Anchoring single handed

[LeonF]

I am the proud owner of a Sigma 33 that I would like to sail single handed as I did my previous boat a Fantasie 19. I can envisage my way round a fair number of situations, and have been practising picking up my swinging mooring alone (on the tidal Thames) Are any of you out there regular single handed anchorers and what techniques do you use ? The boat has an excellent st4000 autohelm. Have any of you tried hoving to with the genoa backed and dropping the hook? Thanks, Leon

L.A.R.Ferguson

 

[charles_reed]

I usually sail singlehanded and frequently anchor.

What I usually do is to sail or motor the boat to within 30m of the chosen spot, park the helm amidships, note the depth and go forward to lower the anchor to the water surface.
As soon as the forward movement of the boat ceases, as seen by the schlieren round the anchor, I pay out the depth smartly and then, as the boat tracks downwind, the full scope.
As soon as she settles head-to-wind, I put on a little reverse to dig in the anchor.

 

[david_bagshaw]

It is not dropping the anchor that is the problem , but choosing a spot that has enough drifting room while getting up the anch the next day allowing for the conditions to have changed for the worst.



David psTake a look at www.yachtman.co.uk

 

[graham]

My boat is only 22foot but I have never had any success with backing the genoa prior to anchoring or picking up a mooring etc.This tends to pull the bow too far around off the wind and you go charging about the anchorage.

With a roller genoa my method is to roll up the genoa then round up into the wind/tide let the mainsheet loose,with all way off lower the anchor and let her drop back .Once happy your not dragging lower the main and put the kettle on.

With a hanked on genoa either let the sheets fly as you round up or better still drop the genoa then round up.

When weighing the anchor take great care not to get mud on the sail; It doesnt clean off easily.

Much depends on how much searoom you have to anchor in.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Let it go from the cockpit

There's a common misconception that an anchor has to be let go from up forward, which is a long way from the tiller/wheel and sheets/engine controls.

However there no law that says you can't drop the anchor from the cockpit. Just bring it and the requisite amount of chain/warp back from the stemhead outside of everything. Leave the bitter end of the chain made off through the puplit to the foredeck cleat.

Most anchors will happily hang short-term by the flukes from the pushpit, and if the chain to be laid is stored in a builder's bucket also hanging from the pushpit you have a good system.

You can drive/steer to your heart's content until the cockpit is in the spot where you want the bow to be. Then chuck out the anchor and let the boat drift back down wind (or use tickover in reverse) while the chain follows it. When the chain in the bucket is all gone either you can walk the chain forward to the stem head (things are generally quieter by then) or just let it happen naturally which it it will if you've laid the chain outside the guard trails but inside the deck edge.

It's not so easy to lift an anchor this way, as it tends to pull the stern up into the wind or tide, which may not be what you want, and it also exposes the rudder to xx lbs of heavy metal. You can do it in light airs and slack tides, but usually its a foredeck recovery.

 

[LeonF]

Many thanks for all the advice, especially charles and Ken. I shall give it a try in the next couple of weeks.

L.A.R.Ferguson