How to anchor using a CQR, and recover it, under sail.

[Kukri]

It’s just dawned on me that a reason why so many people (notably NOT including the maker of the excellent “S.Y.Panope” videos) have bad things to say about the CQR is that they don’t know how to use it.

So, here is how it should be done, based on my actually having read the 1934 “Yachting Monthly” article by Professor Sir Geoffrey Taylor, FRS, who invented it, and the chapter on anchoring in Hiscock’s “Cruising Under Sail”, followed by thirty years and more of practice:

First, a CQR is not intended to stow on the bow roller. It left its makers with a great big shackle on the end, which won’t pass any known bow roller*. People saw these off and stow it in a bow roller, but that big shackle is there for a purpose- it is there to allow for a tension load coming on to the shank of a buried anchor in a direction other than in line with the shank, so avoiding putting an unfair load on the shackle that joins the chain to the anchor, and to provide some weight to get the shank down flat on the sea bed.

So you stow your CQR lashed to chocks on the foredeck. You have one fathom, or two metres, or a bit more, of rope of a comfortable size to hold, spliced into the gravity eye on the back of the ploughshare. This is used to pick up the anchor and hang it overboard, with the rope turned up on a cleat, as you approach your intended spot. If you want to buoy your anchor, you bend the buoy rope to this line.

You can do this single handed with any CQR up to 60lbs or 75lbs if you are keen. You can keep your back straight.

Next, having put the windlass brake on, you pull up a few fathoms or metres of chain from the locker and hang it over the windlass, or, if you are not single handed, just keep a foot on it, to stop it running overboard before you want it to.

You are now ready to drop anchor, so you either luff and drop the anchor, after first throwing the the chain on deck off the windlass and letting it run, with headway, then drop the sails smartly, or you luff, lower sail, wait till she starts to go astern and then drop the anchor, first throwing the chain on deck off the windlass and letting it run.

Now take the brake off the windlass, veer chain until you get to 3 x the depth at HWS, or more if you like, and put the windlass brake back on. The boat will pull the chain out with the tide and will dig the anchor in.

That’s it; you are now anchored.

If you try to pay the chain out bit by bit. the anchor has no chance to start to dig in, and it won’t hold.

To sail the anchor out, consult FB Cooke or Eric Hiscock, but basically, you are going to be lying either head to wind or stern to wind but stemming the tide, and either with plenty of room, or not.

If you are lying stern to the wind and head to tide, set a headsail and get the chain in as she slowly sails forward over the anchor. By definition, you have control of the boat because she has steerage way. Once you have got the anchor, luff and set the mainsail.

If you are lying head to wind , and if you have room, set the mainsail and put the helm over and lash it till she gathers way. Once the chain is taut, she will tack into the hove-to position and you can now get chain in easily until the chain comes taut again, when she will tack again and you get more chain in.

On the third tack she will pass over the anchor and you can pick it up easily and get it to the stem whilst she is still hove-to, then unlash the helm, set a headsail and away you go.

If you don’t have room, and have no engine, you have to be a bit clever.

Get the anchor up leaving a lot of chain on deck. As soon as you have the anchor at the stemhead she will start dropping back with the tide. Now chuck a good long bight of chain. but NOT the anchor, over the bow so a good length is lying on the bottom. This will allow you to “drudge” slowly astern, with steerage way to go clear of your neighbours and with no risk of picking up their anchors with yours. When you are clear, set the mainsail followed by a headsail.

This is what everyone used to do.

*except Pyrojames’ specially made ones on “Croix des Gardes”.

 

[westernman]

We learnt that the trick to getting a CQR to set on the first try was to chuck it over the side with 3x depth of chain (or more). And then to wait.
The boat will eventually start moving gently backwards and then dig in the anchor. For peace of mind after at least one cup of tea, we use the motor at 2000 rpm to back down and dig it in deep enough to hold for a pretty severe gale.

The text book method of gently letting out the chain bit by bit as the boat starts moving backwards does not work unless you let the chain out faster than the boat is moving. In which case you might as well do what we do. I.e. just dump the lot over the side and wait.

 

[vyv_cox]

The original Geoffrey Ingram Taylor article was in a 1934 YM issue, which I have. Is the January 1938 article an update or modification of the original?

What must be borne in mind is that his trials were carried out in the sand/mud of the Thames estuary, where most anchors would have little trouble in setting. I know from my own experience that getting a CQR to set in the hard sand of North Wales beaches is a different kettle of fish.

 

[Kukri]

To be read in conjunction with Westernmsn’s post number 2, above.

According to Hiscock: last three lines.

 

[Kukri]

The original Geoffrey Ingram Taylor article was in a 1934 YM issue, which I have. Is the January 1938 article an update or modification of the original?

What must be borne in mind is that his trials were carried out in the sand/mud of the Thames estuary, where most anchors would have little trouble in setting. I know from my own experience that getting a CQR to set in the hard sand of North Wales beaches is a different kettle of fish.

I’ve probably got the date wrong. The title (“very M.G.”) is “Something New in Killicks”.

 

[vyv_cox]

I’ve probably got the date wrong. The title (“very M.G.”) is “Something New in Killicks”.

April 1934. Takes some finding as they didn't bother with an index in those days.

 

[Neeves]

Kukri, Lovely!

However if I may make a minor correction - some of us have an original CQR with the original shackle - intact. Its a monstrous shackle (really huge in today's terms), as you imply. For our X-99 we deployed by hand, as we had no bow roller and I always assumed the shackle was 'part' of the original design, as the shackle is unique and is welded securely. I had not realised all of its functions. In any event being of a strict Scottish background it would have been perverse to cut it off. It obviously needed a second shackle as being welded there is no other way to attach chain

The shackle(s) and their weight might be the basis of the advice to have the tension horizontal - which is still followed today - even though modern anchors will set without the tension being horizontal.

I'm not entirely sure I would look forward to deploying and retrieving a 60lb CQR plus chain by hand, which is maybe a sign I'm a wimp or entering decrepitude.

Or...... They were tougher then

I have a copy of Peter Heaton's book 'Sailing' in which he explains in detail how to deploy a 'ordinary fisherman's', under sail and mentions that 'the CQR type of anchor is rapidly coming into favour', first published 1949, my edition is 1952. He also mentions that you should have cable at least 3 times depth of water at high tide - how things change.

Though the CQR was coming into favour in the late 40s there was actually very little choice for those with 'small' leisure yachts - it was a Fishermans (not even described as Admiralty Pattern), CQR or nothing (as Danforth has no mention). But then leisure yachting was a rather restricted past time

We need more anchor threads

Jonathan

 

[Supertramp]

It’s just dawned on me that a reason why so many people (notably NOT including the maker of the excellent “S.Y.Panope” videos) have bad things to say about the CQR is that they don’t know how to use it.

So, here is how it should be done, based on my actually having read the 1934 “Yachting Monthly” article by Professor Sir Geoffrey Taylor, FRS, who invented it, and the chapter on anchoring in Hiscock’s “Cruising Under Sail”, followed by thirty years and more of practice:

First, a CQR is not intended to stow on the bow roller. It left its makers with a great big shackle on the end, which won’t pass any known bow roller. People saw these off and stow it in a bow roller, but that big shackle is there for a purpose- it is there to allow for a tension load coming on to the shank of a buried anchor in a direction other than in line with the shank, so avoiding putting an unfair load on the shackle that joins the chain to the anchor, and to provide some weight to get the shank down flat on the sea bed.

So you stow your CQR lashed to chocks on the foredeck. You have one fathom, or two metres, or a bit more, of rope of a comfortable size to hold, spliced into the gravity eye on the back of the ploughshare. This is used to pick up the anchor and hang it overboard, with the rope turned up on a cleat, as you approach your intended spot. If you want to buoy your anchor, you bend the buoy rope to this line.

You can do this single handed with any CQR up to 60lbs or 75lbs if you are keen. You can keep your back straight.

Next, having put the windlass brake on, you pull up a few fathoms or metres of chain from the locker and hang it over the windlass to stop it running overboard before you want it to.

You are now ready to drop anchor, so you either luff and drop the anchor, followed at once by throwing the the chain on deck off the windlass and letting it run, with headway, then drop the sails smartly, or you luff, lower sail, wait till she starts to go astern and then drop the anchor, followed shortly by throwing the chain on deck off the windlass and letting it run.

Now take the brake off the windlass, veer chain until you get to 3 x the depth at HWS, or more if you like, and put the windlass brake back on. The boat will pull the chain out with the tide and will dig the anchor in.

That’s it; you are now anchored.

If you try to pay the chain out bit by bit. the anchor has no chance to start to dig in, and it won’t hold.

To sail the anchor out, consult FB Cooke or Eric Hiscock, but basically, you are going to be lying either head to wind or stern to wind but stemming the tide, and either with plenty of room, or not.

If you are lying stern to the wind and head to tide, set a headsail and get the chain in as she slowly sails forward over the anchor. By definition, you have control of the boat because she has steerage way. Once you have got the anchor, luff and set the mainsail.

If you are lying head to wind , and if you have room, set the mainsail and put the helm over and lash it till she gathers way. Once the chain is taut, she will tack into the hove-to position and you can now get chain in easily until the chain comes taut again, when she will tack again and you get more chain in.

On the third tack she will pass over the anchor and you can pick it up easily and get it to the stem whilst she is still hove-to, then unlash the helm, set a headsail and away you go.

If you don’t have room, and have no engine, you have to be a bit clever.

Get the anchor up leaving a lot of chain on deck. As soon as you have the anchor at the stemhead she will start dropping back with the tide. Now chuck a good long bight of chain. but NOT the anchor, over the bow so a good length is lying on the bottom. This will allow you to “drudge” slowly astern, with steerage way to go clear of your neighbours and with no risk of picking up their anchors with yours. When you are clear, set the mainsail followed by a headsail.

This is what everyone used to do.

G

It’s just dawned on me that a reason why so many people (notably NOT including the maker of the excellent “S.Y.Panope” videos) have bad things to say about the CQR is that they don’t know how to use it.

So, here is how it should be done, based on my actually having read the 1934 “Yachting Monthly” article by Professor Sir Geoffrey Taylor, FRS, who invented it, and the chapter on anchoring in Hiscock’s “Cruising Under Sail”, followed by thirty years and more of practice:

First, a CQR is not intended to stow on the bow roller. It left its makers with a great big shackle on the end, which won’t pass any known bow roller. People saw these off and stow it in a bow roller, but that big shackle is there for a purpose- it is there to allow for a tension load coming on to the shank of a buried anchor in a direction other than in line with the shank, so avoiding putting an unfair load on the shackle that joins the chain to the anchor, and to provide some weight to get the shank down flat on the sea bed.

So you stow your CQR lashed to chocks on the foredeck. You have one fathom, or two metres, or a bit more, of rope of a comfortable size to hold, spliced into the gravity eye on the back of the ploughshare. This is used to pick up the anchor and hang it overboard, with the rope turned up on a cleat, as you approach your intended spot. If you want to buoy your anchor, you bend the buoy rope to this line.

You can do this single handed with any CQR up to 60lbs or 75lbs if you are keen. You can keep your back straight.

Next, having put the windlass brake on, you pull up a few fathoms or metres of chain from the locker and hang it over the windlass to stop it running overboard before you want it to.

You are now ready to drop anchor, so you either luff and drop the anchor, followed at once by throwing the the chain on deck off the windlass and letting it run, with headway, then drop the sails smartly, or you luff, lower sail, wait till she starts to go astern and then drop the anchor, followed shortly by throwing the chain on deck off the windlass and letting it run.

Now take the brake off the windlass, veer chain until you get to 3 x the depth at HWS, or more if you like, and put the windlass brake back on. The boat will pull the chain out with the tide and will dig the anchor in.

That’s it; you are now anchored.

If you try to pay the chain out bit by bit. the anchor has no chance to start to dig in, and it won’t hold.

To sail the anchor out, consult FB Cooke or Eric Hiscock, but basically, you are going to be lying either head to wind or stern to wind but stemming the tide, and either with plenty of room, or not.

If you are lying stern to the wind and head to tide, set a headsail and get the chain in as she slowly sails forward over the anchor. By definition, you have control of the boat because she has steerage way. Once you have got the anchor, luff and set the mainsail.

If you are lying head to wind , and if you have room, set the mainsail and put the helm over and lash it till she gathers way. Once the chain is taut, she will tack into the hove-to position and you can now get chain in easily until the chain comes taut again, when she will tack again and you get more chain in.

On the third tack she will pass over the anchor and you can pick it up easily and get it to the stem whilst she is still hove-to, then unlash the helm, set a headsail and away you go.

If you don’t have room, and have no engine, you have to be a bit clever.

Get the anchor up leaving a lot of chain on deck. As soon as you have the anchor at the stemhead she will start dropping back with the tide. Now chuck a good long bight of chain. but NOT the anchor, over the bow so a good length is lying on the bottom. This will allow you to “drudge” slowly astern, with steerage way to go clear of your neighbours and with no risk of picking up their anchors with yours. When you are clear, set the mainsail followed by a headsail.

This is what everyone used to do.

Great summary, and shows its the anchor, the rode, the boat, the bottom and expertise all working together.

If you're not careful you'll start a "seamanship" thread!

I regularly reread old sailing books such as Connor O'Brien and the Smeetons because hidden away is a wealth of insight into seamanship and cruising. We can feel nervous approaching a marina or anchorage with engine, VHF, chartplotter and INTERNET etc when these guys had no engine or a broken one, limited charts and boats 2 times the weight of modern yachts with limited maneuverability. Of course they anchored off! Modern aids are great but can lead us to do things our forebears would never have contemplated.

 

[Kukri]

I regularly reread old sailing books such as Connor O'Brien and the Smeetons because hidden away is a wealth of insight into seamanship and cruising. We can feel nervous approaching a marina or anchorage with engine, VHF, chartplotter and INTERNET etc when these guys had no engine or a broken one, limited charts and boats 2 times the weight of modern yachts with limited maneuverability. Of course they anchored off! Modern aids are great but can lead us to do things our forebears would never have contemplated.

So do I. I think your last sentence is very good.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

My only comment is that I was always taught to range the chain on deck before anchoring, so as to be sure you've got the right length secured and all ready to run. I'd certainly do it that way on my Moody 31, as the chain locker extends right up to the bow, and if I lowered the chain directly from the locker, there would be no way to stop it running (well, I could run it aft to the (manual, vertical axis) winch and then forward over the top of the locker). However, I don't intend to try anchoring under sail anytime soon - no doubt it is doable single-handed, but I think it would be a bit of a handful.

 

[Refueler]

As with post #10 ... I too range chain on deck ....... using the whole side deck, a metre or so before set depth - I put chain over the gyp-sy which is set on light brake ... with couple of turns on post at depth. That in itself usually provides enough 'friction' for the chain not to run too fast - but allows it to be good angle on bed for the CQR to set. I can if needed use sole of shoe over the chain / roller to add some friction if needed ... making sure I am not in danger of having anything caught. The final metre is slowed by the gypsy light brake.... and the turns on post.
Because this was under sail - I don't need engine to set anchor as the sails even loose sheets will drag that boat downwind more than enough. In fact as soon as chain has run - I'm already furling or furled and main on its way down !!

Weighing anchor ... so far managed without too much kerfuffle .... sail onto the anchor .... and get boat to pull on it opposite to laid so it starts to break out .. loose sheets - haul in anchor and sheet in ... sort out the chain and mess on deck once clear and autohelm engaged.

Its funny actually .... when my 4-99 engine seized and I had to sail from Folly to Hayling Yacht Co ..... making the final windy HYCO channel from main harbour was a combo of above and genny work ... bloody hard work ... but worked. Chuck out anchor ...... heave bow along ... sheet in and lift anchor .. sail a bit till hit mud ... anchor out again ... heave bow out ... sheet in ... etc. etc.

All single handed ...

 

[penfold]

My only comment is that I was always taught to range the chain on deck before anchoring, so as to be sure you've got the right length secured and all ready to run. I'd certainly do it that way on my Moody 31, as the chain locker extends right up to the bow, and if I lowered the chain directly from the locker, there would be no way to stop it running (well, I could run it aft to the (manual, vertical axis) winch and then forward over the top of the locker). However, I don't intend to try anchoring under sail anytime soon - no doubt it is doable single-handed, but I think it would be a bit of a handful.

Likewise!

 

[Skylark]

……….. have bad things to say about the CQR is that they don’t know how to use it.

I’ve always enjoyed reading your contributions (except the one where you admitted to owning a fake watch ?) so I’ll say “it was nice knowing you”

I expect the Witch Finder General to be knocking at your door anytime soon ?

 

[Kukri]

To get a CQR back on deck from the stemhead roller… first wash it, then use a boat hook to grab the short line attached to the gravity eye. Belay this and then veer enough chain for the anchor to go where you want it to. Put the windlass brake on again and lift the anchor over the rail and onto the deck chocks.

 

[thinwater]

Yup, good old school write up. And a clear illustration of why we don't use them anymore. I also have several older telephones on the walls. They work in the sense you can answer a call, but they do not "work" in the sense that we would buy one due to poor overall functionality. But they, like the CQR, were brilliant in their day. Brilliant. But out of date today. I don't think the designer would be offended; that's a good long run. He built on other peoples' work, and others have built on his. I also have antique ice climbing tools I sometimes trot out just for fun on easy stuff, but not for serious climbs.

Yes, I have used a CQR a few times. It was good mud and it worked very well... but it was a good bit heavier than the required NG anchor.

• The anchor goes in a roller. Today, failure to fit is a basic design failure. After my car keys broke on my new Mazda the dealer told me I should not carry them in my pocket, I should carry them in a man purse. I explained in great detail that he was an idiot and that a fundamental design requirement of keys is that they fit in my pocket.
• Yes, I could lift an anchor. I don't want to. At 80 I probably won't be able to, or it would be stupid to try. Or at times when my back was acting up. With modern anchoring systems I don't need to.
• Pull chain out on deck. And scratch up my gelcoat? Not in a nightmare. There are other ways to fall back on the anchor with a light "thump." But yes, back in the day I did it that way. I still do on my other boat, with rope rode.
• Laying the anchor and rode by deploying the anchor slower than the drift, and slowly dragging through the deployment process, is terrible technique with any anchor. You must get the setting length of rode down (about 3-5:1, but variable) before the slack comes out. This is not a CQR issue.
• I think there is no important dynamic difference between a power set and letting the boat slowly fall back.
• Multi-bottom compatibility. Any anchor will hold in good mud.
• Any anchor can be sailed out. A good thing to practice, kinna fun. Once on delivery I had an engine failure and had to sail the anchor out, and then sail the boat into the destination slip. The wind was cooperative at both ends.

Good write up. But really, good setting procedure has not fundamentally changed. Some people like to get away with sloppy, of course. Always have.

 

[Kukri]

There is perhaps a case where you perhaps should not stow your anchor in a bow roller - where your boat lives on a single point mooring. No doubt someone will be along to explain how to keep an anchor in a bow roller and the boat on a mooring but it was beyond me with my last boat.

 

[thinwater]

There is perhaps a case where you perhaps should not stow your anchor in a bow roller - where your boat lives on a single point mooring. No doubt someone will be along to explain how to keep an anchor in a bow roller and the boat on a mooring but it was beyond me with my last boat.

Most multihulls have pad eyes on the stem. Zero chafe. Some newer monos too. Other boats use a bridle with protected Dyneema pendants through the chocks.

 

[Slowboat35]

I'm more than a little puzzled.

Is it suggested this procedure only applies to a CQR? Why?

Why shouldn't I deploy my Manson this way? Or any other type of anchor for that matter?

I wasparticularly intrigued with the description of setting the main, helm over and letting the boat 'heave to" and then tack. (How does it heave to with only the main set?) It sounds vety useful but I don't see the dynamics of it. Can someone break that down some more pleaase, I'd like to have that technique in my armoury.

Equally, I'm surprised at the flippant dismissal of the CQR as 'brilliant in their day".
FFS, why? What's the matter with them? How can time affect the function of an anchor - or is this just a fashion thing? I've never had a problem with one. Bloody good anchors in my experience.

 

[Kukri]

I hope nobody thinks I am saying that any of this can’t be done with other anchors!

If a boat is at anchor head to wind and current, and you then set and sheet in the mainsail, and put the helm over, she will take a sheer towards the rudder and start sailing on that tack until her bow is pulled round onto the other tack by the anchor. On this first tack she is not hove-to and will sail faster, because the helm is causing her to bear away, (which she can’t do, because of the anchor!) but agw on the second tack she will be sailing hove-to. She should make a third tack, and come over the anchor. If the first board is away from the bank, and away from any neighbours, then on the third tack she should be heading away from trouble.

The boat isn’t really sailing in the normal way, because the anchor cable will force her head round until she sails over it and breaks it out.

Definitely a trick to practice, away from neighbours, before using it in earnest!

I used to do it, with a gaff cutter, by setting the jib but not the staysail, in order to keep the foredeck clear for dealing with the anchor, but I find that with a (longish) fin keeled boat the technique works with just the mainsail.

I don’t know what happens with short deep fins - my boat and my son’s boat both have longish fins and they both heave-to well, at sea , and will tack and gybe under mainsail only - which neither of my two gaff cutters would do - but I think it ought to work.

 

[thinwater]

I'm more than a little puzzled.

Is it suggested this procedure only applies to a CQR? Why? I don't think he suggested that. Perhaps he implied that good technique was more important, but even that is a stretch.

Why shouldn't I deploy my Manson this way? Or any other type of anchor for that matter?

I wasparticularly intrigued with the description of setting the main, helm over and letting the boat 'heave to" and then tack. (How does it heave to with only the main set?) It sounds vety useful but I don't see the dynamics of it. Can someone break that down some more pleaase, I'd like to have that technique in my armoury.

Equally, I'm surprised at the flippant dismissal of the CQR as 'brilliant in their day". That was NOT flippancy, that was a compliment. It was a ground breaking design that we owe much to. Few inventions have endured as long. But the body of evidence is that there are now even better anchors, as there should be. In fact, I think the inventor would be deeply disappointed in us if there had not been further improvements, and further disapointed if those inovators were not given credit.
FFS, why? What's the matter with them? How can time affect the function of an anchor - or is this just a fashion thing? I've never had a problem with one. Bloody good anchors in my experience.

See above.

If I bought a boat with a properly sized CQR, I would not leap to bin it, unless it did not meet the needs of my cruising area. Same with an original (not Claw) Bruce. In my case, it seems my boats have always come with either undersize or knock-off anchors.