Anchoring & leaving the boat

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MCNav

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New boat owner looking for some practical advice about anchoring. Once at anchor, is it safe to leave the boat unattended while taking the tender for a ride to shore?

The risks that come to my newbie mind are: anchor dragging, changing wind/tide, thieves and swinging into other boats if they anchor closely.

What do you usually do when there's no volunteers wanting to wait on the boat at anchor while everyone else is having fun on the beach?
 
It's easy, really

Short answer - I have fun on the beach!

Your insurance will usually (check) cover you.

I was a bit nervous about this at first. Make sure you anchor well in the first place:

- good ground
- dig in the anchor (if you anticipate the need, you might want to go astern to ensure the anchor's well buried - but settled conditions in reasonable holding, it's usually enough to drop back with wind or tide for a short stay - and it can be quite impressive to anchor under sail)
- check that you're holding
- anchor among similar boats - sailing vessels tend to lie to tide, motor boats to wind
- if you use the usual (up to five) times max depth of water of chain, you'll probably find most others have done the same. Therefore you'll all swing about the same. Look at the spacing of other boats in the anchorage - allow yourself the same or more (I often used to anchor on the outside edge until I got used to it)
- when ashore keep an eye on the weather (some people like to be on board for the turn of the tide to make sure the anchor's reset)
- make sure you've got all you need for a return in the dark (learned that one the hard way, going up and down the river looking for the boat!)

Enjoy -
 
Depends where you are ... but I quite happily leave the boat at anchor (once I'm sure it's set right) and go ashore - I'll keep an eye on it though and leave it ready so I can get aboard and start the engine quickly.
As for leaving through tide change - depends where, but probably not generally - same - but less important - with wind change.
Thieves ... well don't leave anything on show and if the boat is in sight then thieves won't be in long before you've got back to the boat ... tbh not something I've ever had to worry about ...
 
I've been at anchor for ten years, except when on passage.

As long as the anchor is well set by withstanding say 2/3 revs astern, and has good scope : at least 5 times the maximum depth (top of tide) + hieght of bow, the anchor should not drag.

Of course you would also want to be floating at low tide ...... and also not interfering with other boats, harbour installations, or rocks with the increased scope.

Set your helm to one side so that you don't fore-reach.

Put a snubber on the chain to take the load off the windlass. Make sure the snubber is chafe protected and secured properly.

Then you can relax on the beach.

However ..... I would never use a Danforth type anchor without a second claw, plough, etc., type anchor down to back it up.
 
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That's a long time to be at anchor for ... did you check each tide change? Wouldn't it have been easier to sink a mooring?! ;)
 
Yer yer ... rub it in .... you're really sitting in a 1room bedsit in the middle of some grotty town in the UK ain't ya ...!! Wayne ?? ;)
 
If you are happy it is well set in & the location is sheltered & weather settled - what is there to worry about?

There are places where I won't leave the boat - usually because weather is unsettled, swinging room limited or there is an issue with tides. But generally I go ashore with everyone else. I have left the boat for a 4 mile walk to shop/pub & back, but normally I am in a position to keep an eye on her every 30 mins-hour or so.

You will also need to build up enough confidence to sleep on board for 8 hours or so.
 
ancientsailor said:
- make sure you've got all you need for a return in the dark (learned that one the hard way, going up and down the river looking for the boat!)
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I always used to leave 2 battery powered lanterns hanging - 1 from the forestay, and one from the boom - easy to see which was mine, even from miles away.

many people leave their boat for hours to go shopping/sightseeing. Make sure the weather is settled, and the anchor is well dug in, and set, under engine, (2/3 astern should be fine for a yacht).
 
MCNav said:
New boat owner looking for some practical advice about anchoring. Once at anchor, is it safe to leave the boat unattended while taking the tender for a ride to shore?

The risks that come to my newbie mind are: anchor dragging, changing wind/tide, thieves and swinging into other boats if they anchor closely.

What do you usually do when there's no volunteers wanting to wait on the boat at anchor while everyone else is having fun on the beach?
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all good advice above, however having many times been in your situation,one of the answers is at first wait and not rush off ashore, be certain to have let out enough chain for increasing currents, or rising tide, keep within eye shot untilyou are confident what you are doing is correct for your boat, and enjoy!!!
 
Ty for all the great advice. It is a 34' motor boat with a 40 meter (120') chain anchor in the French Riviera. Anchoring in 20' depth with all the chain should do er?
 
Boathook said:
Never had a problem with my danforth. I don't tend to anchor and leave for more than a day though.
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The trouble with Danforth type is that it can get fouled and lifted by the rode, and in reversing wind/current situations it may not reset at the new angle. Their strong point is that they are very good in silt and sand conditions ...... but then this has been said many times before.
 
MCNav said:
Ty for all the great advice. It is a 34' motor boat with a 40 meter (120') chain anchor in the French Riviera. Anchoring in 20' depth with all the chain should do er?
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You are going to have a very large swing circle with that much chain out. I would advise dropping the hook and sitting back for 10 or 15 mins on deck and observing your motion and position relative to your surroundings. Lovely to find an anchorage where you can go ashore and observe your pride and joy while dining or socialising!
 
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Drop the anchor, 7 x the depth chain/rope, put the engine in reverse to make sure that the anchor has dug in; you can even drop a stern anchor as well. If sleep in the boat under anchor, put the chartplotter on anchor watch with the alarm on to warn you if the boat is moving.
 
SAWDOC said:
You are going to have a very large swing circle with that much chain out. I would advise dropping the hook and sitting back for 10 or 15 mins on deck and observing your motion and position relative to your surroundings. Lovely to find an anchorage where you can go ashore and observe your pride and joy while dining or socialising!
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Does the swing circle depend on the total amount of chain dropped? I always figured the swing was relative to the depth you're anchored in as the amount of chain lying on the floor of the sea just acts like a weight and the boat swings with a radius of the depth.
 
Radius of swing

The length of cable out can be considered to fulfil two main functions:

- the "sag" in in it helps deaden the snatches on both anchor and boat. The boat will move back and forwards even if pointing the same way - a gust of wind from ahead will cause her to drop back. After the gust has gone, the weight of cable will cause her to move forward
- the length lying on the bottom makes sure that the pull on the anchor is horzontal - so that the anchor stays well dug in. This is the most important factor and is why you need to make sure enough cable's out to prevent the anchor being pulled upwards to any degree(cable's better on the bottom than in the locker my captain used to say!)

As the boat swings around the anchor (lets say that the wind gradually changes from S through E to N) the boat will pull the cable towards her. She will move around the anchor - hence more cable that's out, the bigger the radius of the swing. Of course, if there's not a lot of pull, the cable can be dragged around the bottom in a big bight or loop (but I've never known my own cable foul my own anchor (or touch wood, anyone else's)

By the way - cable should be laid out when you anchor - ie let the anchor onto the bottom, and as the boat moves astern, let the cable out gradually. Don't "drop" it, or you could end up with a big pile on top of the anchor

All this makes it sound much more complicated than it really is

Phil
 
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SAWDOC said:
Why would you forereach? Surely your boat goes head to wind or head to tide and is moved backwards against the anchor rode?
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It rather depends on the configuration of the boat, the strength of the current and/or wind.
Forereaching is due to aerodynamic or/and hydrodynamic lift, created by the superstructure or/and keel.

Ideally the boat sets up behind the anchor and stays there, but all it needs is some disturbance like a wind over current situation, or just a small change in the wind direction to get the boat moving.

I've seen fin keelers forereach so far to windward of their anchor that they been pulled round in a full circle by the rode. Some just fishtail. Catamarans can be particularly bad at forereaching, and they accelerate very quickly too!

The easiest remedy is to put the helm over. This stalls the boat behind the anchor. It generally works very well.

Another remedy is to put up a riding sail well aft, say up the backstay ... or if you have one, a mizen. Even motor trawlers are equiped with masts that can take a reasonably sized riding sail. This help to keep the boat downwind of the anchor and tend to reduce fishtailing to acceptable levels. It also causes a lot of questions from others in the anchorage.
 
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