchoring breaks a golden rule for me. Specially in a case like this. Within an hour there will have been enough breeze at some point, or for the tide to have picked up enough, to sort out where boats are properly lying and move if necessary.

Looks like happy hour aboard tonight. Hope the fridge is working.

 

[NormanS]

I would ask the nearest boat where his anchor lies. I would then put out two anchors from the bows, bridle fashion, to keep my boat more or less in the same position and clear of the neighbouring boat should it swing around when the wind picks up.

Sorry, but that is nonsense.
How does the nearest boat know, "where his anchor lies"? In conditions of light and flukey winds his anchor could be in any direction from him. When I am asked that fatuous question, I give them a funny look, and say, "Down there somewhere".
If all the other boats in the anchorage are lying to one anchor (each), and you come and put down two, to restrict your swinging when the wind changes, what do you think will happen? Obviously they will all swing round, and lie to the new wind direction. You'll be still roughly where you were, so you will be in the way. If you are determined to anchor close to other boats which are already in an anchorage, you have to anchor in a similar way.