billyfish
Active member
A anchor is the most important safety item on any boat .
Studland bay
- Thread starter NauticalWanderer
- Start date
NauticalWanderer
New member
I don’t disagree, and we understand the theory and have done it on a much smaller boat (trapper ts240) for beach visits. The trapper has a lifting keel so can reach a min draft of 0.4 or a max draft of 1.5 so never worried about it really, plus the trapper is incredibly light so chance of it pulling an anchor is low.
We came on this journey to get to know this boat, we spent time at itchenor on a swing mooring onboard before we set off & fixing some issues, but we are only 3 days in so far so plenty of time
just very nervous dropping anchor for the first time. We are very new to this so it probably doesn’t help!
Babylon
Well-known member
To get over your nerves, just pick a suitable spot to anchor in the bay, then once the hook is dug into the sand, spend the next tidal cycle sitting on board doing whatever you like - nothing will happen to the boat. Then go into say Poole Harbour, repeat the anchoring exercise in mud, but this time row the dinghy ashore and go for a long walk - nothing will happen to the boat. Then go back out into the bay, anchor and go ashore for a very long time - nothing will happen to the boat. Later try anchoring somewhere on a rocky bottom in an exposed location in a rising gale and see what happens - something unpleasant might happen to the boat...
Tranona
Well-known member
Agree. Poole Harbour is a great place to try anchoring - and learning to clean mud off everything! Around Pottery Pier on the west side of Brownsea is a good place to start. Tomorrow would be good during the day and overnight but book into a marina for the weekend as it will be a bit blowy and wet until Monday. You could try Poole Yacht Club as best place to spend a wet and windy weekend in Poole.
ryanroberts
Well-known member
Pottery pier is very sticky, but when crowded you can end up swinging into the shallows. Nice spot though
ryanroberts
Well-known member
I am the other way round! I rarely use buoys as its a pain solo. Similarly rafting without crew is something I have avoided. Anchoring is much more convenient where you still can.. though I would probably sleep sounder the first night on a buoy.
billyfish
Active member
poole yacht club....took me by surprise, the price, won't be going there again .Tranona
Well-known member
Same price as the only other marina with reasonable access - and you don't have to live with the noise and crowds, just visit when you need the pubs etc.
Babylon
Well-known member
Everything is expensive these days. I like Parkstone YC, really friendly, good bar and food, and can walk the dog close by (if he's with me).
billyfish
Active member
Are you sure. 48 sobs for a 28 foot yacht for one night.
MontyMariner
Active member
As they say, 'Practice makes perfect'.
With other boats about, my technique is to look which way the boats are laying, motor up behind a similar sized boat (if you can see one), drop the anchor about one to two boat lengths from the stern of the boat you have motored too, depending on room, pay out the chain under control by the wind / engine. I always try to put out about 15 to 20mtrs to the waterline on the principle that it does more good on the seabed than in the locker, lock off the chain and leave things to settle whilst I prep my snubber. Then if necessary, motor gently back to confirm that the anchor has set by checking against a transit line, then gently increase the revs a bit to confirm the hold. Kill the engine then go and let out the chain until the load is on the snubber. Take transits and put the kettle on.
Others will have their own preferred method
Babylon
Well-known member
I'm pretty much the same as Monty Mariner in terms of the mechanics of hooking, except that I don't use an arbitrary length of chain - I still calculate how much to use according to depth, rise and fall of tide, degree of shelter, conditions, proximity of other boats, what kind of boats they are, etc.
Example 1: I arrive in a crowded Newtown Creek at LW in settled weather and squeeze into one of the few remaining spots with a depth of 2m to the waterline, with the tide predicted to rise 2.5m during the night. Nearby are a couple of deep-keeled yachts (which will lie to the stream as their dominant influence) and a couple of high-windage but shallow motor-boats (which will more likely lie to the breeze, if any). A scope of 3x max depth is easily enough for the situation, any more would risk 'inappropriate-touching' with another vessel before dawn, and I know the mud is thick and almost any anchor will stick hard. So I let out about 3 x 4.5 = 13m-ish and don't bother with the snubber because it simply isn't needed.
Example 2: After a long and tiring passage, I choose a hazard-free spot in a bay with no other vessels close by, the depth reads 6m, there's another metre rise of tide left to go. The bay is fairly sheltered from the prevailing winds but the overnight forecast is for a F4, and the pilot-book warns of a swell that refracts into the bay. The bottom is sand, however I have a good modern anchor (don't start!!) so I decide on a scope of 4 x 7m = 28m, but then chicken-out and give it another seven meters for good measure before I attach the snubber, so that's 35m all told, then - after re-checking my transit a second time, I have supper and turn in.
In neither case do I have or use any kind of GPS anchor alarm.
Example 1: I arrive in a crowded Newtown Creek at LW in settled weather and squeeze into one of the few remaining spots with a depth of 2m to the waterline, with the tide predicted to rise 2.5m during the night. Nearby are a couple of deep-keeled yachts (which will lie to the stream as their dominant influence) and a couple of high-windage but shallow motor-boats (which will more likely lie to the breeze, if any). A scope of 3x max depth is easily enough for the situation, any more would risk 'inappropriate-touching' with another vessel before dawn, and I know the mud is thick and almost any anchor will stick hard. So I let out about 3 x 4.5 = 13m-ish and don't bother with the snubber because it simply isn't needed.
Example 2: After a long and tiring passage, I choose a hazard-free spot in a bay with no other vessels close by, the depth reads 6m, there's another metre rise of tide left to go. The bay is fairly sheltered from the prevailing winds but the overnight forecast is for a F4, and the pilot-book warns of a swell that refracts into the bay. The bottom is sand, however I have a good modern anchor (don't start!!) so I decide on a scope of 4 x 7m = 28m, but then chicken-out and give it another seven meters for good measure before I attach the snubber, so that's 35m all told, then - after re-checking my transit a second time, I have supper and turn in.
In neither case do I have or use any kind of GPS anchor alarm.
Last edited:
jaminb
Active member
Babylon do you allow anything for your freeboard / height of bow roller above the water (about 1.5m on my boat) or this allowed for within the 3 x / 5 x allowance. Thanks
Babylon
Well-known member
Freeboard is already allowed for in my calcs.
I have a handheld controller with a LCD for the windlass. I can quickly calibrate the readout to the actual waterline, but that's a refinement I usually forget: if it is reading say 1.5m when the anchor first gets wet then I just add about a meter or so to my calculated figs.
I have a handheld controller with a LCD for the windlass. I can quickly calibrate the readout to the actual waterline, but that's a refinement I usually forget: if it is reading say 1.5m when the anchor first gets wet then I just add about a meter or so to my calculated figs.
MontyMariner
Active member
I nearly always anchor in fairly shallow water (1.5m BK draft) the 15-20m is a minimum I put out to set the anchor, then attach my 8m snubber. That combined length is normally adequate on UK S coast, CI's are a different matter.
dunedin
Well-known member
I generally calculated the chain scope wanted and attach the snubber hook at that point of the chain. I then need to pay out more chain until the strain is taken by the snubber with plenty of chain loose. As the snubber hook tends to be close to the waterline, this does the allowance automatically.
