Handling extra anchors

[Gludy]

My main anchor has a poerdriven winch - all OK. I have been given two new unused anchors from a friend who no longer has a boat and wish to use these as the extra anchors when conditions warrant it.

I understand the different configurations of using two or three anchors but do not understand how you physically cope with them. Soi far my plan is to purchase a rope/chain into bucket kit that at least makes the stowage of the rope/chain easier but how do you go about hauling 50 plus yards of anchor back in? What would be the best way of going about this. Do you have a some sort of temporary manual winch ... or is it always just the simple hard slog of pulling in each yard by hand?

Any advice gratefully recieved.
Paul

Paul

 

[hlb]

Gludy have you not got a capstan on top of your winch. Use that, thats what its for. Other than that your stuck with hands.
I carry a spare anchor. Mainly for fore and aft anchoring. But its all a pain, putting more than one anchor out and much quicker and easier to head for a port or mooring buoy. Suggest you keep one spare anchor and leave the other at home for when you loose one.

Haydn

 

[trev]

I carry a spare 'fold away' anchor for when I need two (its actually a large grapnel) - but that's never happened to me yet !
Where do you intend going that may require three?

Trev

 

[Mr Cassandra]

Did`nt know you used anchors on stinkpots ,you only tie up in marinas, Cheers bob t

Bob T

 

[tcm]

extra anchors are of interet when anchoring out overnightt in bad weather. More on a sailboat, hence useless comments from sailyboaters, tho in uk s and w coasts it's generally too much cept up rivers.

On a big boat, you might use both anchors and in a V configuration, out the fromt. Both are powered. Or, there are other fun arrangements where anchors are "daisychained" and so on.

On a small boat (and if it's a pleasure boat, it's small) then much much better one big anchor than two - if you turn around overnight, the anchors snarl each other.

Best use for a second anchor is to straighten the boat, so that boat it always points striaght into the waves, rather than spins about and rocking. Also clever-clever schemes to pull you off when run aground. For a third anchor, um probably best use will be to sell it. If it's small it could be a dinghy anchor.

 

[Gludy]

I have an electric winch at the front with an anchor on that. My question is concerned with given that you may need to use an anchor of say the stern, in addition to one at the front, how do you retrieve it other than by hauling in by hand?

Paul

 

[hlb]

Well I suppose you need another winch on the back if you dont want to use your hands or like I said just take the rope around to the front and haul it up on the capstan. ( The wizzy roundy thingy on the top or maybe side of your winch.)
Or crane the thing up on your davit winch. I'd just chuck the rope over board and leave it down there. Then youve got a use for the third anchor <G>

Haydn

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Unless you've actually got space to store one of the two anchors somewhere on the boat, chuck 'em in your garage. If you must have second anchor, then buy a folding one - I bought one 10 yrs ago and never used it since. Very occasionally, you might find a use for it eg anchoring overnight on a dodgy forecast and you feel safer laying out 2 anchors rather than one. But you'll go to a marina instead like the rest of us wont you. If you're anchored in a crowded bay 2 anchors will stop the boat swinging about so much but you'll probably find it easier to move to the next bay. In some parts of the Med they anchor bow to the dock with a stern anchor but I guess you're not planning to cruise there just yet
Laying out a second anchor is done either by a nifty bit of boathandling and juggling of the chain/rope or launching your dinghy and plonking it in the water
If you have'nt got a capstan on your main anchor winch, the the only way you're going to retrieve it is by hauling the thing out yourself which is a good enough reason not to use it in the first place

 

[tcm]

it's dragging back up by hand from the stern for you. BUT, the stern anchor can be laid taking it out the back by dinghy. For a powerboat, best is to make a bridle to the rear - around both stern cleats.

Again, in tidal waters (or as you are VERY tidal waters) you almost always shd be facing up tide or downtide, and not sure of the wisdom of trying to use a spare (kedge) anchor instead of having one decent hook.

Note also the dangers of having two crappy anchors instead of one good one - if things change quickly (dragging, whatever) it take a while longer to move. I use spare anchor only very rarely in large med bays with small wind, and nearly flat sea, where the tide nor wind strong, so a kedge can set the boat.

By contrast, in a fast -running tidal sea /estauary/rive, BOTH anchors need to be good enuf to hold the boat - when the tide turns the rear needs to hold the boat.

Whilst on the subject of anchors, make sure you have some way of dumping the anchor, such as monster bolt cutters or the last bit of the anchor being a cuttable cord. Run it all out (carefully) to see what's at the end: be ready for there to be nothing at all.

 

[Gludy]

Thank you, amongst all the replies I have my naswer and a lot of extra practical advice I could not find in the books!
Paul

Paul

 

[coliholic]

Now it's funny that you should say that. My boat came with an anchor and loads of chain and last year I thioght I'd just take all the chain out and mark it every 5 metres or so. Dragged it all out on the grass in front of my mooring, all 60 metres of it, and sure enough it wasn't actually connected to the boat. So if I'd just let it all hang out so to speak, there it would've been. Gone. So bolted the last link inside the chain locker using a shackle. Was that right then or should I put a bit of rope on the end so i can cut it easily in a mergency?

 

[hlb]

Well Colin, I dont know what a mergency is. They didn't teach it at my school. But yes. Add a piece of rope. Oh and take along the bread knife.

Haydn

 

[tcm]

yes, mergency-wise it's if it gets fouled on the bottom whilst tide going out, then yer knackered as boat is now nailed to sea bed. Mind you, if the winchy goes pop at the same time, then double knackered, and bread knife no good, so monster bolt cutters needed, bit overkill for occassional trip out tho. Bit of rope and bread knife quite good, If deep shit, nip over to a saily boat and get their bolt cutters, part of their safety gear.

BUT I my self do have bolt cutters 3 feet long. I am still waiting for choppy seas and saily boat to wave at me, at which signal I will beetle over and helpfully snick snick cut away his rigging first and ask questions later. "oh you meant it's cutter rigged! sorry bout that..."

 

[hlb]

And even more knackered if nailed to bottom when tide coming in. Best to take along the Stihle saw IMHO as that cuts anything, including cutting boat in half if necesary, much more versitile than bolt cutters. Also take along the welder. Then fix every thing back together when panick is over. Stihle saw also usefull for dealing with unwelcome guests, over zelous harbour masters, custom officials. Also a quick solution to the rag v motor boat debait as the whole marina could be cleared of masts in about half an hour, masivly increasing the motor boat clan at a stroke.

Haydn

 

[miket]

If you have crew, for retrieving stern anchor; pay out the bow anchor and motor backward, gently, whilst stern crew retrieves first chain/ rope then stern anchor.

Don't just sit there watching stern crew trying to drag anchor across seabed!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I dont think anyone is going to be stupid enough to haul the boat to the anchor by hand or praps I'm wrong

 

[hlb]

Definatly wrong there. Still cant see why once foward anchor is up, just turn boat round, or back up and lift the stern anchor on the capstan, or is there some boats with winch but no capstan?? All seems very complicated, three anchors down.
Last time I did it with two, to keep in the middle of narrow river. I'd just got the anchors down when the once a day trip boat came and I had to lift them up sharply. Some one forgot to pull in the slack on the stern anchor so it wrapped round the props. Rope cutters had a field day with the brand new rope, on its first outing. It came back up in five pieces!

Haydn

 

[Guest]

The chain should be secured to the boat by a suitable piece of rope for which the technical term is the "bitter end" from which the expression derives. Said piece of rope should be long enough such that it can show on deck when chain is fully paid out, so that you don't have to go below to slip the chain if necessary.

How do you get onto who wants to be a millionaire anyway?

Nick

 

[coliholic]

You could always phone a friend.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Where we did we get 3 anchors from? Cross purposes or what? No, some modern winches I've looked at dont have a capstan; in fact some are not even located on deck but inside the anchor locker so impossible to use for anything other than main anchor