One anchor or two?

[Happy1]

After taking some advice and getting a spare anchor, which has just been delivered, could anyone tell me if it would be wrong to set out two anchors when mooring overnight where there is any slightest concern over the hold on the main anchor. I will not have chain on the second anchor as it is only meant for emergency use.

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[kimhollamby]

Few things:

a) you ought to have a bit of chain on the second anchor (say 5m) to help it set. Whatever claims of manufacturer a little extra weight helps. Conversely, to save weight it is usually possible to double up the use of one long line as a towing line and second anchor rode; octoplait good for both.

b) if there is any doubt on holding of first anchor, doubts equally likely on second, so not necessarily fixing anything. Better to get a good set on the main anchor.

c) it's not necessarily wrong to set a second anchor off the bow but it can add a lot of complications, especially as the boat moves to wind and current and might therefore tangle the two into a real mess overnight. Also to set the second one you need to use your dinghy and take it out at a generous angle from the first (avoiding neighbours' anchors too) which is not always that easy. Most of the time it is not necessary...with your type of boating the second anchor is there mostly for back-up in case you lose the first and as a kedge (but see c) below)

d) you might also consider setting an anchor off the stern in tight anchorages, to stop your Glastron swinging, but I would strongly urge caution about use of anchors off the stern cleats of any low freeboard sportsboat or sportscruiser, especially where tide runs. If you wind up with the boat hanging off the stern anchor into tide it might develop into a dangerous situation with the boat getting dragged down.

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[aztec]

hi pete. two things, if the first anchor doesn't hold (with the weight of chain etc) the lighter one with no chain won't either.

on a practical note when you moor onto a beach i set the second anchor as i'm coming in.. so that i can use it to pull myself off (oooh matron!) should the tide pinch my water. using the main anchor to moor "bows to" the beach. (i'm thinkind studland here)

if you use two, set them in a "Y" but remember tides etc as the boat may drag on or the other when it turns. probably best to use one good one, depending on what type of bottm ..... i was going to say you have.... but you know what i mean..

regards, steve.



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[Guest]

Re: Ah, but...

Agree with all the above, except the spare is a kedging anchor design called a 'Flook'. It works by 'flying' out at about 1 in 5, and ONLY works with rope only - chain makes it sink like a stone, and you cannot then set it, since it requires a near horizontal tug to open up the folding mechanism. I know about manufacturer's claims, but I have personally used these anchors for ten years...

Above all, it's a SPARE. You use it cos you lost the main one, or you need to stop the boat swinging. If you can't hold on the main anchor, you shouldn't be anchoring there. If you must anchor there, then get a bigger main anchor. Dropping a second will land you with right bugger's muddle of twisted rope and chain.

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[aztec]

hi pete. two things, if the first anchor doesn't hold (with the weight of chain etc) the lighter one with no chain won't either.

on a practical note when you moor onto a beach i set the second anchor as i'm coming in.. so that i can use it to pull myself off (oooh matron!) should the tide pinch my water. using the main anchor to moor "bows to" the beach. (i'm thinkind studland here)

if you use two, set them in a "Y" but remember tides etc as the boat may drag one or the other when it turns. probably best to use one good one, depending on what type of bottm ..... i was going to say you have.... but you know what i mean..

regards, steve.



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[Happy1]

Thanks for that, some of the concerns you raised, e.g. anchor at bow and stern did concern me. As for the chain, I see the what you mean but I don't know if I will be able to store all that weight wise, but will look into it. I got 14mtrs of 10mm A/Plait with a galvanised eye put in one end, could this rope be used for towing? The A/Plait seems to be nice for stowing away, but I had to decide what length would be sufficient, I hope this length would be OK in an emergency situation.

While I was at it I got a small 1.5kg Grapnel anchor and 8mtrs of 8mm 3st Nylon for the dinghy, the reason I got this was that last time I was out, the engine kept cutting out, I had my oars on board so no problems. Investigation revealed that there was no water coming from the tell tale, which led us to believe there was a blockage of some sort, and the engine overheating. Anyway I had it checked and it was revealed that impellor had gone, this is a new engine which has only done an hour! It seems that a bag or something had blocked the inlet causing it to overheat. The moral I suggest is to keep an eye on the tell tale if in a dodgy bit of water. We were in Newtown creek, but I guess you don't know what is slung over the sides of some boats. At least with my grapnel I would have chance of holding myself whilst I investigated any problems, 8mtrs doesn't seem much, but should do for the conditions we use it in. Also useful on the beach to make sure it doesn't wander off /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

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[kimhollamby]

Never used one...

...but had a contributor who swore by a flying anchor (called something different then I think), although he used that nylon webbing system on a reel (was it something like Anchorlina?) and said that was equally good. Kept a Cranchi 31 in the Med, Richard Green, good man (ex MTB skipper so strangely not at all worried about petrol engines having been shot at on numerous occasions while surrounded by half of Arabia's 100-octane). Sadly no longer with us...but I digress.

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[Happy1]

Re: Ah, but...

That is one evil looking anchor I had delivered /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif I can see how you could get really stuck if that dug in /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple> "You only see what you recognise, and you only recognise what you know" <font color=purple>

 

[Guest]

Re: Ah, but...

Pull it out vertically, and it comes out no problem - horizontal load, and it's a bear to shift...

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[gonfishing]

Hi Pete
i appreciate your point here, stopping to look at problem etc, i have had similar problems in the past and rowed ahore, as i find it safer,to sort problems out there. I have resorted to using a small sand anchor for the dinghy, particularly when on the beach or just messing around, you then don't get the weight and storage problems because when finished you just empty the bag and fold it up and stow it, possibly worth considering??

julian

<hr width=100% size=1>man made it ,man can repair it, i think??

 

[tcm]

It wasn't very good advice to have two anchors on your boat. I've been forced to anchor in F7 and still used only one. To have two means a big heavy boat - the first and the second need chain, and lots of it. To have a second anchor weedier than the first adds minimal (if any) holding and lots of tangly hassle as others mention.

A second anchor with no chain is simply an ornament - without chain, it won't sit flat on the bottom, so won't dig in flat - a floaty line will pull it upwards and out.

A possible use of a second anchor is as a kedge, to hold the boat with bows pointing out to sea if say overnighting in a bay - so regardless of where the wind or tide moves you, there's no rolling. But a better option if available is set the anchor poitning where you want to be, pay lots of it out and reverse up to a mooring buoy and hook the stern on, and then take up the anchor to tighten.

Anchors are hefy items and on at least one (20 tonne) sailing boat the anchor and chain are held centrally, recognising the effect the weight has on handling. On a light boat with 500kg payload, a second anchor helps the boat lose freeboard, and weighs it down so it sinks more quickly if it takes a wave. I wonder if anyone has mentioned this?



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[lanason]

We choose to anchor boats rafted together in Swanage - 7 boats was the max on 2 anchors and then 4 boats overnight.

Multiple anchors out over night left a little problem to untangle but was easliy sorted.

So how many anchors per raft is an interesting question. Probably the correct answer is not to raft up. But far more fun to be together.

<hr width=100% size=1>Adrian
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[tcm]

setting the first pointing out to sea, with stern around a buoy wd be a good way, i think. then others use an anchor a bit, and stern line around the same buoy, then no tangling. There is potentially an issue of how much weight on the mooring buoy, but i have not heard of a problem, unlikely if it's good enough to stay out in not-huge boat.

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[[2574]]

I found a book called "Staying Put" very helpful. I can't give you the ISBN as it's on the boat, but if you want the detail I'll get it for you at the weekend. It includes all the details of different anchoring and mooring techniques, it works for me.

rob

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[wakeup]

Have you tried one of those flying 'fluke' anchors. Sounds like they may be just the job as a kedge.

<hr width=100% size=1>...but then I would say that wouldn't I.....

 

[Trevethan]

Re: Never used one...

Ankorlina is the system you see on lots of Norwegian and Swedish boats...used a lot for stern anchors so probablly ideal,

I think marinestore.co.uk sell the stuff



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[boatone]

You can get it from <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0963463527/qid=1063208405/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_0_3/026-7719084-4893250/fstop> Amazon</A>

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[[2574]]

Blimey, that's clever!

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[lanason]

It may be but he cant buy 2.1 metres of 3" x 2" wood /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif.....

<hr width=100% size=1>Adrian
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[kimhollamby]

That advice...

...guess where it is likely to have come from?

Standard RYA wisdom on boats used for coastal and offshore use is that there should be a second anchor.

I freely admit to having carried a second anchor for two decades on various of the boats I have owned and operated and only used it once in all of that time, but any person coming into boating looking for the 'standard' for equipment on the boat will often see that is what they should carry.

The second anchor doesn't in Happy's case, need lots of chain. As I mentioned elsewhere in this thread it probably needs around 5m of chain and the rest of the rode can comprise rope which can also double as a long line and a towing line; that at least means that some of the components will in fact get used as a long line always handy.

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