anchoring

[Peter]

As a newcomer with a practical day skipper course under by belt. I would like some comments/clarification on anchoring. From a number of articles in PBO and others the suggested method is. Decide scope, drop anchor to bottom then let yacht back down to lay out desired scope. then snub anchor, apply more power to dig in, then check for dragging against transits. From my day skipper course plus a few comments from other yachties have slight variation on the described method. That is as cable is been laid out the cable should be snubbed a “couple “ of times during the laying out part of the operation to start digging in the anchor.
My question is, are both methods correct, is one method better than the other?

 

[Guest]

both are correct, done properly

be sure that you have paid out enough anchor chain/warp before bedding the anchor (else it will pull upwards and not allow the anchor to bed in)
further stretching helps lay the chain/warp and bed part of the chain into soft sea beds. So it dos not over lay itself and come back up in a tangled knot - best to keep the boat reversing slowly whilst paying out, to lay the chain/warp in a line.

 

[Guest]

Burl the anchor out, followed by a sh%$load of rope. if you haven't moved much after the first six beers then you should be right.

 

[oldsaltoz]

Hi Peter and welcome to the world of boating.
The method described in your post is correct, however, I would add the following, don’t be in a hurry to drop the pick, stop the boat and check the direction of drift; keep a little tension on the line as you run it out, this ensures no tangles and a reasonably straight lay.

Old Salt Oz

 

[Guest]

Hi Peter, you are getting almost entirely good advice! The trick is to judge where the boat will lie when the cable has been laid out and snubbed, and that determines where you drop the anchor. If you try to snub with too little cable out you will drag the anchor and end up further down wind or tide than you had estimated when choosing where to drop the hook. On the other hand, keeping some tension on the cable, or giving a few mini-snubs as it runs out, will ensure the cable runs out straight.

 

[duncan]

I would add one further observation based around the practicalities resulting from 'busy periods'. With smaller planning boats where the anchor is likely to be on the light side, and the chain as well, it is often necessary to let out a lot of line in order to achieve the desired effect of digging in the anchor with a near horizontal pull. You can then safely take in a fair amount of line to lie against a well dug in anchor rather than simply the (insufficent) weight on the end, and will have a similar lenght out to the yacht next to you that has a 25kg plough and all 8mm chain for his 28ft!
I hasten to state the obvious but this is not recommended where the boat is to be left or there is much tidal movement - more the Cawsand / Studland Bay type of day.