Which anchor set have you tried,,, tandem or V formation

I have a 20kg Rocna on a 36' boat with 3/8" chain. The engine is 46hp and we can dig our anchor in comfortably at under 1500 revs. Looking at the power curve for the engine, that suggests I am using about 20hp to do it. Of course we give it more revs to really dig it in but it is already set and holding the boat. I think, therefore, that the boat Vyv saw must have suffered from a combination of bad luck and poor technique as even a modest engine should have been enough to set a 20kg anchor.
 
Some real life experience ?

Last night we had a N storm. Winds up to 45 kn. The day before we had SE 30 kn.
In the eye of the low I had a day to move to a bay well protected with N winds. Unfortunately this time a thunderstorm made sailing to the North bay not possible, Had to use the engine.
In the bay I set our CQR on 50 meters of chain. Not the first time I anchor there.
When the wind came I laid a second anchor using the dingy. Northill with 8 meters of chain and rest 12 mm braided line. Put a little buoy on the line in case I had to let it go.
Second anchor on 90° of the wind at that time. Predicted wind is not the real wind here between those hills. Had to tie two 20 m extensions to the line in order to have no pull on the second anchor.
The reason for this second anchor: In a bay with offshore winds the anchor lies on downward sloping hill. So to sleep well ( Noelex psychological factor ) a second anchor.
First day of the storm, no prob. Then just after sunset a thunderstorm came over. ( Rare during normal storms ) Winds turned 180 °, still no problem, I had room enough.
Then I heard the main chain and second rode had twisted.
The snubber line from the main and the rode from the second rode come aboard at the tip of the bowsprit over heavy duty blocks. Three blocks, one normal and two snatch blocks are mounted on the same heavy duty SS fixation. That way no sheering forces are applied.
The rode chafing over the chain,... no good, no sleep, so out I went. Pitch-dark, icy rain, heavy gusts, the dingy not available ( Pulled up with open bailing hole ) But then I was lucky. For once the wind backing North again turned the boat in the good direction, untangling the lines.

A tandem or even triple anchor on the same chain would have been better, but lots of work.
Laying a second is just 5 minutes.
 
OldBawley said:
Some real life experience ?

Last night we had a N storm. Winds up to 45 kn. The day before we had SE 30 kn.
In the eye of the low I had a day to move to a bay well protected with N winds. Unfortunately this time a thunderstorm made sailing to the North bay not possible, Had to use the engine.
In the bay I set our CQR on 50 meters of chain. Not the first time I anchor there.
When the wind came I laid a second anchor using the dingy. Northill with 8 meters of chain and rest 12 mm braided line. Put a little buoy on the line in case I had to let it go.
Second anchor on 90° of the wind at that time. Predicted wind is not the real wind here between those hills. Had to tie two 20 m extensions to the line in order to have no pull on the second anchor.
The reason for this second anchor: In a bay with offshore winds the anchor lies on downward sloping hill. So to sleep well ( Noelex psychological factor ) a second anchor.
First day of the storm, no prob. Then just after sunset a thunderstorm came over. ( Rare during normal storms ) Winds turned 180 °, still no problem, I had room enough.
Then I heard the main chain and second rode had twisted.
The snubber line from the main and the rode from the second rode come aboard at the tip of the bowsprit over heavy duty blocks. Three blocks, one normal and two snatch blocks are mounted on the same heavy duty SS fixation. That way no sheering forces are applied.
The rode chafing over the chain,... no good, no sleep, so out I went. Pitch-dark, icy rain, heavy gusts, the dingy not available ( Pulled up with open bailing hole ) But then I was lucky. For once the wind backing North again turned the boat in the good direction, untangling the lines.

A tandem or even triple anchor on the same chain would have been better, but lots of work.
Laying a second is just 5 minutes.
Click to expand...


If you had known, and you had had enough anchors - a Bahamian moor?

Jonathan
 
Artic Warrior said:
I could tandam all 4 of my 25kg anchours surely they would hold, even collectively if they tangled too,,,,Pmsl
Click to expand...

I wonder how many others carry 4 anchors each sized for their yacht?

I also wonder, given that they are not designed to be stored - where do people keep their anchors (other than one, or if lucky two, on their bow roller(s).

Artic, you need an alloy anchor:)

Jonathan
 
like i said earlier, the boat used to live in high latitudes north and south, the two brittanys are on brackets on the deck and two on the bow, and kedge on stern roller,the boat drys out so the other two large anchors are to keep her in postion while waiting for her her to settle, especially in a tight bay,QUOTE=Neeves;4491946]I wonder how many others carry 4 anchors each sized for their yacht?

I also wonder, given that they are not designed to be stored - where do people keep their anchors (other than one, or if lucky two, on their bow roller(s).

Artic, you need an alloy anchor:)

Jonathan[/QUOTE]
 
Article from Classic Boat mag
.
8971f7d2104a25045e966ad585fc24f3.jpg
 
As an old school mechanic, simple mechanics as explained in the article are obvious.
The article may be of use to cruisers not so into mechanics.

Cruising I met some interesting people, most of them very smart, however some of them lacked even the faintest hint of elementary mechanic insight. Sailing a yacht is more or less basic mechanics
Among the weirdest numbtys ware two theologians ( One of them tried to convert me ) and a agriculture finance specialist. All of them geniuses, no doubt, but boy oh boy.....no sailors.

The finance advisor sailed his yacht onto the rocks in a stormy night on the west side of Othonoi island.
The ( steel ) yacht was thrown of the rocks, then continued two days South with the storm, then two days North, just drifting and ended up on Corfu.
When we arrived on Corfu he blamed me, because I had given him the coordinates of the harbour of Othonoi. I had explained to him that in case of bad weather he could find shelter in that harbour.
I should have explained him to sail around the island first before entering the harbour.

Back to anchoring.
We had made it safe into Othonoi main harbour, and when the storm was about to turn South I prepared for tandem anchoring. ( The correct way as explained in Mr Robert Lowe´s article about heavy duty tandem anchoring )
From the quay I was hailed by a guy, he explained I had to leave the harbour, with severe South storms ( It was December ) that harbour is dangerous. We had already one meter swell inside, then this Albanian told me to move to the very small fishing harbour on the South East tip of the island.
I was sh*tt*ng my pants, depth 5 Feet, we have 4,5 Feet draft and the entrance channel is difficult.

For the first time in my life I gave the tiller to someone else and Babis steered our boat into that tiny harbour. We ware safe but stuck for two weeks, no way to leave through that reef.
December. Snow on deck, 50 knots of wind, no supplies, no ferry, no water, no nothing.
Then Babis came back, brought us dry burning wood, oranges and water.
Santeclaus ! I considered believing.
 
dylan said:
Article from Classic Boat mag
.
Click to expand...

Anyone with even a basic grasp of mechanics would know this. Anyone who had ever had anything to do with slinging loads would know this. Anyone accustomed to running rigging would know this. May I say that anyone with a grain of common sense would know this.

It's a good description of why, when rigging a Bahamian Moor, you leave plenty of slack. However, there is still nothing wrong in lying to two anchors in a Vee. It's highly unlikely that both your anchors will get fouled in bean cans.:D
 
Has the author ever tried lying to two anchors, or even been on a boat? It has been pointed out in this thread several times that the two rodes are almost never equally loaded. Load first comes on one, then the other. The purpose is not to cut the force acting on each anchor in half but to reduce the yaw angle of the boat, and therefore on the anchors.
 
The trouble is everyone quotes the basis of that article every time. And every time it is pointed out that its about yawing, not 'doubling' hold, but people do not want to understand. Just goes to show the power of the printed press:)

Jonatnan
 
GHA said:
Anyone who has experience of both have a moment to comment on how successful lying to 2 anchors in a vee is against a riding sail.
Ta
Click to expand...

I have a rwin riding sail, but I haven't had it long enough to try it in all conditions. It certainly stops the boat from sheering about, but I've been anchored (with two anchors) in more than 70 knots of wind. I don't know if I would want to have the riding sail up in these conditions. Time will tell.
 
Fitting a riding sail to our boat would be difficult so I have never bothered. Like NormanS, our experience of twin anchors has been so good that I have never seen the need. I cannot claim 70 knots but several times in the 50s.
 
Our yawl sail could be used as a riding sail, have never tried it. Our boat lies steady as a rock compared to modern yachts, ( witch is sometimes a problem )
In light winds I sometimes use the sail sheeted to one side to lay the boat at an angle to the wind. Often needed to avoid mast shadows on the solar panels.

I would not dream of putting the sail up in real strong winds, on the contrary, I build everything that makes unnecessary windage down. From 40 knots even the roller furling sail on the bowsprit comes down and is stowed inside.

I hate buying those little Greek, Turk or Italian flags. They cost one chicken, last two days in some wind. So I made some of thin plywood. Lasts for years, lots of chickens in my wallet.

Last year I had forgotten to take that small piece of painted plywood down when a severe thunderstorm hit us. Forces ware so big that the line went a bit slack. Imagine that thin line breaking and fouling the wind generator. The Aerogen sits 8 m high, so no chance to tame that one. During the struggle to take the line and flag down, it hit me in the face. Since, tourist season over, no more dumb little flags.
In Turkey I would not have tried that. We had several times “Flagpolies” and Coast Guard ordering us to buy a new piece of rag, Slightly orange was no good, had to be bloody red.
 
Our yawl sail could be used as a riding sail, have never tried it. Our boat lies steady as a rock compared to modern yachts, ( witch is sometimes a problem )
In light winds I sometimes use the sail sheeted to one side to lay the boat at an angle to the wind. Often needed to avoid mast shadows on the solar panels.

I would not dream of putting the sail up in real strong winds, on the contrary, I build everything that makes unnecessary windage down. From 40 knots even the roller furling sail on the bowsprit comes down and is stowed inside.

I hate buying those little Greek, Turk or Italian flags. They cost one chicken, last two days in some wind. So I made some of thin plywood. Lasts for years, lots of chickens in my wallet.

Last year I had forgotten to take that small piece of painted plywood down when a severe thunderstorm hit us. Forces ware so big that the line went a bit slack. Imagine that thin line breaking and fouling the wind generator. The Aerogen sits 8 m high, so no chance to tame that one. During the struggle to take the line and flag down, it hit me in the face. Since, tourist season over, no more dumb little flags.
In Turkey I would not have tried that. We had several times “Flagpolies” and Coast Guard ordering us to buy a new piece of rag, Slightly orange was no good, had to be bloody red.
 
I had often wondered about a riding sail, but could never work out how to fit one to a cat.

The idea of increasing windage never seemed appropriate, we have plenty as it is..

But people with real experience seem to say they are a bit like heavy anchor chain, fine until you really need them (and OldBawley is suggesting they then become a liability).

Jonathan
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top