vyv_cox
Well-known member
I downloaded an app some years ago but only used it a few times. I also prefer to ensure the anchor is well set.We never use an anchor alarm. We just use a good anchor and make sure it's set
I downloaded an app some years ago but only used it a few times. I also prefer to ensure the anchor is well set.We never use an anchor alarm. We just use a good anchor and make sure it's set
On sailing forums there is sometimes the implication that using an anchor alarm is a sign of inexperience, lack of anchoring practice. I am not suggesting Geem that you are implying this, nevertheless I think sometimes this impression exists and unfortunately it can put people off using technology that costs no money (most boats already have the equipment in place) uses very little power, but acts as an extra crew member that constantly keeps watch on your position without drinking any of your single malt. .I have never felt the need to set an alarm. My emphasis is on setting the anchor properly with the engine in reverse at high revs. We live at anchor. We have been at anchor since October last year when we returned to the boat from 3 months in the UK. We will be anchoring for the whole summer and won't be in a marina until we are in the Azores in June 2024. We are not nieve. We set the anchor. We often snorkel so will check the anchor is buried. If its set it won't drag. If you feel the need to use an alarm everytime you anchor then maybe you need a better anchor, better setting technique or both
We watch the forecasts and anchor accordingly.
We see terrible anchoring practises often followed by dragging anchors. Get your setup right and sleep soundly, until the wind turbine goes ballistic
Edit: the boat we rescued from hitting the reef had an anchor alarm going off the whole time we were rescuing the boat. It didn't help them seeing as they weren't onboard.
The poster above did note that he thought a transmitting anchor alarm when ashore - so you get a text etc was good. Whilst confidence in your anchoring can play fears this seems like a great idea for everyone no matter how experienced. You will not know ashore if your boat is being stolen - the alarm will tell you. You will not know if some idiot has crossed your rode with theirs and pulled up your anchor - the alarm will tell you.
I tend to use an alarm when on board for the first night in a new place to keep my wife happy. It works to soothe her nerves (despite thousands of nights at anchor and having never dragged an inch ) so worth every penny (though it was actually free!)
Depends on where you sail!From a probability perspective ... your rode won’t get fouled.
Planning for success is right.Your anchoring experience demonstrates 100% reliability as you have never dragged an inch, over thousands of nights.
Theft and another boat fouling your rode will not be prevented by an anchor alarm.
Your logic for an anchor alarm is unconvincing. Your facts demonstrate that an alarm is not needed.
It would be cool if you shared tips for secure anchoring, as that is more relevant. The alarm is planning for failure, clearly you plan for success.
From a probability perspective your boat won’t get stolen, and your rode won’t get fouled.
Depends on where you sail!
In the context of an alarm that will alert you when you're off these boat, then I see the utility.If fouling of a rode by other boats (the point I was replying to) is probable, an anchor alarm is not going to reduce that probability.
Doubts have been expressed over the Rocna dragging at all as owners here find their Rocna totally reliable.This afternoon a squall came through. Just 3 boats in the anchorage. A french boat that had trouble anchoring when they arrived and a Yank boat, Sabre 36. We got chatting to the owners of the Sabre earlier in the day on the beach.
We noticed the wind was up to 25kts and the French boat was off, dragging. The Sabre was unattended. No dinghy. It was heading for the reef side on dragging it's anchor. We jumped in the dinghy and whizzed over. My wife manned the anchor and I started the engine. Up came the anchor and a badly weeded up Rocna on the end. We motored forward with some difficulty getting the boat to turn through the wind! (Didn't know it was that hard in only 25kts on some boats)
The windlass was one of those vertical ones. I hate them. I couldn't find a handle to free drop so my wife had to motor the chain out. I did my best to drop back slowly on an unfamiliar boat. 100ft of chain in 20ft of water and the anchor didn't hold! Up it comes again and we motored to a more shelter spot where it was a lot shallower and dropped al the chain. We left the boat there. 5 mins later, the owners returned.
They were grateful we had saved the boat but still waiting for the bottle of wine to say thank you.
I was surprised the Rocna was so bad in weed. It did reming me why I sold the one that came with our boat and bought a Spade. If only Spade could cure the corrosion problem.
We are anchored with 4:1 scope. It never crossed my mind that we would drag in only 25kts.
Edit: just to clarify, we didn't drag. Only the boat with the Rocna and what ever the French boat was using for an anchor
No bottle of wine.Doubts have been expressed over the Rocna dragging at all as owners here find their Rocna totally reliable.
Geem mentioned that a squall came through and it was the squall that resulted in the anchor dragging (though equally the anchor might have simply been poorly set). But Geem does mention that when his wife retrieved the anchor it was full of weed.
Now - as the anchor was dragged over the weedy seabed it might have collected weed on its travels.
The tests I conducted were designed to simulate one example of where a roll bar anchor might suffer clogging and would not re-set until the fluke had self cleaned (considering that self cleaning might take time in the real world and your yacht might then be on the beach, or rocks).
The key to me, the missing bit of information, was Geem's use of the word 'squall'. My knowledge of Caribbean squalls is limited (almost zero) and is actually restricted to a squall in which one of the bendy shank models bent, I was given the anchor and I had its shank analysed - but the squall was severe, unforecast and from a wind direction different to the set direction. The fluke was effective, very (it held tenaciously) but the shank was side loaded - and not being a HT steel - it bent.
This event had me testing snatch loading of anchors and I conducted another test. I set anchors to 500kg tension (equivalent to maybe 35 knots - nothing special) and then snatch loaded them.
This was the result on a Fortress and an early model of the Anchor Right aluminium Excel.
View attachment 157606
View attachment 157607
Anchor Right were appalled at the damage, re-engineered the aluminium Excel and gave me a new one, and Fortress sent me a new shank in their 'no questions asked' guarantee.
But in my tests on clogging anchors I conducted a similar test - 500kg set and then applied increasing tension in the direction opposite to the set direction, I somersaulted the anchors. The roll bar anchor, Supreme and Rocna both had a compacted clot in the fluke - and the anchors did not re-set until the clots had self cleaned.
If you have never suffered a squall in a direction opposite to your original set - then your anchor will simply set more deeply. If you suffer a squall in a direction opposite to the set direction - my tests (and maybe Geem's description) indicate what might happen.
It night never happen to you but Geem gives a first hand example of 'something' happening, Morgan's Cloud seem to suggest clogging is/was a suffice issue for them to remove their recommendation for roll bar (or some) roll bar anchors. Many owners of Rocna do agree, or confirm that often when they retreive their anchor it his full of seabed - if when you retrieve your anchor it is clogged - why do you imagine it only happens when you retreive - what do you imagine happens when you power set anchor is subject to a 40 knot squall with winds contrary to those that have averaged during the day....
And did the bottle of wine ever materialise - or is it a dream, like the unpredictability of squall wind directions....!
Jonathan
Well that's a logical fallacy if ever I saw one.Theft and another boat fouling your rode will not be prevented by an anchor alarm.
Your logic for an anchor alarm is unconvincing. Your facts demonstrate that an alarm is not needed.
From a probability perspective your boat won’t get stolen, and your rode won’t get fouled.
But the PAGING alarm I mention will let you know if ashore so you can return and deal with it - what I said was if someone else pulls up your rode with theirs (as they drag or retrieve anchor if they anchored across you etc) . if they do so this may cause you to drag, or they may simply throw your anchor back in , unset, once they untangle the lines . If your boat moved in this circumstance or then dragged because of the incident you would be alerted.If fouling of a rode by other boats (the point I was replying to) is probable, an anchor alarm is not going to reduce that probability.
We have had this happen also, generally by dragging boats.. The last occurance was only a few months ago. The catamaran concerned managed to tow us at what seemed like alarming speed until we alerted them to the issue. We have also seen a few episodes of boats picking up and dropping the anchors back in the same spot while the owners were away. The problem with this is that the nicely set anchor is unseated and dropped on the seabed with a heap of chain on top and the owner does not know this has occurred.Actually my rode has twice been pulled up by others - fortunately I was aboard at the time and after some invective just re-anchored but these things happen all the time in crowded anchorages and the anchor alarm would, if I was not on board at least alert me to return. The boat may be long gone out to sea or just dragging slowly until the Rocna inevitably re-set but to know would be good.
That is a bit rough. Tip: always rescue dragging French boats first . They always respond by donating great bottles for your trouble.No bottle of wine.
Well that's a logical fallacy if ever I saw one.
Actually my …
The recent catching of our rode by a dragging boat fortunately did not upset our anchor. The cat lifted our rode and then unhooked their anchor leaving our anchor untouched. The example was to show that boats dragging (and sometimes picking up their anchor) may also catch your rode. In most of these cases the anchor is lifted and subsequently poorly dropped by the offending boat, often with chain piled on top.Nolex gives a great example of a false positive, the fouled rode, dropped back in, unset. Did the boat move or not such that an alarm would trip?
It has never been suggested that anchoring (nor a berth in a marina) is 100% secure. It is never suggested that any practice relevant to yachts is 100% predictable.Anchoring is not 100% secure despite what you might read on forums.
In gale force conditions we do an anchor watch if there are other boats anchored up wind of us. We did this a couple of years ago in the Helford River when we ran from the summer storm that hit the Isles of Scilly. Gusting 45kts all night. An anchor alarm won't tell you if a dragging boat is bearing down on you.The recent catching of our rode by a dragging boat fortunately did not upset our anchor. The cat lifted our rode and then unhooked their anchor leaving our anchor untouched. The example was to show that boats dragging (and sometimes picking up their anchor) may also catch your rode. In most of these cases the anchor is lifted and subsequently poorly dropped by the offending boat, often with chain piled on top.
If this happens when the owner is away, they have no way of knowing their careful anchoring technique has been undone.
In these cases an anchor alarm will alert the owner if the anchor subsequently drags (due to the poor technique with the chain piled on top of the anchor) or even immediately on their return if the anchor has not been dropped in exactly the same location.
In these and many other conventional cases such as the anchor landing on an isolated rock or debris, the anchor security will be compromised without, in many instances, even a diligent skipper with the best equipment and technique being aware and this is ignoring the more common cases when the anchor drags due to a poor substrate and/or conditions.
Anchoring is not 100% secure despite what you might read on forums.
Yes, I agree.Gusting 45kts all night. An anchor alarm won't tell you if a dragging boat is bearing down on you.