Overnight anchoring.

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Our method is MrsSV at the helm with me at the bow. I signal left / right, fore / aft as required to keep the chain vertical.

[/ QUOTE ] I am horrified and shocked that you can take Mrs SV away from sunbathing duty to manoeuvre the boat when you have a perfectly good remote control boat driving thingy.

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but but it only moves the boat sideways /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif.......
SidepowerRemote.jpg
 
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Our method is MrsSV at the helm with me at the bow. I signal left / right, fore / aft as required to keep the chain vertical.

[/ QUOTE ] I am horrified and shocked that you can take Mrs SV away from sunbathing duty to manoeuvre the boat when you have a perfectly good remote control boat driving thingy.

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but but it only moves the boat sideways


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Then use a sideways anchor.

Oh deary me. Newbies, huh?
 
Yep, also used that technique to take in some chain when someone has anchored too close to me, and I didn't feel the need to start up the engines. As you say you never put much load on the windlass, the weight of the chain does all the work pulling the boat forward.
 
Chain Noises:
Any waves/ movement at anchor or on a mooring may lead to the chain rolling/ grinding on the bow roller. This noise transmits 'orribly thro' most boats which are effectively hollow soundboxes. Keep a bit of rag/ old towelling or similar & wrap it loosely round the chain where it passes over the roller/ fairlead/ gipsy or whatever. This will provide a really peaceful night.

If, after doing this, you still hear a gentle, distant rumble, then you ARE dragging! It's surprising how easy it is to hear a dragging anchor - unless you have a silly sound system on.
 
I've no problem with anchoring, it's just that ever decent, safe spot is covered with buoys. Leaving only iffy places to anchor. Having no wish to go into instamt navigation mode at 3 AM we rarely anchor. Well not with the instantly changing weather we are getting.
 
I'm not sure they're worth it, are they?

Let's say you put down 20m chain. So just because the tide turned you could be 40m away from your starting position. Now add 10m for the GPS signal having a bad hair day and you need to have a minimum 50m alarm radius.

First time we tried it, I goofed the calculations when we anchored in Studland Bay. We had a lovely night and never moved an inch, but when I checked the alarm next day, I'd set the distance such that we could have been in the Bankes Arms car park before it went off...
 
The last time we anchored overnight was in the containership dock in Casablanca Harbour. The authorities were very sceptical of our reasons for arriving, and chased us out with a gunboat, though as the boat was falling apart after F11 winds in the Atlantic, and the engine had failed completely, we thought we were in our rights.

We worked til 04.00 to try to revive the engine (failed to do so), and another storm saw us on the rocks of the harbour wall with yet more damage.

Somehow, I've never been able to sleep on anchor since!!
 
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unless you have a silly sound system on.

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Do many people play their sound systems when they're asleep at anchor? I think we already got the message that you don't like TV's and stereos, and for some reason, therefore, think everyone else shouldn't either /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
0.03nm or 0.04nm. Anything less will give too many flasae alarms, any more and you could have moved more than you want by the time you are woken.

0.04nm is about 70-80m, which is approx your boat swinging a full 180deg in a shallowish anchorage
 
Seconded, with one additional hint: setting the alarm immediately when dropping the hook, to get a proper 360° coverage.
 
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unless you have a silly sound system on.

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Do many people play their sound systems when they're asleep at anchor? I think we already got the message that you don't like TV's and stereos, and for some reason, therefore, think everyone else shouldn't either /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

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Where I play boats, there are lots of beatiful bays with shelter in certain winds. People anchor for the day & sometimes stop overnight if weather remains settled. It's during the day & early evening (sometimes til early hours too) that obtrusive sound systems become a problem for every one else in the bay.

The point I was actually making was that you will not hear the anchor chain rumble if listening to music. It is a distinctive noise, but not generally loud. Relaxing below with a book, it has alerted me to a problem a couple of times over the years.

But if you want to take offence, feel free, I don't care.
 
This thread reminded me of a story that I was once told.

My Pal has a large motor cruiser and beaches it at a local well known beauty spot to scrub off a couple of times a year.

7.30am on a beautiful bright Sunday morning my man arrives at the cove which was deserted apart from a large yacht. He lines up for the beach and motors in slowly, peering intently over the bow to make sure that no one has left any rocks on the beach since his last visit as you do. SWMBO shouts up "that yacht is following us in", Captain looks round briefly and is sure can't see anyone on the deck, impossible, it isn't moving. He raises the legs continues the perfect manoeuvre, nudges the sand and powers up the beach. As he comes to a stop the yacht Captain arrives alarmingly on his deck from below, stumbling and rubbing his eyes, a towel around his waist shouting at my Pal, "have you hit me?"

"No", my Pal shouts back sheepishly as the reality of what has happened now dawns on him.

30 minutes pass, my Pal's cruiser settles perfectly on the sandy beach.

As the water recedes the outdrive legs and the yachts anchor chain become exposed for all to see.

The yacht makes ready his departure, headed for foreign shores, sees the chain around my Pal`s leg and tries to free himself by winching in, next minute the yachts grounded.

They spent the next 6 hours together not 8ft apart.
 
I write this post, Anchored for the night outside the springers diep basin in the netherlands.(raining & blowing force 5 at mo)

We predomnately anchor overnight and this is the 3rd night in the last 4 spent that way. (first go was in 1970)

To help I suggest for your first overnight, use a familar day time anchorage,and as others have suggested stop early so to see a full swing at both ends of the tide. Take the time to lay in your bunk so you hear the sounds at swing time, so you will be use to the noise or not of the chain on the bottom, as to the uniniated ear the sound of dragging can easily be confused with that of just the boat "changing ends."


above all just do it!!! at the worst you will only have one poor night of sleep then years of not having to put up with quay side brats & clanging halyards, nevermind the better view!
 
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