Put the kettle on anchoring technique

[sailaboutvic]

You know how at time we read on the forum different people anchoring Technique , how they come in find a spot drop they anchor with the right amount of scope then just leave it to sort it self out ,( there no need to dig the anchor in) I think I read one or two saying they go off and have a cup of tea and if all ok when they drank the tea it left alone . Well guys the put the kettle technique just don't work , no matter how much you like to convince yourself it does , Dig the bloody thing in or find your self a Marina so the rest of us can have a good night sleep .
Winds of F six forecaster gusting seven last night , so we got in nice and early and found our spot anchor well set we wasn't going any where .( well at less we have a good chance of not moving ) Has usually in come the late comes plonking they anchor any where they can find a spot , just in front of others , some we sew using the kettle technique , in some cases not leaving enough scope mainly because there not the room, one was so close that our cat jump on their boat and still he insisted he wasn't too close . I think he said ( we put some fenders out later , ) Lucky he was allergic to cat so he moved , other where not so lucky although being told there where too close refuse to move , All was fine till the wind really pick up about mid night , then the two of the yacht that we seen use the put the kettle Technique (one brit and French ) letting the anchor sort it self out decided to go walk about . Taken others with them ,
This morning damage surveyed .
God I glade we have a cat .

 

[vyv_cox]

Quite correct. I did some research last year, initially with noelex, concerning how much reverse pull on the engine equates to wind speed. We found that 2000 rpm on my engine pulls about the same as a force four, whereas 2500 rpm is better than a force six. Both pulls for about 30 seconds. It seems crazy to me not to test the anchor for the wind speeds expected. At 2500 rpm our Rocna is almost all buried except for the hoop, whereas at 2000 rpm noelex pointed out that further burying was required.

We like to give a good hard jerk on the anchor to be assured that it is in. After the initial hard pull I put the gear into neutral, which lets the chain slacken and the boat move forward. A second burst to 2500 rpm pulls the chain tight with a bump.

 

[miyagimoon]

You know how at time we read on the forum different people anchoring Technique , how they come in find a spot drop they anchor with the right amount of scope then just leave it to sort it self out ,( there no need to dig the anchor in) I think I read one or two saying they go off and have a cup of tea and if all ok when they drank the tea it left alone . Well guys the put the kettle technique just don't work , no matter how much you like to convince yourself it does , Dig the bloody thing in or find your self a Marina so the rest of us can have a good night sleep .
Winds of F six forecaster gusting seven last night , so we got in nice and early and found our spot anchor well set we wasn't going any where .( well at less we have a good chance of not moving ) Has usually in come the late comes plonking they anchor any where they can find a spot , just in front of others , some we sew using the kettle technique , in some cases not leaving enough scope mainly because there not the room, one was so close that our cat jump on their boat and still he insisted he wasn't too close . I think he said ( we put some fenders out later , ) Lucky he was allergic to cat so he moved , other where not so lucky although being told there where too close refuse to move , All was fine till the wind really pick up about mid night , then the two of the yacht that we seen use the put the kettle Technique (one brit and French ) letting the anchor sort it self out decided to go walk about . Taken others with them ,
This morning damage surveyed .
God I glade we have a cat .

We have had loads of similar experiences. Infact we had so many we almost renamed our boat "Aimant Branleur". Check the French to English Translation!!

 

[colind3782]

We have had loads of similar experiences. Infact we had so many we almost renamed our boat "Aimant Branleur". Check the French to English Translation!!

 

[sailaboutvic]

Even some of the once that do power back on the anchor , just don't give it enough revs , too scared that they will pull the anchor out ,if you use the technique VYV Describe you won't go far wrong , when Will these people get it in the head if your engine can pull the anchor out , you have no chances once the wind pick up .
Sorry guys for my moan , but I am really fed up with this happening time and time again year after year and it usually it the yacht that's holding end up with most of the damage has the other boat bounces off at speed . We. just found out one of the yacht left early this morning without sorting out insurance with the other boat ,
What a moron .
Any one can drag and at some point most do , but at less make he effort to safe guard your self from it happening , it may just saves you boat

 

[RichardS]

I also agree with Vic. It's fine to drop the anchor and let the boat blow gently back but we always then test it under engine as the final step. I use both engines in reverse at 2000 RPM and leave it until I am sure that the chain is tight and the boat is not moving anywhere. Sometimes that takes a few seconds because we are in shallow clear water and I can see a rock directly behind the boat and sometimes it takes a bit longer because I need to assess the movement against something on the shore.

A couple of times I've anchored in what turned out to be some sort of fluidised mud in a river outfall with no wind. The boat appears to sit there quite happily but as soon as I engage gear it starts to move backwards and wouldn't stop until it hits something hard ..... like the shore or another boat! If I had left it without testing and the breeze had sprung up we all know where I would have ended up ....... probably with Vic's pussy cat on board!

Richard

 

[nathanlee]

I once left Wells harbour and went in to the Wash. I had some problems with the boat so turned around but was too late on the ebb to get back in, so I dropped the hook a little further along the coast and waited. All seemed well, so I got my head down for a bit. I woke up an hour later to something not feeling/sounding right and immediately jumped on deck to find we were a handful of meters from the breaking bar. Oops!

 

[SarahJ]

We charter in Ionian and do go into reverse after anchoring but probably not enough so thanks and we shall take advice.
Can I ask if you do the same when taking lines ashore or do you rely on winching in shore lines to set anchors?
Thanks.

 

[OldBawley]

Pulling the anchor “In” is by no means a guaranty for been well anchored. Seen many pulling full revs, having an dummy proof modern anchor, thinking they ware anchored safe.
Some regions have rocks, are bone hard. Seen anchors hanging with the point behind a rock, in a crevasse. First wind shift and off they go.

My own rant : everybody now using 70 m of chain in shallow water and no wind. Push the button behaviour. Insurance minded behaviour. Next fashion could be to use always 250 m of chain. Just as useless.

 

[vyv_cox]

Y

Pulling the anchor “In” is by no means a guaranty for been well anchored. Seen many pulling full revs, having an dummy proof modern anchor, thinking they ware anchored safe.
Some regions have rocks, are bone hard. Seen anchors hanging with the point behind a rock, in a crevasse. First wind shift and off they go.

Our best example was in Alinda, on a very windy evening and night. We anchored as usual, pulled the anchor hard and all was well. About 0600 the next day we awoke knowing something was wrong and found we were dragging. On hauling up the anchor we discovered a huge ball of nylon fishing line, enough to completely fill a black bin liner, on the point of the anchor.

 

[NornaBiron]

We charter in Ionian and do go into reverse after anchoring but probably not enough so thanks and we shall take advice.
Can I ask if you do the same when taking lines ashore or do you rely on winching in shore lines to set anchors?
Thanks.

Personally we set the anchor as normal (holding high revs for 1 minute whilst observing transits) and then we take the lines ashore.

 

[vyv_cox]

Personally we set the anchor as normal (holding high revs for 1 minute whilst observing transits) and then we take the lines ashore.

Yes, so do we. Not so easy in harbours where I usually stop the windlass about half a length out to jerk the anchor in. Once the shore lines are on I give the chain a good pull on the windlass to check that the anchor is holding. With typical yachts (maybe not Norna�&#56835 it's worth remembering that the chain all off the bottom in an approximate straight line is equivalent to about force six wind.

 

[NormanS]

It's a good job that you guys don't have sailing yachts.

 

[john_q]

Dropping the anchor and having a cup of tea is only be part of the Story

In a lot of the Caribbean, particularly near silty river entrances and on the mainland in the West Caribbean, the bottom is soupy mud, dropping the anchor whilst moving smartly astern is a waste of time, (but good entertainer for the other people in the anchorage). The anchor (regardless of type) does not get a chance to dig in.

Try Dropping the anchor, no more than 20 metres, and have cup of tea/Anchor beer.

This allows the anchor time to sink through the soupy layer to the harder stuff underneath. Then after a suitable wait, apply power to check it has dug in and lay out the rest of the scope.

We have received this advice more than once from the locals who earn their living off the sea. I just wish the USCG would learn this and teach it to their students

As other posters have said, it should be a reasonable amount of power, Sea grass holds until 23 knots around here and a tarp on the bottom up to 26 knots!

BUT, It is still a lottery

 

[OldBawley]

I have been told by a very smart man ( Who was selling docking islands and anchoring systems for supertankers ) that a dropped anchor that is been pulled strait away is having a minute film of water around it, lubricating the movement. Therefore those giant anchors are laid, then rest until the mud or sand is in close contact with the metal, only then force is applied.
I had situations where our old design CQR ( Plough ) would plough. Waited 10 minutes with the anchor still in the soft bottom, pulled, no more ploughing.

 

[vyv_cox]

It's a good job that you guys don't have sailing yachts.

It's a valid point. I suspect that expectations of anchoring are higher now than they were. Dragging was just part of the game. Anchor watch seems to have been almost standard practice before engines became the norm. Anchoring under sail in the crowded anchorages that Vic describes would be pretty much impossible.

 

[sailaboutvic]

It's a valid point. I suspect that expectations of anchoring are higher now than they were. Dragging was just part of the game. Anchor watch seems to have been almost standard practice before engines became the norm. Anchoring under sail in the crowded anchorages that Vic describes would be pretty much impossible.

Not only impossible also dangerages considering a good amount of the people out here have a problem to set there sails let alone anchor under sail . There enough problem with them anchoring under engine, this is one of the problems these days , all them sailing skills have been lost .
(Can you afford 2 k sir ? What you not sails a dinghy , no problem I teacher in 30 mins ,Ok here you go here a nice 40 50 foot boat , see you in two weeks . ) last night the anchorage is almost empty , there are four yacht all spaced out nicely and two yacht turned up dropping there anchor in the middle of us where there loads of room else where , looking out this morning one is no more then half a boat length from the boat behind .

Also Norman you have to remember ,a lot of boat use to end up on rock .
anchorage have never been as crowed as there are now so you would make sure you left plenty of room in case to did drag a bit , now you leave a space and two other yacht will squeeze behind you .

 

[OldBawley]

I have been practising anchoring under sail ( and leaving ) for a long time. Since lots of yachts are now twice the size of our boat, we are almost always the slowest one.
Even though I have left the rat race long ago, been passed is not fun. So I try to be good at manoeuvring under sail.
Heavy displacement, huge long keel, four manageable sails and a lot of practice with the same boat make anchoring under sail possible in almost all circumstances.
Having worked as a land surveyor helps estimating distances.
Ponza anchorage would have been impossible. Rafting up was a better name for the anchoring practice over there.
Biggest problem with anchoring under sail is that lots of sailors don't understand what is going on.
Only last week, I was entering a mooring field under sail. only furling jib and yawl .
At the other side of the mooring field is a spot where I can anchor and have good wifi.
Crossing this mooring field in a controlled way is easy, but then a 54 feet mass product approaching the field revved up to black smoke, made his way to an empty mooring, clearly thinking I was going for that mooring. Just in front of me the yacht stopped and the skipper started fishing for the mooring buoy. Not successful.
His action was a disgrace. Our bowsprit could have gone trough his broadside all the way.
Nothing happened, experience counts. He did not even looked up when we sailed by at three yards which means he new he is an a**ho**.
In some occasions we had yachts anchoring to close. Shouting is not my thing, I am not on an expensive holiday, so it is me who moves away.
First I row over those few yards, ask the skipper to get on deck and then explain we will leave under sail. If they could be ready for us, all on deck and all fenders out.
For some reason they always offer to leave first.

 

[sailaboutvic]

First I row over those few yards, ask the skipper to get on deck and then explain we will leave under sail. If they could be ready for us, all on deck and all fenders out.
For some reason they always offer to leave first.

I not surprise they would leave first , if someone who I neave met before row over. To me and told me he was about to sail a heavy D B out of an anchor and to get my fenders ready , I too would get out of your way . If it all went tits up just think of the damage that could be done , let alone if some inexperience crew try to use a foot to fender you off. If you want to anchor under sail that's fine and it good of you to keep them skills up , we do at time but do it where is safe to do so , not in anchorage , the same way no one in his right mind would sail into a Marina .
OldBawley you sound has if you know you boat and know how to handy it , the problem is for every one like you the hundreds who don't .

 

[Carmel2]

We let the scope out, sit have and have a beer with the engine running, just in case. When we have finished, the anchor and chain has had time to find it-s own way, then we drive it in. As for folk who anchor too close, I get the camera out, take a few photos of the name and registration, then ask the skipper to identify themselves and take a few photos of she/he. By this time I am usually asked what I am up to, so I tell them it's for my insurance. No losing my rag, and 9 times out of 10 they up and move.