Do you use an anchor watch alarm ?

[Storyline]

I was surprised how many people who posted on the "Does anchoring wear you down" thread used anchor alarms. On Storyline we never use one and I am intrigued to know how many people do.

 

[toad_oftoadhall]

I was surprised how many people who posted on the "Does anchoring wear you down" thread used anchor alarms. On Storyline we never use one and I am intrigued to know how many people do.

I voted always but if there had been a 'I often to if I think it's dicey for some reason but usually don't bother' I'd have voted for that,

 

[sailorman]

I was surprised how many people who posted on the "Does anchoring wear you down" thread used anchor alarms. On Storyline we never use one and I am intrigued to know how many people do.

Not on my home patch i might if in an exposed position

 

[Seajet]

I'd also have said ' often but not always ' if there was that option, I presume the OP means GPS alarms but anchor watch shallow and deep alarms have been on depthsounders for ages.

 

[awol]

GPS has one so why not turn it on - make it 0.01 or 0.02nm if you want to know when the tide has turned. Depth has a minimum which I also tend to leave on in case I got the arithmetic wrong.

 

[noelex]

I have never understood the reluctance to use an anchor alarm.

No matter how good you equipment and skilfully you deploy the anchor there is still some element of risk.

Most boats already have suitable equipment for an anchor alarm.The power consumption is small (with the right gear). Why not employ an electronic watch guard that is permanently looking out for you? It is not perfect, or foolproof, but its a significant extra layer of protection at almost no cost. Using an anchor alarm does not mean you cannot also use the the best anchor and techniques.


If you feel 100% secure consider the sort off scenario where your chain gets caught under a rock when you are setting. The "anchor" reassuringly holds full reverse when you set/test it. With a slight change in wind direction the chain unhooks from the rock leaving you lying to an unset anchor. This is only one possibility.


Sooner or later everyone drags.

 

[Poignard]

belt and braces

I have a GPS and it has an anchor watch alarm so there's no reason not to use it but I would never rely on it alone. I usually get up when the tide turns and keep an anchor watch if I feel I should.

But this is my personal preference, what other people do is up to them, and what I do is up to me.

 

[Lodesman77]

Another one who thinks there should be another category - sometimes use one depending on anchorage/weather conditions. Certainly don't use it all the time, and would be worried if I started to do so, but it's there and is another tool to be used...

 

[SamanthaTabs]

Switched it on a handful of times in the past 5 months or so due to weather or new (to us) anchorage. Apart from one night slept like a baby, turbo dragging towards Ibiza kinda woke us up

 

[vyv_cox]

I have never used one. Our plotter has an alarm of course but it is most unlikely that it would wake me up and I don't like the electricity consumed for a whole night. However, I have seen the one used by noelex and was most impressed. His stand-alone version is by his bed and has a visual display, an extremely useful piece of kit, especially since he anchors 365 days per year.

 

[Daedelus]

I'll put it on if I'm overnighting, just dropping anchor for lunch or an afternoon seems pointless as I'm in the cockpit with a book or lunch etc.

However, after being woken by a frantic bleeping from the GPS I shot on deck, minus spectacles and after a quick look round realised we were exactly where we'd anchored. Wondered if I'd set the alarm on too small a difference and finally, when I'd got my specs back on could read the GPS saying "Lost Signal"

 

[Deleted member 36384]

I don't use the alarm on my plotter or depth sounder. To be honest its more because I don't read instruction manuals than any deliberate act on my part. Having said that, I am completely comfortable with waking up when the boat drags anchor. I believe that we can become desensitised to the natural rhythms of life afloat with the overuse of automated devices but I am not such a Luddite, I do appreciate the efficiency and benefits of modern aids.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I have attempted to use on, but found the number of false-alarms unacceptable if it was to give useful warning of danger. Further, mine is through my chart-plotter, so it also uses an unacceptable amount of power for overnight usage.

 

[Storyline]

Unfortunately I am unable to add any more options now the poll has started (it would also distort the previous votes). It seems usage/non usage is c. 50/50.

It has got me thinking though and although using our plotter would be a no-no due to power consumption I might try using the standby GPS next season. Unfortunately it does not have a way to alter the center of the alarm zone to be above the anchor as recommended in the other thread so will probably prove fairly useless.

 

[prv]

Never used one on Kindred Spirit.

On Ariam my dedicated AIS display incorporates an anchor watch mode which is more useful than just a simple alarm. It shows a circular screen with the anchor position in the middle, the boat icon moves around it according to GPS, and every minute (or whatever) it draws a dot in its current position. Over time this builds up a picture of how the boat is moving, which is interesting and also reassuring when you get up in the middle of the night for a pee and wonder if you've moved. It does also have the usual alarm if you move more than a certain distance from the anchor. Power consumption is 100 milliamps max; I assume that with the backlight turned right down at night it's a fraction of that.

The only problem with it is that you need to press a button as you drop the anchor, to tell it where that is, and I usually forget. It's still somewhat useful even without, but the picture doesn't work so neatly and you have to set the alarm distance twice as large to allow for the tide.

Pete

 

[nimbusgb]

I just seem to wake up when the tide/current turns, the wind changes, the motion of the boat changes.

 

[noelex]

I have attempted to use on, but found the number of false-alarms unacceptable if it was to give useful warning of danger. Further, mine is through my chart-plotter, so it also uses an unacceptable amount of power for overnight usage.

The high power consumption of chartplotters is a problem. The B&W GPS units only use 0.2A or so, but still give a trace of the position as well as the audible alarm.
Hand held GPS are another option, with even lower power consumption, but the alarms are not that loud.
Chartplotters are not ideal, even with the brightness way down they still consume a lot and many do not allow the anchor alarm to be centred on a waypoint, only the current position

The suggestion that you will always wake up, or realise when you dragging is false. It does happen, but all too often woken up when dragging means the bang when you hit the rocks.

 

[dunedin]

Our boat came with a simple Garmin GPS receiver, feeding into dual Raymarine plotters - rather than the signal going in directly.
I believe this was to give some safety / redundancy - but it is ideal as can switch off the two plotters and just leave the GPS switched on with anchor alarm set.
Completely pointless in a place like Puilladobhrain, where very crowded, but great for wild and deserted anchorages that we like best

 

[CFarr]

I have attempted to use on, but found the number of false-alarms unacceptable if it was to give useful warning of danger. Further, mine is through my chart-plotter, so it also uses an unacceptable amount of power for overnight usage.

Same here.
I thought you would know if you were dragging in bad weather as the boat wouldn't be flat but would be heeled as the anchor struggled to hold the bow against the wind, plus there would be quite a rumble coming up the chain would there not?

 

[kunyang]

I've been glad of it when the wind changed unexpectedly to an Easterly when at studland in the summer and blew up a bit. I had to get out of there pretty quick.

But I don't get alarmed too often