Single Handed Anchoring Sans Windlass

CaptainBob

CaptainBob

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 Nov 2007
Messages
1,477
Location
North Yorkshire
www.yacht-forum.co.uk
Is it foolhardy to anchor single-handed without a windlass?

I'm thinking that if I pull it up when the tide is slack, and with the engine ticking over on standby, it should be fine right?

If something goes wrong I can always just drop the hook again.

Or am I missing something? I guess if the wind is strong it might be awkward... and I'd have to ensure slack (high) tide was at a suitable time.

Bare in mind my nearest anchorages are in tidal rivers with relatively narrow channels.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Is it foolhardy to anchor single-handed without a windlass?

[/ QUOTE ]

I suggest you read a book by E.F.Knight, "Small Boat Sailing". It was written more than 100 years ago and the author only had one arm [a proper single-hander!]. He sailed alone in a small boat without an engine or foller furling.

It will encourage you to have a go.
 
Do it regularly.

You will soon know how much chain you can manage in one go!

You can always rig a line and chain hook back to winches if you find it is a bit hard going.

When the the bows are moving up and down, heave on the way down, then hold and let physics work as the bows come up.

Other than that, get yourself in a comfortable position where your legs will do some of the work, and you won't do your back in.
 
Depends how strong you are and where you anchor. I managed for many years until the last Fleet Review. Then a combination of 25 kts wind plus 2 kts of tide meant I was unable to recover my anchor, until such time as the boat in front floated a line down to me and I was able to move over the top of my anchor using his line. It was then a matter of heaving in the cable. Unfortunately the combination of the conditions, plus that I have high windage, plus having 2 x 6m ribs hanging on my anchor had buried it beyond my heaving strength. I ended up casting of the line from the boat ahead, and motoring off the anchorage into deeper water. I was then able to recover the anchore and remaining cable.


I then bought a windlass /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
I do it in my 27' boat and don't think I am a fool (but I suppose others might!)

If cannot 'break out' or too strong current / wind just secure anchor, walk back to cockpit motor up onto it and maybe beyond (to pull it out a bit) go back fwd and then as chain comes slack again pull it in. Repeat as necessary until anchor is 'up & down' then get it in as fast as possible and put a quick lashing on! Have a bucket of water ready on deck to wash hands before you put hand prints on everything whilst getting boat settled underway. Can go back and secure at your leisure.

Another way is a long rope from jib sheet winch onto chain and wind from there.

Just watch out for the lead so you don't take chunks out of topside / deck.

Have fun!
 
My method is to take out the slack so the anchor line is pretty much up and down but still holding, then give the engine a touch ahead to counter the wind/tide, giving some hauling-in time. Once the hook's off the bottom it should be ok to make fast and dash back to the throttle to reposition the boat in a safe spot to create a bit more time to haul in the rest.
If nothing else the sight of all that dashing back and forth ought to clear a nice big space on the river:-)
 
Is it foolhardy to anchor single-handed without a windlass?

If so then I am one of a number of us. I do it all the time! Granted my present boat has a windlass, but I never yet had to use it.

The drill is: engine on and ready to put in gear, anchor up and on deck; if there is time and space then stow it and the chain. If not, leave it in the roller, ensuring the chain is placed so it wont slip over the side before I can go back up and stow it (e.g around the samson post).

As soon as the anchor is near breaking out, check round to ensure everything is clear, then haul like fury once it is aweigh.

Skip happily back to the cockpit, engine in gear, ....and spend the next six hours sitting on the mud, working out what went wrong!

Before anchoring in the first place, make sure you are in a place you can safely get out again when you want to, allowing for the fact the boat will go a little way before you can bring her under control.

Find out be experimenting how much wind and tide you can cope with without assistance: I generally reckon around 1.5kts of tide or up to around 18 - 20kts of breeze (but not both!) on my 24 footer.

As with any single handed evolution, planning is the key. Think it all out beforehand, and make sure you are ready for any likelihood.
 
If you're weighing anchor at HW, the weight of chain plus anchor when it's just off the bottom will be at a maximum.

I find anything more than 9m depth or so a bit of a struggle with a 35lb anchor and 5/16th in chain - OK so I didn't eat my spinach. So by preference, try to anchor in the shallower parts of an anchorage.

Or you can always wait to weigh anchor until low tide, then it's a doddle.
 
Just take care when rushing back to the throttle from the foredeck, tripping and nearly falling in worried me!
The only problem is if other s trun up after you and the anchorage is crowded when you want to leave.
 
A chain stopper is a good idea. Before I fitted a windlass I used to use the sampson post cross bars. Consider fitting an SL Anchorman. Not too expensive and just the job for your set up. Money well spent if you rightly persist in wanting to singlehand.
 
I can pull an anchor in a lot faster than a windlass.

What helps immensely though if you have some sort of notched bracket at deck level.... so you can haul and secure,haul and secure,etc.
Far safer to your hands than trying to wrap the chain around a shiny fat stainless post or marginally sized deck cleats after each decent heave..
A generously sized bow roller helps too...
I used to pull up what I could and feed it down the hawse hole,but for the last bit,just dump it on the deck,anchor awash,and sail off slowly under main only(or motor),gives you time to wash off and stow neatly..
 
Yesterday I was anchored at the Humber end of the R. Trent, waiting for the incoming tide to proceed upstream, There was no way I could have got the anchor in without a windlass.There had been a 2 or 3 knot tide running and also a V.strong wind running with the tide. The boat was bouncing up and down and also yawing from side to side but the anchor held OK. When I wanted to up anchor the only way I could retrieve was using forward movement and the movement of the boat going up and down.It was b---dy hard graft. I suppose it depends on the size of boat.Must fit an electric windlass this winter.
 
I've just finished reading a book about sailing barges ["Mistleyman's Log by AH Horlock] and they always used the tide to their advantage, anchoring when it turned against them and weighing anchor when the tide turned in their favour. If they encountered conditions such as you describe they would have either turned in or gone ashore to the pub!
 
Wish I could have done that but the nearest habitation is about 3 miles away and gravel barges use the anchorage as a short cut during darkness and the channel is not very wide.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I can pull an anchor in a lot faster than a windlass./quote]

Yes? I thought I could too until I fitted my Lofrans Airon. It whips the chain up and stows it at around 20 metres/min, and there's not many could do that, including me!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Wow. You sure you aren't putting 240 volts through it ?

Impressive stuff...

Alright I concede that Armstrongs Patent chain lifter would struggle to match that..
 
I saw a trick in Florida this year by a 40 foot party angling boat with a BIG anchor.
When it came time to weigh anchor the mate shackled a big round fender to the anchor rode so that it could slide freely on the rode.
The skipper then motored to one side of the line on which the rode was streaming and powered up past the point where the anchor was dug in.
The boat pulled its own anchor out the seabed and up, pulling the rode up through the shackle to the (admittedly short) chain.
The mate then had a really easy job to haul in the last bit.
It probably took a bit of speed/power and I don't know if it would work on a smaller/slower scale with a sailing boat, but might be worth an experiment when no-one was looking.
 
I am over 60 & anchor s/handed all the time. We have big tides & currents & the boat is a 32' Ketch. For anchoring I flake out the rlevant length (precalculated), set the anchor over the roller, pick my slot & stop. I drop the anchor by hand until it touches the bottom then wait for her to make sternway, lay out the required length of chain & snub to dig the anchor in.

If it doesn't work I put the engine in dead slow ahead & haul the chain back until the hook is just clear & repeat the process.

When leaving, I start the engine & haul the chain slowly at first to get the boat moving. Take advantage of waves and boat movement to gather in the chain. If it doesn't break out when up & down, motor firmly over the top of the anchor to break it out. In extremis, it is quite possible to motor out of a restricted anchorage with chain & anchor dangling & tidy it all up when you have a bit of space, but beware of passing over shallower water where it could dig in again or even pick up someone elses chain!!

Plan what you want to do, consider what might go wrong & how you could deal with it. Then do it! When you have time later, review what happened & learn any lessons you can.
 
I fitted a Lofrans Royal manual windlass a couple of years ago, and I sometimes wonder why I bothered because it is so slow [or maybe the bloke cranking it is so slow!] that I usually find myself hauling in the chain by hand. However, one thing I do like is being able to run the chain straight out of the locker, under perfect control, without having to range it out on deck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top