Best direction to lay an anchor?

[Nostrodamus]

You go into a pretty crowded anchorage where all the boats are tending to fall in one direction due to the wind at that time.

The forecast you have leads you to believe the wind will rise during the night from the opposite direction and will blow quiet hard for a couple of hours before settling down.

Which is the best direction to set an anchor in? For winds now, for the wind later or for any possible tide?

I know it is pretty general but in essence I am asking do you try and set your anchor in a direction where it will give the best holding in the conditions during the night even though initially you are going against the flow and may find it harder to dig it in or do you go with what you see at the time so you can fall back with the wind and really dig the anchor in?

 

[Tomahawk]

I think this one comes down to the age old debate about what is the best anchor...For what you are describing you want one that will reset itself after a change in direction.

 

[TSB240]

I have come across this problem a few times this year not only with a change of wind direction of up to 180 degrees but also with a tidal rode anchorage witha similar directional change.
I have always ended up mooring fore and aft in a confined anchorage.I usually drop a stern anchor with a few meters of chain and adopt the same orientation as others.

I have a long warp on the stern anchor so that i am able to drop the bow and fall back with sufficient rode on each for the depth.Dig the bow in with a burst astern and bed the stern anchor in using a winch.

The only disadvantage of this is it usually means you end up with wind and weather blowing into the cabin the next morning.
If staying I just swap bow to stern and stern to bow.
On some occasions I have even adapted this to moving stern warp only to join bow anchor to maintain a 90 degree position.

Sounds complicated but is workable

 

[Nostrodamus]

I have come across this problem a few times this year not only with a change of wind direction of up to 180 degrees but also with a tidal rode anchorage witha similar directional change.
I have always ended up mooring fore and aft in a confined anchorage.I usually drop a stern anchor with a few meters of chain and adopt the same orientation as others.

I have a long warp on the stern anchor so that i am able to drop the bow and fall back with sufficient rode on each for the depth.Dig the bow in with a burst astern and bed the stern anchor in using a winch.

The only disadvantage of this is it usually means you end up with wind and weather blowing into the cabin the next morning.
If staying I just swap bow to stern and stern to bow.
On some occasions I have even adapted this to moving stern warp only to join bow anchor to maintain a 90 degree position.

Sounds complicated but is workable

In a crowded anchorage are you not worried by all the other boats swinging when you are not?

 

[jordanbasset]

In a crowded anchorage are you not worried by all the other boats swinging when you are not?

You are right, also because it is a crowded anchorage chances are you will only be able to lay your anchor in the same direction other boats are facing when you arrive.

 

[onesea]

I think this one comes down to the age old debate about what is the best anchor...For what you are describing you want one that will reset itself after a change in direction.

+1 Except we all hope our anchor will reset, just some are better than others, personally given the circumstances I would recommend a .

Lying to two anchors would be amongst my last choices, because of swinging etc.

I would go and lie with the other boats, and trust anchor to reset..

 

[Nostrodamus]

I know it is difficult to not mention the best anchor but forgetting about what type of anchor you have I am just trying to find the best way or direction to try and lay it in.
We have been in so many anchorage where when you first go in all the boats are falling one way but you know due to wind or tide this will all change during the night when you are asleep.

 

[noelex]

In a crowded anchorage you need to set our anchor in the same direction as the other boats. If the wind is light this may not be be the direction the wind is currently blowing.
The aim is to drop your anchor, in between, and as far away from the other anchors as possible.
The relationship of each of the boats anchors is more important, usually, than the relative positions of the boats, unless the wind is remaining very light.

In an uncrowded anchorage it's worth setting the anchor for the new wind/ tide direction if the new conditions are likely to be strong.
There are some difficulties doing this, however. As you set your anchor you will have no rudder control which means while setting the boat will be moving sideways ( unless the wind and prop walk happen to cancel out) this means as the anchor is setting the direction of pull is changing. This upsets a lot of anchors and they don't set, or set poorly.

It's worth knowing what wind speed will cause the anchor to rotate. For my anchor with an average set it will start rotating at about 30k (mine is a large anchor, most will do this about 20K). So if the wind is less than 30k my anchor will stay facing the direction it was originally set at.

 

[boaterbaz]

I have found the best direction to lay an anchor is towards the seabed

 

[Nostrodamus]

In a crowded anchorage you need to set our anchor in the same direction as the other boats. If the wind is light this may not be be the direction the wind is currently blowing.
The aim is to drop your anchor, in between, and as far away from the other anchors as possible.
The relationship of each of the boats anchors is more important, usually, than the relative positions of the boats, unless the wind is remaining very light.

In an uncrowded anchorage it's worth setting the anchor for the new wind/ tide direction if the new conditions are likely to be strong.
There are some difficulties doing this, however. As you set your anchor you will have no rudder control which means while setting the boat will be moving sideways ( unless the wind and prop walk happen to cancel out) this means as the anchor is setting the direction of pull is changing. This upsets a lot of anchors and they don't set, or set poorly.

It's worth knowing what wind speed will cause the anchor to rotate. For my anchor with an average set it will start rotating at about 30k (mine is a large anchor, most will do this about 20K). So if the wind is less than 30k my anchor will stay facing the direction it was originally set at.

Nolex,
You describe it well, especially the problems of trying to set an anchor for expected conditions rather than current ones. It is also fun watching the faces of those already anchored as you try and set the anchor reversing in a completely different direction to the way they are facing.

 

[Conachair]

Drop it with plenty of room and go to bed

But then I have an anchor that works.

 

[BeBe]

anchor

You go into a pretty crowded anchorage where all the boats are tending to fall in one direction due to the wind at that time.

The forecast you have leads you to believe the wind will rise during the night from the opposite direction and will blow quiet hard for a couple of hours before settling down.

Which is the best direction to set an anchor in? For winds now, for the wind later or for any possible tide?

I know it is pretty general but in essence I am asking do you try and set your anchor in a direction where it will give the best holding in the conditions during the night even though initially you are going against the flow and may find it harder to dig it in or do you go with what you see at the time so you can fall back with the wind and really dig the anchor in?

Simple...Anchor as though the wind is not going to change. When the wind changes 180 degrees or 90 degrees all of the boats will turn on their anchors and assume approximately the same relative positions except the guy with the stern anchor and the other guy with no scope because he is on a mooring....be sure to never anchor near a stern anchored boat or a boat on a mooring unless you also set a stern anchor.

The only shortcoming to the above is if in the mix of boats anchored there is some fool anchored with a short scope. If you get a chance sink him because sooner or later he will cause someone greif.

Bill

 

[TSB240]

Rocna users selfish swingers?

In a crowded anchorage are you not worried by all the other boats swinging when you are not?

Crowded anchorages

Not found one up around North Wales yet. But dont tell too many people that.

I have the advantage here in that my Draft can be reduced from 1.7 to 0.5M at very short notice so I dont get many swingers near me.

I thought using fore and aft anchoring would be encouraged in crowded anchorages. Allows more people to use a nice confined or shelterred spot. I know the well organised local clubs encourage this in the popular spots or if they get a larger turnout than usual.

I use two CQRs (2 be sure 2 be sure well it is the Irish Sea!

So all these Rocna users are selfish barstewards who cant be bothered to minimise there swing because they rely on its ability to reset...



light Blue Touch paper and retire.....




Steve

 

[noelex]

I thought using fore and aft anchoring would be encouraged in crowded anchorages. Allows more people to use a nice confined or shelterred spot. I know the well organised local clubs encourage this in the popular spots or if they get a larger turnout than usual.

The main thing is to be anchored the same as everyone else.
If you are anchoring fore and aft where the other boats are swinging on a single anchor you will be generally taking up a lot room and a lot of other boats will be cursing you.

 

[Dockhead]

In a crowded anchorage you need to set our anchor in the same direction as the other boats. If the wind is light this may not be be the direction the wind is currently blowing.
The aim is to drop your anchor, in between, and as far away from the other anchors as possible.
The relationship of each of the boats anchors is more important, usually, than the relative positions of the boats, unless the wind is remaining very light.

In an uncrowded anchorage it's worth setting the anchor for the new wind/ tide direction if the new conditions are likely to be strong.
There are some difficulties doing this, however. As you set your anchor you will have no rudder control which means while setting the boat will be moving sideways ( unless the wind and prop walk happen to cancel out) this means as the anchor is setting the direction of pull is changing. This upsets a lot of anchors and they don't set, or set poorly.

It's worth knowing what wind speed will cause the anchor to rotate. For my anchor with an average set it will start rotating at about 30k (mine is a large anchor, most will do this about 20K). So if the wind is less than 30k my anchor will stay facing the direction it was originally set at.

Right. It's important to visualize all the anchors on the seabed, and how the boats in the anchorage are lying to them, and what their swinging circles will be. Generally an anchor will be 4 - 5 times the greatest depth distance ahead of each boat. When the tide changes (and/or wind shifts), all the boats will swing around, generally the same way (which is why there are surprisingly few bumps in crowded anchorages). You want your swinging circle to be similar to other boats to minimize interference, so you don't want a lot more or a lot less than other boats, and for God's sake you don't want to be anchored fore and aft in an anchorage where other boats are swinging around.

You want your anchor to be as far away from other anchors as possible -- that's why it's essential to visualize where the other boats' anchors are. A good spot to drop your anchor is often somewhere off the stern of another boat, if possible offset to one side. If you have similar scope to his, you can theoretically drop your anchor right at the stern of another boat, and you will swing harmoniously without ever getting even close to each other, but that's theoretically -- it's better to leave some space if possible.

When you decide on the spot to drop your anchor, imagine your swinging circle -- you will fall back 4 to 5 times the maximum depth, and that's where you should lie to begin with. So to put it another way -- you choose your spot to drop the anchor by choosing the spot where you want your boat to be, and then from there you motor into the wind or tide (whichever is strong enough to swing your boat) a distance equal to 4 to 5 times the maximum depth, and drop your anchor there. But when you do that, you should also make sure that there are no other obstructions in your swinging circle.

 

[Searush]

Crowded anchorages

Not found one up around North Wales yet. But dont tell too many people that.

I have the advantage here in that my Draft can be reduced from 1.7 to 0.5M at very short notice so I dont get many swingers near me.

I thought using fore and aft anchoring would be encouraged in crowded anchorages. Allows more people to use a nice confined or shelterred spot. I know the well organised local clubs encourage this in the popular spots or if they get a larger turnout than usual.

I use two CQRs (2 be sure 2 be sure well it is the Irish Sea!

So all these Rocna users are selfish barstewards who cant be bothered to minimise there swing because they rely on its ability to reset...

light Blue Touch paper and retire.....

Steve

Aber Menai on a Bank Holiday? I have seen over 30 boats in there.

But tides can cause dreadful problems if anchored fore & aft in a drying anchorage.

Back to OP; just lay the anchor like everyone else when you arrive & swing with them. That's why everone (well, OK the sensible ones do anyway) leaves swinging room when they anchor.

In most cases, because of the 10m tides where I sail I have to have plenty of scope out & very often, even after a few days at anchor the anchor will just be dug in where it was first laid & there will be scours in the sand where the boat has turned but the chain on the sea bed has been enough to hold her without even putting any pull on the anchor. With a suitable amount of chain, the anchor will not need to reset.

Some time back, HLB got some stick for saying that a good length of chain laid on the seabed will hold a boat even without an anchor on the end of it. He was quite correct for many sheltered situations. But I don't suppose any one will believe me either!

 

[Zagato]

I don't know but you may have to bear in mind that swinging circles maybe upset if you had a long keel near a catamaran or a bilge keel with dodgers that say if you can read this then you are to bloody close

Oh and If the dodgers say Searush you can always lob your rubbish in, he won't mind!

 

[TSB240]

The main thing is to be anchored the same as everyone else.

If you are anchoring fore and aft where the other boats are swinging on a single anchor you will be generally taking up a lot room and a lot of other boats will be cursing you.

Last weekend had company of two swingers in a small cove. I arrived lunchtime after being overtaken in a last 1/4 mile dash. and took up a parrallel orientation.

No problem until wind change a few hours later and both of them had to reposition as they swung towards rocks that were covered when they arrived.

Neither would have had to move if they had put a stern line out.

Ok if they had swung towards me I would have had the option of either slackening my stern line, moving off, or showing them the benefits of using a stern line by offering to lay their kedge for them

Using a stern line you" reserve "considerably less room in an anchorage. In fact if all of us had put stern lines out it would have been feasible to get another boat or two into the cove and there would have been no need for any to reposition due to wind or tidal rode.

IMHO Stern lines are essential when you get erratic swinging of two unmatched boats .
Our boat is terrible for veering around as it has a very deep low profile keel and bulb.

Its even worse if it is raised but there are not many other boats that anchor in 0.5m water

 

[mikeinkwazi]

Aber Menai on a Bank Holiday? I have seen over 30 boats in there.

But tides can cause dreadful problems if anchored fore & aft in a drying anchorage.

Back to OP; just lay the anchor like everyone else when you arrive & swing with them. That's why everone (well, OK the sensible ones do anyway) leaves swinging room when they anchor.

In most cases, because of the 10m tides where I sail I have to have plenty of scope out & very often, even after a few days at anchor the anchor will just be dug in where it was first laid & there will be scours in the sand where the boat has turned but the chain on the sea bed has been enough to hold her without even putting any pull on the anchor. With a suitable amount of chain, the anchor will not need to reset.

Some time back, HLB got some stick for saying that a good length of chain laid on the seabed will hold a boat even without an anchor on the end of it. He was quite correct for many sheltered situations. But I don't suppose any one will believe me either!

I do!

 

[RupertW]

Last weekend had company of two swingers in a small cove. I arrived lunchtime after being overtaken in a last 1/4 mile dash. and took up a parrallel orientation.

No problem until wind change a few hours later and both of them had to reposition as they swung towards rocks that were covered when they arrived.

Neither would have had to move if they had put a stern line out.

Ok if they had swung towards me I would have had the option of either slackening my stern line, moving off, or showing them the benefits of using a stern line by offering to lay their kedge for them

Using a stern line you" reserve "considerably less room in an anchorage. In fact if all of us had put stern lines out it would have been feasible to get another boat or two into the cove and there would have been no need for any to reposition due to wind or tidal rode.

IMHO Stern lines are essential when you get erratic swinging of two unmatched boats .
Our boat is terrible for veering around as it has a very deep low profile keel and bulb.

Its even worse if it is raised but there are not many other boats that anchor in 0.5m water

The key thing is to be the same as the other boats. I can't imagine anything more likely to cause a collision than one boat choosing to anchor fore and aft whilst others anchor in the same space, but conventionally.

A common tactic where we sail is for some yachts to lie to one anchor in the middle of the bay whilst others hug the shoreline by anchoring with bows towards the middle and tie stern to trees or rocks. That way you can fit in a lot of fore and aft moored boats who won't swing, but have their bows held clear of the swinging circles of the single anchor boats.

The OP question baffles me though. If you try to lay your anchor chain out at right angles to others then the wind/tide will just bring you down onto the bows of the anchored boats. They aren't lying that way just because they chose to lay their chains out, it's because that the direction the wind and tide has made them drift down from their anchors. The same forces will do the same to you.

The worst thing will be if conditions are light when you arrive and you hover above the end of your chain, wind gets up and you suddenly find yourself coming down on all the others. By being in parallel to them already, you swing together. Doesn't stop clashes but makes them far less likely.