Anchoring overnight (peacefully)

[Poey50]

... but since then it's always at the back of my mind, and it winds me up as im always keen to get back to the boat while exploring on land, and every time i return everything is fine obviously

help?

I'm a psychotherapist and I think it quite understandable - given your experience in which things felt rather out of control - that you have been left with some traumatic memory. The problem with this is that later good experience does not always supplant the original traumatic memory. We learn from experience but unlearning is much trickier so your memory is sending you false information - that you are in greater danger than you actually are. The toughest time to counter this with rational thoughts is - you've guessed it - in the middle of the night.

I think there have been excellent suggestions for very good anchoring practice and these will help to strengthen the rational side of you that can more accurately assess risk. You may find that with repeated good experience over a long time the originating memory may be worn down. It can help to tell yourself that it is perfectly OK to feel anxious but that anxiety applies to the past not to the present. If none of that works I think it would be good to get some psychotherapeutic help which focusses on the specific memory. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommend two evidenced based short-term treatments for trauma. These are Trauma-Focussed CBT and EMDR. Of these I'd recommend the second. Two or three sessions may be enough.

 

[michael_w]

Biggest problem is other boats anchoring too damn close. The Quebecois especially love to 'snuggle up'. The times I've wished for a lever which would produce Bodacia type spikes out of my topsides as a deterrent.

 

[Poignard]

Biggest problem is other boats anchoring too damn close. (...)

That, alone, is a justification for being awake at slack water; with fenders and fog horn at the ready!

 

[mattonthesea]

Want to do this in North West Spain next summer

 

[RupertW]

Biggest problem is other boats anchoring too damn close. The Quebecois especially love to 'snuggle up'. The times I've wished for a lever which would produce Bodacia type spikes out of my topsides as a deterrent.

You'll relax a lot better if you just make sure you always put plenty of fenders out. We have exactly the same problem in popular bays in charter season. There's no point in trying to use a less popular bit of the bay as one boat attracts another and another. We check we are ok with the boats around us and go off shopping theses days and let newbies sort themselves out.

At night the wind usually lightens and goes round the clock so there are very close encounters sometimes as bows pass sterns or even sterns pass sterns if it's almost windless. Those are not the nights I lose any sleep.

 

[Triassic]

I believe anchoring is just another aspect of safe yachting that needs to be learnt. Research and discussions on the subject are useful however ultimately you need to gain a certain amount of experience with the equipment you have available to feel confident that you know both it's strengths and weaknesses. It's all very well people on here saying you should "always back it in" but I for one rarely use an engine and even if I did my craft is so light that even at full astern I can pretty much bring it up short by holding the rode in my hand, so it's not exactly going to test the anchor is it.... Likewise people telling you to get a bigger/different anchor, all advice given without really knowing what you already have (you do say later you have a "decent array") or type of vessel you have.

Good seamanship is all about anticipating potential problems and either avoiding them altogether or having solutions immediately to hand should they occur. From what you are saying it sounds to me that you have done pretty well so far and I think you should seek a certain amount of confidence from that experience. Personally I worry far more about others vessels around me than my own and generally try to put myself somewhere out of their reach...... although only drawing 14" does give me an advantage there!

 

[LadyInBed]

I set the radius at the length of chain that I have let out. This means that, because of the catenary, The boat should never be that distance (horizontally) from the centre (the point where I have set the anchor). The boat can move around anywhere within that circle but as soon as it starts to drag the alarm will sound.
I find it convenient and it also allows some leeway (excuse the pun) in the accuracy of the centre.

For that to work, I assume that you set your anchor watch at the bow when you drop your anchor, else when the tide turns you could move up to 2x scope.

 

[wully1]

Still, a dirty great Spade wouldn't go amiss anyway :encouragement:

Pete

Spade = zzzzzzzz

 

[LadyInBed]

interesting to know might have to look into some ipad related apps
Any recommendations on apps?

I use MadMutMarine but there are several others.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

For that to work, I assume that you set your anchor watch at the bow when you drop your anchor, else when the tide turns you could move up to 2x scope.

Yes.
"The boat should never be that distance (horizontally) from the centre (the point where I have set the anchor)."

 

[duncan99210]

I use Anchor! On iPad or iPhone. The app allows you to drop the anchor at the position of the boat, you then move the anchor position on the app so as to reflect the actual position of the anchor (the app shows range and bearing to the anchor). You can then set an alarm either at the scope or whatever other value you choose. I usually use the scope +20 metres, to accommodate errors on my behalf in setting the anchor position on the app.

Earlier apps used a very simple algorithm to trip the alarm, leading to continual false alarms. The app I use hasn't yet given me a false alarm, so I have confidence in it. The app can be set to send an alarm by email, so if you were leaving the boat you could get an alert if it were to move outside the alarm zone.

 

[Kukri]

The only places that I can think of where I would routinely set an anchor watch are the traditional coastal anchorages, such as The Downs, Dungeness East Road, etc. But nobody seems to use these, now. Their traditional use is for taking a break during a foul tide or waiting out a wind that is too strong to be fun to beat against. They can be very handy, in that even with an anchor watch set the wear and tear on the crew is much less than it would be "hammering into it".

 

[Triassic]

I use Anchor! On iPad or iPhone..... etc

Hopefully not a derail and I'm going to sound like the techno phobe I am here..... but how does that work in practical layman terms? I understand apps, but does that mean you have to leave said iPad or whatever is running it on board the boat where it can get a GPS signal (do these things work inside?) and then programme it to ring/text/message another phone if it moves?

 

[GHA]

Hopefully not a derail and I'm going to sound like the techno phobe I am here..... but how does that work in practical layman terms? I understand apps, but does that mean you have to leave said iPad or whatever is running it on board the boat where it can get a GPS signal (do these things work inside?) and then programme it to ring/text/message another phone if it moves?

With anchor pro on an android phone, I'll invariably remember to have the phone with me dropping the hook so will set the anchor position afterwards with the phone at the bow, say 25m at 170Deg. The the alarm radius will be set it something like 35m as the phone lives on a little car bracket near the chart table, where it's plugged into a usb power supply. That's it, always seems to get GPS. The alrrm rarely goes of but it's loud an irritating enough to demand attention. The app will send a txt message if the alarm goes off if you set it up. I don't bother, if the holding is suspect then it's time to go somewhere else. You can set an alarm if it looses GPS for a set length of time as well.
All in all works well, the history is handy , recording all your previous alarm set positions and it will show your actual position on google maps satellite view.

 

[duncan99210]

Hopefully not a derail and I'm going to sound like the techno phobe I am here..... but how does that work in practical layman terms? I understand apps, but does that mean you have to leave said iPad or whatever is running it on board the boat where it can get a GPS signal (do these things work inside?) and then programme it to ring/text/message another phone if it moves?

The gps signal works fine inside the boat with (usually) the iPad on charge by the bunk, so the alarm will wake me. If I'm at all worried about leaving the boat whilst at anchor, then I'll set it up to send me an email alert if anything goes wrong.

 

[wazza]

Personally I sleep like a baby, no probs... a little disconcerting the first anchoring of the season and if it suddenly blows up from another direction. BUT for me it's my anchordrag alarm that gives me comfort knowing if we drag it'll go off. Obviously I'm more concerned about others dragging on to me but there's nothing I can do about that...

 

[KellysEye]

>i just can't do it without constantly worrying about dragging anchors, overnight anchorages make me restless and i never get any sleep, How to you all do it?

If you want to stop worrying use the right amount of chain ratio for the depth. 10 metres is ten times depth, 15 is 8 times, 20 is six times, 30 is three times. What you are aiming for is that the cantenary holds the boat and the anchor is the backup. Put out half of that and motor slowly back to set the anchor then let the rest out. That's what I did when we were away for six and a half years, I lost count of the number of times we anchored.

 

[Neeves]

Kelly,

It would provide interesting data but I suspect most people have a finite and limited amount of chain and would be unable to follow your advise. I also suspect some chain lockers might not hold the amount of chain needed to meet your recommendations. You also need to consider there may not be room, for a whole variety of reasons, to deploy the lengths of chain suggested - which would put you well over the worry threshold.

 

[GHA]

>i just can't do it without constantly worrying about dragging anchors, overnight anchorages make me restless and i never get any sleep, How to you all do it?

If you want to stop worrying use the right amount of chain ratio for the depth. 10 metres is ten times depth, 15 is 8 times, 20 is six times, 30 is three times. What you are aiming for is that the cantenary holds the boat and the anchor is the backup. Put out half of that and motor slowly back to set the anchor then let the rest out. That's what I did when we were away for six and a half years, I lost count of the number of times we anchored.

You must have been scowled at in every anchorage then with that amount of chain out. .

Where on earth did you get those figures from?
"is that the cantenary holds the boat and the anchor is the backup." is meaningless, catenary is the description of the curve, it needs a force to come from somewhere to create that curve.

 

[RupertW]

You must have been scowled at in every anchorage then with that amount of chain out. .

Where on earth did you get those figures from?
"is that the cantenary holds the boat and the anchor is the backup." is meaningless, catenary is the description of the curve, it needs a force to come from somewhere to create that curve.

+1

There is special level of tosh and inexperience of firm holding in crowded anchorages in a blow.

Have a really good look at anchors under strain above 15-20 knots and you'll see how scope not catenary defines the angle of pull on the anchor, and how small a scope will hold a well set anchor at a decent angle. Damping snatching and veering matter much more for reassurance and sleeping.