Best method to determine position at night to check for anchor drag?

[Bouba]

I use an enlarged prostate....every time I get up for a pee, I have a quick check out the window to (hopefully) see familiar landmarks

 

[Supertramp]

Some more chain would ptobably be good, especially in deeper water.

I regularly anchor singlehanded and find an anchor alarm helps sleep. I started with Anchor Pro but it didn't get on very well with my phone or tablet with GPS signal lost alarms. I now use the anchor function on my AIS which works really well, is easy to adjust anchor position and scope and shows the swinging history.

A plotter should do this, maybe not as simply. Agree about staying aware of tide changes and especially unexpected wind shifts. If there is any concern, I leave winch, engine clothes all ready to go within minutes. And I always leave a note of the safe bearing to exit.

One final obvious thought is that I sleep best with an offshore wind and plenty of space to leeward.

Go do it - nothing beats finding a safe, calm spot for a rest on passage.

 

[LadyInBed]

but just in case my phone dies overnight

Spend a couple of quid and fit a usb charge point

 

[michael_w]

I've spent more nights at anchor than I care to remember. Set the anchor properly i.e. don't tow the thing with your engine at full throttle in reverse as it'll just plough up the seabed. With a bit of experience you'll know when its set.
Anchor alarms? My father never bothered, SWMBO sets the GPS on the likely range at low water plus a bit. I still sleep soundly.

 

[capnsensible]

How do scottish shepherds know how many sheep they have in their flock? They count the feet and divide by 4.

You could count their noses and divide by 1.

 

[capnsensible]

Spend a couple of quid and fit a usb charge point

What if you have chartered a boat rather than owning one?

 

[Graham376]

I've wired a 90db piezo sounder with latching relay to our old Garmin 152 alarm output, continues sounding until cancel button is pressed. Set as soon as anchor hits the bottom, to around 0.03nm to allow for tide reversal.

 

[RupertW]

Just being awkward and pedantic but I thought the maritime terminology was Astern . Road vehicles go in Reverse. View attachment 144000

Engines go in reverse. My boat certainly doesn’t go astern except if the seabed is unreliable.

 

[RupertW]

What if you have chartered a boat rather than owning one?

Hopefully you have a USB power bank with you - I tend to on most holidays.

 

[ryanroberts]

It is handily loud. After a fun night screwing up my tidal gate round Portland Bill I ..anchored poorly, for some reason not just dumping 40 meters out. Woke up about 100m out of position heading towards the harbour wall despite being knackered and quite good at sleeping though things.

Last time I dragged was up the top of newtown creek - had been in solid for 4 days, but weed had been accumulating on my beaching legs and anchor chain and I think that's what did for me. Always learning by screwing up, I had relaxed after a few days of not moving.

 

[smithy]

I never used to sleep properly until I started using Anchor pro. I keep the phone plugged in to a USB point above my bunk, it would wake the dead if it goes off. If I do wake up a quick glance at the plot and it gives reassurance. It's no substitute for setting the anchor properly, if it won't take full astern I dont park there.

 

[LadyInBed]

What if you have chartered a boat rather than owning one?

Attach croc clips to the cable ?

 

[Graham376]

Attach croc clips to the cable ?

One of these with a usb plug-in connector will work fine - 12V Cigar Lighter Socket With Crocodile Clips | 12 Volt Planet

 

[zoidberg]

Transits. Easy peas, no batteries required.

Do a sketch on paper. Put this on the chart table or similar.
Draw in the transits A: Fore/aft B: Abeam.... repeat if several options are offered.
Print on the preplanned 'Safe Route Out' if needed in dark/poor visibility.
Have a working headtorch handy.

 

[alan_d]

Engines go in reverse. My boat certainly doesn’t go astern except if the seabed is unreliable.

I think you will find that whenever the engine is running it tuirns in the same direction ....

 

[DangerousPirate]

Attach croc clips to the cable ?

Well, I do have usb plugs (all wired up to the battery via the safe "twiddle twice around the bare battery poles" )

Just meant in case. Once my battery drained faster than it was charging, dunno what happened there and it only happened once and never again since.

Btw what was that comment about "properly anchoring without towing the rhung at full throttle reverse"? I thought that's how you do it? Drop anchor, lay out chain, build speed ubtil full throttle and see if it holds?

 

[Daydream believer]

Have a working headtorch handy.

Perhaps if SH, but work of the devil if one has a crew

 

[Daydream believer]

I've spent more nights at anchor than I care to remember. Set the anchor properly i.e. don't tow the thing with your engine at full throttle in reverse as it'll just plough up the seabed.

I only anchor in extreme emergency- circa 5 times inthe last 30 years- so I admit this question is a bit academic. But as I do not know the answer, perhaps someone can explain please.
It seems that from the above, one lobs the anchor over, with loads of chain, then goes in reverse for a bit to set it.
Then apparently, from this thread, goes to kip & wakes up every so often, because they are worried about it dragging.
But aside from that, what happens when the tide turns? Surely the anchor breaks out. Do you all get up & do the reverse engine bit again. Because, if one now relies on it setting itself, then what was the purpose of the engine reversing in the first place?

 

[awol]

But aside from that, what happens when the tide turns? Surely the anchor breaks out. Do you all get up & do the reverse engine bit again. Because, if one now relies on it setting itself, then what was the purpose of the engine reversing in the first place?

The knack is to only anchor where tidal streams are weak and the wind, with more effect than the tide, is offshore, ideally with a couple of thousand miles to the next landfall.

 

[Alex_Blackwood]

Engines go in reverse. My boat certainly doesn’t go astern except if the seabed is unreliable.

Vessels go astern! That is the correct terminology for manoeuvring a vessel at sea. Ahead and Astern. 40 years abaft the mast tells me so!