Anchoring procedure

[dom]

What better way to see 2016 out than with a flourish of new anchor threads like this :encouragement:

....and remember, forget your anchor balls and the Colregs mob will swallow your boat up!

 

[KINGFISHER 9]

It's funny, isn't it, how the recommended length of chain has increased steadily as the holding power of anchors has supposedly improved?

I had the same thought ... when I were a lad I'm sure everyone recommended 3 x depth ... maybe they use floating chain these days! ...

 

[smert]

Thanks for all the useful advice!

I guess we just need to practice more.

Tell you what - invest in a bit of training with someone who knows what they are doing rather than give everyone the opportunity to regurgitate what is now very old hat.
Sorry if that sounds rather harsh and unfriendly but the search facility on these forums will certainly dig up every post there has ever been - and there are hundreds - on anchoring.

You know what, there are hundreds of post on here about anchoring, but they all descend very quickly into arguments about which type of anchor or how much rode or whatever, and there is very little about the actual practicalities of using the things. Which is why I tried to steer the thread from the beginning. Sorry if you have been inconvenienced into having to read yet another thread about anchoring. The topic title may have given the subject away and allowed you to avoid it.

As for investing in some training... yup, got some booked for later in the year, but I was looking for some info now.

 

[KINGFISHER 9]

Oh dear .......... Happy New Year! ... :encouragement:

 

[Ross f]

Sadly Smert this is often the case with forums. A polite straightforward question ends up somehow causing an argument further down the line. It can be amusing for a while then usually becomes irritating. Please do not be put off asking questions it is always good to hear from people new to sailing and reminds some of us we were not born with what knowledge we have managed to collect . We are lucky that people with the experience of Straightshooter take the time to share their knowledge. Happy New Year to all.

 

[JumbleDuck]

We have a sailing boat.
Right, so you reckon that 2500rpm gives you the equivalent pull of a F6-7. So what happens when it freshens up?

I presume that the diggers-in make sure that at every change of tide they start the engine and dig in a again in the new direction.

If you intend to stay a while, then a nylon rope, about the length of the boat, from anchor chain just over the bow to a stern cleat gives a bit of spring.

I think the need for a spring depends very much on the type of hull. I have a long keel with a curved stem and have never had the slightest suggestion of a snatch through the chain, probably because tension on the chain pulls the bow down and progressive immersion due to the curve provides a springing effect. I can imagine that it might be very different in a lighter boat with a vertical stem.

I had the same thought ... when I were a lad I'm sure everyone recommended 3 x depth ... maybe they use floating chain these days! ...

Three times still works for me under normal conditions, though I increase it if I expect a lot of wind. The trouble with lobbing out huge amounts of chain for untrusted wonder-anchors is that it reduces the number of boats which can fit into an anchorage.

 

[Poignard]

I presume that the diggers-in make sure that at every change of tide they start the engine and dig in a again in the new direction. (...)

Surely you have often been woken in the middle of the night at slack water by the roar of dozens of engines as anxious yacht skippers go full astern to reset their anchors?

 

[JumbleDuck]

Surely you have often been woken in the middle of the night at slack water by the roar of dozens of engines as anxious yacht skippers go full astern to reset their anchors?

No, but probably just because I trust my anchor enough to sleep well ...

 

[john_morris_uk]

It's funny, isn't it, how the recommended length of chain has increased steadily as the holding power of anchors has supposedly improved?

Fair criticism.

Again, I was trying to keep it simple. I agree that 3 x depth for chain is perfectly adequate most of the time.

There's a whole separate discussion to be had about swinging circles and scope vs selfish use of available anchoring space. I was just trying to encourage the OP to get the anchor set successfully for the first time.

Perhaps the greater scopes used or recommended are because a) chains no good in the locker. b) electric windasses make recovery very easy.

 

[john_morris_uk]

No, but probably just because I trust my anchor enough to sleep well ...

I agree. I invariably sleep straight through if all is calm. Sometimes I wake when the tide turns and I stick my head out of the hatch, but 30 seconds later I'm asleep again.

 

[Tranona]

Fair criticism.

Again, I was trying to keep it simple. I agree that 3 x depth for chain is perfectly adequate most of the time.

There's a whole separate discussion to be had about swinging circles and scope vs selfish use of available anchoring space. I was just trying to encourage the OP to get the anchor set successfully for the first time.

Perhaps the greater scopes used or recommended are because a) chains no good in the locker. b) electric windasses make recovery very easy.

Just right.

The OP has confirmed that he was not asking for a discussion on anchoring but a simple question about the basics of getting the anchor down. Nearly a page of answers, mostly the same before the drift started!

 

[NormanS]

I've recently discovered how to anchor under sail alone and now approach downwind/tide with a measured length of rode prepared and made off. Drop the anchor at the desired spot and let the rode run free. Your 'way' will set the hook.

Ah, but you've got a SAILING boat. Good, well done. However, just to please those aghast at such behaviour, I will admit that there are some anchorages into which I will not try to sail.

 

[DanTribe]

for 30 odd years I owned boats with either no engine, or even worse, non reversing Stuart Turners so I NEVER motored the anchor home. How on Earth did I survive. I can't recall the anchor dragging as a result.
One thing which doesn't seem to have been mentioned is setting the tiller to give a sheer, this settles the boat nicely. Perhaps it's too obvious to mention?

 

[Tranona]

Ah, but you've got a SAILING boat. Good, well done. However, just to please those aghast at such behaviour, I will admit that there are some anchorages into which I will not try to sail.

Not relevant to the question, neither is there anything superior about dropping the anchor under sail, particularly in the congested anchorages most of us use. The objective is to get the anchor down securely and safely and that is best done under motor. not that it can't be done under sail, but most never get the opportunity.

 

[laika]

I'm not sure that the question has yet been answered. Where the OP came in Mrs. Smert was helming, 2 miles out. Then magically everyone is letting go over the anchor spot. Nobody has mentioned taking the bow roller pin out or stowing the sails so I'm guessing everyone is powering away in reverse (on various revs) with the sails still up and the anchor still attached to the bow roller despite everyone thinking it has dropped.

Smert: Is it fair to assume you've got an engine and don't mind using it when anchoring, do you have a windlass, is it electric/manual, does it have a clutch you can disengage and is your chain marked?

 

[NormanS]

Not relevant to the question, neither is there anything superior about dropping the anchor under sail, particularly in the congested anchorages most of us use. The objective is to get the anchor down securely and safely and that is best done under motor. not that it can't be done under sail, but most never get the opportunity.

The OP hasn't stated whether he has an engine or not.

I have never suggested that there is anything "superior" about anchoring under sail, but you should be aware that until only a few decades ago, it was the only way.

My commiserations to you and others, whose anchorages are so congested.

 

[Minchsailor]

My commiserations to you and others, whose anchorages are so congested.

+1.

I have been (re) reading Arthur Ransome's 'Racundra' of sailing a heavy 30ft yacht in the Baltic in the 1920s with an engine so dodgy they never used it. He did EVERYTHING under sail.

 

[C08]

Just to add about digging in the anchor under power and why it is important to do this straight away as soon as the anchor is down. If the anchor is not dug in and drags it is then liable to pick up weed to the extent that whatever engine power you then apply it may never dig in as it can be fouled with a bundle of weed under the fluke.

 

[laika]

Even Solent sailors get to anchor under sail sometimes if they want to: Osbourne bay and Studland have loads of room. However given that the RYA deem this an advanced topic not taught/examined at dayskipper level and Smert is a self-described novice looking for the basic procedure for safe anchoring, presumably focusing on motor is most appropriate if the boat has one?

 

[Tranona]

The OP hasn't stated whether he has an engine or not.

I have never suggested that there is anything "superior" about anchoring under sail, but you should be aware that until only a few decades ago, it was the only way.

My commiserations to you and others, whose anchorages are so congested.

Then why did you make a point about it, including putting SAILING boat in capitals - or did your fingers just get stuck?

I too come from an age of anchoring under sail - you have to learn it quickly when you have a Stuart Turner! I also remember the excitement of dealing with it when the anchor did not set properly.

Years of anchoring in Greek waters made me glad I have a good anchor, lots of free running chain, a windlass and a powerful engine. Now all done on my own from the comfort of the cockpit and pretty much 100% success.