breaking out anchor under sail

[Babylon]

Actually, having re-read the original post, I'd now suggest that the most seamanlike method would be to forget about sailing off the anchor but practice using the engine to slowly motor forward (into wind and/or tide whichever is the dominant force on each occasion) towards the anchor, then kill the throttle before you get there and slowly fall back. With practice you'll be able to judge just when to engage neutral - which will give you the confidence to then amble forward to recover as much chain as you can manage, before doing it again. Eventually the anchor will be straight-up-and-down and will break out of its own accord, following which you can recover a bit more before motoring out into deeper water to bring up the rest.

 

[[163233]]

Am I a pessimist or does everyone go to worst case scenario when someone asks a question?

I dunno, single-handing entails a lot of plan B's, before I do anything I tend to think what I'll do if it's not working out.

Obviously that's mostly "figure something out", but the spirit is there.

 

[lw395]

Now that visiting French marinas may be off the radar, I may have to start anchoring my 30 ft boat. I have not anchored single handed for the last 10 years that I have owned this boat . I have only done it 3 times with a crew. I may have to just sail in UK waters & keep isolated. I am over 70 years. I do not have an anchor winch. I have 10 metres of 6mm chain plus 30 M of rope & a 15KG CQR ( I think that is the weight) . I do have 35 M of chain & another identical anchor at home, but I am not sure that I can haul it up on my own.
I sail single handed.
So I need tips for getting the anchor up by hand,
I want to have the sails up when I hoist the anchor, to avoid ropes around the prop, which I almost had when i attempted anchoring once.
How would others go about sailing off the anchor & how would they go about getting it up. I do not have the means to fit a winch.
I do have a chain hook & rope which I can hook to the chain & take back to the cockpit winch, which is something I have been considering once I get to the chain.
But I would still have 10 M of chain to get aboard plus the anchor to stow
I have an electric tiller autopilot
Thanks

Unless you're intending to go feral and anchor through gales, I'd suggest getting a cheap light anchor with 5m of 6mm chain. Plenty of rope and a weight/angle/whatyoucallit.
Do you have roller genoa?
IMHO this makes a huge difference to setting off.
I would suggest not being afraid of motoring gently forwards while pulling in the slack rode. If you reduce the chain to a few metres, you can pull in rope from the cockpit until the anchor's aweigh and potter to enough sea room to stow the anchor.
If there's a clear path to seaward, fine leave under sail, just set the main, sail to shorten the rode and luff up to haul it in.
But really you are pushing your luck with no crew, unworkable rode, heavy anchor and a refusal to use the engine. You will be lucky to find many decent anchorages with space to get away with this, and may come unstuck if someone quite reasonably decides to anchor in the same parish.

 

[guernseyman]

I think the OP is making a mountain out of a mole hill.

The initial task is to pull on the rode to move the boat forwards towards the anchor. At this stage he isn't trying to raise the anchor - it is firmly embedded.
When over the anchor, a pull will break it out using the leverage of the shank, and then there is only a short length of rode plus the anchor minus the benefit of Archimedes' Principle.

I do it all the time in a 31 footer, even against the strong tidal streams here in the Bay of St Malo.

 

[Pagetslady]

I dunno, single-handing entails a lot of plan B's, before I do anything I tend to think what I'll do if it's not working out.

Obviously that's mostly "figure something out", but the spirit is there.

That may be the problem, too much spirit JON?

 

[Kukri]

Here are Eric Hiscock’s instructions for sailing out an anchor. Pages 221 and 222 of “Cruising under Sail”. They work. I thought everybody knew how to do this, but it seems not.

 

[Kukri]

Here are Eric Hiscock’s instructions for sailing out an anchor. Pages 221 and 222 of “Cruising under Sail”. They work. I thought everybody knew how to do this, but it seems not.
View attachment 86528

 

[Poignard]

Here are Eric Hiscock’s instructions for sailing out an anchor. Pages 221 and 222 of “Cruising under Sail”. They work. I thought everybody knew how to do this, but it seems not.
View attachment 86528

I wouldn't like to be in a situation where I could not leave an anchorage without recourse to an engine; I would feel very vulnerable..

I think people should be encouraged to learn how to do it and not simply advised to use their engines.

 

[LittleSister]

My take on it (drafted before some of the recent posts, but I got distracted before posting):

• The anchor, if 15kg, is too big. (Maybe it's 15lbs, though?) It will set deeper and be easier to lift if smaller.
• Changing to all chain would (almost completely) eliminate the risk of getting the rode around the prop, and one is only ever lifting 1 depth's worth of chain (in this instance 6mm chain, it seems)at a time, not the whole lot. Getting the anchor up under engine is much less fraught most of the time, until you are well practised at doing it under sail. (Ideally get such practice in gradually increasingly challenging situations.)
• When hauling in an anchor rode, whether chain or rope, and especially when doing so manually, doing it slowly and steadily makes it much less work. Haul in until the rode is straight then wait a moment (you can use a chain stopper or take a half turn around a cleat if needed), the boat will begin to move forward (unless the wind or tide is very strong) and the chain will sag downwards. Pull in that slack and repeat. You don't want to be directly and continuously pulling the boat up to the anchor with straight rode, especially manually.
• Once the boat is over the anchor do not try to pull it up straight away, especially in mud, as it can be v hard work. Wait until the movement of the boat, up and down in the waves and sideways in the wind/tide, has released the anchor, and then you will just be lifting the anchor and a bit of chain, not trying to dig up the seabed at the same time.
• When sailing out the anchor, (generally) use one sail only (which one depending on wind and tide directions), and (usually) get the other up only once you are underway and have the anchor aboard.
• I doubt the OP will really be safer aboard than at home , e.g. what if he falls ill aboard (may already have been CV-19 infected before departing, even), but if that's what he wants to do, so be it. (I might even do similar myself!)

 

[Uricanejack]

Now that visiting French marinas may be off the radar, I may have to start anchoring my 30 ft boat. I have not anchored single handed for the last 10 years that I have owned this boat . I have only done it 3 times with a crew. I may have to just sail in UK waters & keep isolated. I am over 70 years. I do not have an anchor winch. I have 10 metres of 6mm chain plus 30 M of rope & a 15KG CQR ( I think that is the weight) . I do have 35 M of chain & another identical anchor at home, but I am not sure that I can haul it up on my own.
I sail single handed.
So I need tips for getting the anchor up by hand,
I want to have the sails up when I hoist the anchor, to avoid ropes around the prop, which I almost had when i attempted anchoring once.
How would others go about sailing off the anchor & how would they go about getting it up. I do not have the means to fit a winch.
I do have a chain hook & rope which I can hook to the chain & take back to the cockpit winch, which is something I have been considering once I get to the chain.
But I would still have 10 M of chain to get aboard plus the anchor to stow
I have an electric tiller autopilot
Thanks

My first question.
Do you have a motor? inboard? Or Outboard?
Purists May disagree.
If you are on your own, just my opinion. it’s a heck of a lot easier and less risk involved to anchor and weigh or rais the anchor under power.
Particularly if you are having to pull up by hand with no windlas.

I have a 35 ft old IOR type (C&C). No windlass just a 15 kg Bruce with about 5 m chain the rest rope.
I can and do pull it up myself.
My method.

check how anchor rode is leading, not usualy a problem but it can ”sail” around the anchor and the rode can get round the keel.
I've never had a problem. With this.
pull in the easy slack if any.
start engine, leave out of gear, ready to use,

I like to have main haliard attached and main sail ready to hoist, with sail cover off, JIK, sail ties on . Just my habit, other folks don’t.

when I start to feel the weight on the rode, I have three choices,
I can sit with my feet in the anchor locker and pull with my arms, this is getting harder. Ok if wind is light and no current.
I can stand and pull with my legs, rather than my back and arms, walking back down the deck like a tug of war team I can pull pretty good. Till I get the chain up to the roller,

breaking the bugger out, can be a bit difficult. Steady put ussualy does it, occasional I need to use motor.

if wind is strong or particularly if it is well dug into the mud.

i put the rope rode round my Genoa sheet winch, it’s slow but works well motor not required. Until I get the chain up.
then I just have to pull up the last bit of chain and the anchor.

if there is wind or current the boat will start to move as soon as the anchor is off the bottom , if it’s clear. I prefer not to put the motor into gear until I have sighted the anchor is clear,
sometimes you have to to stop drifting down on other vessels or hazards.

occasionally I have pulled up the rode to find I have caught something, old wires or chain, or even someone else’s anchor.

or you can fanny about with sails as well.

I often do just because, I like fannying about with sails.

I use much the same method.
Just, be aware, a sail will, fill with wind, if the sheet is not completely loose, and you may start sailing when you don’t want to in a direction you don’t intend to go.
particularly if your light weight boats bow has a tendency to blow off the wind and you find yourself going down wind with your main unable to go further out than the spreaders and filling with wind.

get the anchor up then hoist the sail if you are single handed.

 

[Refueler]

Am I a pessimist or does everyone go to worst case scenario when someone asks a question?

Problem is answering takes various forms and can make assumptions. I think many will (I know I do) assume that person asking may not be worlds expert but you also assume they have some knowledge to accomplish task.

I kept going back to OP's post - I have to be honest and I feel a bit concerned about the person doing as asked particularly in light of comment about not wanting to use engine for fear of ropes under the boat etc. In my mind - there's more chance of that from sail lines than from the rode itself.

I've sailed of from anchor in past ... TBH - don't usually think much about it .... but I would not choose it over using engine.

 

[Babylon]

Here are Eric Hiscock’s instructions for sailing out an anchor. Pages 221 and 222 of “Cruising under Sail”. They work. I thought everybody knew how to do this, but it seems not.

Fixed picture to ensure peeps don't get a crooked neck trying to do this with laptop in one hand and rode in the other...

 

[Kukri]

Fixed picture to ensure peeps don't get a crooked neck trying to do this with laptop in one hand and rode in the other...

Thank you. I could not see how to do that.

I’ve written the instructions out myself more than once but Hiscock is better, and saves typing! My first cruising boats had no engine, so marinas, where they existed, were out of the question!

 

[newtothis]

Fixed picture to ensure peeps don't get a crooked neck trying to do this with laptop in one hand and rode in the other...

View attachment 86557

All of which appears to require either a small boat, long arms or a crew. Otherwise a lot of running back and forward twixt hook and tiller.

 

[Kukri]

All of which appears to require either a small boat, long arms or a crew. Otherwise a lot of running back and forward twixt hook and tiller.

Honestly, I don’t think so. Perhaps an occasional stroll, but I used to get this boat under way without leaving the foredeck.



Assuming wind from ahead, I would set the mainsail and unroll the jib leaving the staysail unset to keep the foredeck clear, and lash the tiller up on the tack that I planned to sail off on.

Back the jib by holding it over till she started sailing. Get chain in using the windlass until it came taut at which point she would tack into the hove-to position. Keep getting chain in as she slowly forged forward until she tacked again and this time she would sail over her anchor as I got the chain short. She would keep going and I would get the anchor up to the roller, stroll back to the tiller, wave to the admiring crowd (if any!) and carry on.

I suppose it depends a bit on the boat and on the rig. I would not recommend hoisting or unrolling the whole of a big genoa, as it gets in the way. Use a small headsail, or just unroll a bit of it.

Try it - preferably somewhere where you have a bit of space and not too much of an audience for your first attempts!

 

[neil_s]

Retrieving the anchor and getting under way under sail is perfectly possible in a 28 ft boat. After all - there was no option before engines were invented! The exception these days might be wind over tide and obstructions nearby, when starting the engine might be wise. Otherwise you can carefully haul up to the anchor with the mainsail set. I would nip back to the cockpit and put the helm over the way I wanted to pay off and then get the last bit of chain and break out the anchor. Leave it hanging over the bow while you sort out setting a course and the genny. One thing, though, I would always prefer to have all chain in the rode. Much easier to deal with and no chance of tangles around the keel or rudder. I have 40 metres of 8 mm chain and a 25 lb CQR.

 

[Poignard]

She would keep going and I would get the anchor up to the roller, stroll back to the tiller, wave to the admiring crowd (if any!) and carry on.

Then nip below and, with trembling hands, pour yourself a large whisky!

Seriously, that's a nice boat you had then. Quite a bit different from Kukri!

 

[[163233]]

That may be the problem, too much spirit JON?

He he... I got up and took one look at the wind streaking across the anchorage, gave the cable a brief tug and then went back to bed for half an hour.
I should've stayed there, they locked down Murcia as I got back in.

 

[Kukri]

Then nip below and, with trembling hands, pour yourself a large whisky!

Seriously, that's a nice boat you had then. Quite a bit different from Kukri!

I can write my own obituary now:

“His weaknesses were beautiful women and beautiful boats. The women were faster.”

Mirelle and I were together for twenty-nine years, and she only threw the crockery at me once! I was interviewed in the Anchor in Woodbridge by the outgoing owner, Francis Manfield, who had owned her for thirty three years, starting with “This is like interviewing a prospective son in law, you know. Can you keep her in the style to which she is accustomed...?”

Many large boatyard bills and a great deal of fun later, in 2013 I subjected James Evans to exactly the same procedure, the answer certainly being “yes” because she has gone up in the world; note spotless topsides and ensign:

 

[johnalison]

I wouldn't like to be in a situation where I could not leave an anchorage without recourse to an engine; I would feel very vulnerable..

I think people should be encouraged to learn how to do it and not simply advised to use their engines.

You are so right. Weighing anchor, picking up a mooring, and coming alongside, all under sail, should be part of everyone's repertoire. One of my treasured memories is of weighing anchor at the Deben rocks under sail, and sailing out of the river and up to our mooring at Maylandsea without touching the engine, something that I have never been able to repeat.