RichardS
N/A
5 miles! That's further than some Med sailors actually get to sail in a whole day! :encouragement:
Richard
Why can't people anchor?
- Thread starter Trident
- Start date
5 miles! That's further than some Med sailors actually get to sail in a whole day! :encouragement:
Richard
ribrage
Active member
What do you mean " some" .....
ribrage
Active member
You aren't alone we've woken up several boat crews using a fog horn , one I had to chase down in the RIB as he was drifting out to sea asleep.
Vesper watchmate !!! £300 well spent
Vesper watchmate !!! £300 well spent
RichardS
N/A
True. I'll re-phrase it.
The "edit post" button seems to have vanished so I can't.
"5 miles! That's further than most Med sailors actually get to sail in a whole day!"
Richard
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Trident
Well-known member
And so the season finale with only 25-30 knot winds causing absolute carnage in Ibiza. First sign of trouble is a boat dragging past me yesterday with no one aboard. I rowed the dinghy over and got aboard to let out more chain and when that didn't work I took a line to a nearby buoy (to much amazement from other crews watching as I towed a 38 foot mono by oar power alone - I think a quick wind shift really did the work but everyone seemed suitably amazed at my rowing prowess) . Middle of the night and another goes past with crew fast asleep. This one was so close we could bang on the hull to wake them and eventually roused them to get their motor on and save the boat (all this about 50m from a now lee shore). Sadly we saw two other boats drag and collide with those around them - one hitting a moored boat broadside on and then flipping round until its prop, by that point switch on, caught up in the mooring lines and fouled. Divers sorted that out this afternoon. So no one hurt, no boats wrecked but two that would have been in just a few more minutes had I, or other boats, not intervened. All those that dragged had tiny Danforth style anchors (the norm here for some reason) and far too little scope. On the plus side, the boat I mentioned saving in my first post 2 months ago was here last night and didn't move at all. He had set twin V anchors on plenty of scope and sat anchor watch all night long. Its good to see how a little experience turns things around.
Carmel2
New member
"Danforth style anchors"
Standard kit for Bav/Jeanneau in the year 2000ish, might even be now. They are crap, mine was a Fob on our Jeanneau SO37, if I see the damn things coming in I get worried if they are near us. We changed ours ASAP.
Standard kit for Bav/Jeanneau in the year 2000ish, might even be now. They are crap, mine was a Fob on our Jeanneau SO37, if I see the damn things coming in I get worried if they are near us. We changed ours ASAP.
KellysEye
Active member
I used to snorkel around anchorages in the Med and Caribbean, where the water is clear, and the majority of anchors weren't even set with many lying on their side.
Carmel2
New member
I would be lucky to get one side of our fob to set in sand on a good day! Stupid thing is a Delta does not cost much more and it far more effective.
vyv_cox
Well-known member
We met a forumite some years ago with a new boat the same as yours. The dealer point blank refused to supply it with anything but the FOB that he was stuck with. He had to buy something better in addition.
Carmel2
New member
Ditto for us. If you look through an Accastillage Diffusion catalogue (a French chandlery chain), you will see they advertise themselves as being the anchor of choice for the French lifeboats. Now I don't imagine lifeboats anchor that often.
truscott
Member
Sometimes people can't anchor because they forget to dig the anchor in properly, then when they notice the bow swinging around a bit, they tell the wife "don't worry, we'll tension it up with the windlass." Then when the anchor just seems to keep on coming, they think "hmmm...don't want to rip it out completely" and leave it till the morning. Then in the morning, they dive on the anchor, only to find it lying on its side with the tip wrapped in a plastic garden sack. Just lucky we were being blown off the quay all night long (and had 40 Meters of chain to help).
PT
PT
Trident
Well-known member
I'm afraid my cruel streak came out tonight. We've been sat all day in paradise with crystal clear water and white sand and about 100,000 jelly fish meaning we can't even dip a toe. So when after dark a Spanish idiot anchored close enough to have his dinghy touch my bow in a wide open anchorage with tons of space and then refused to move, as he reversed to dig in I didn't shout when I saw his dinghy painter go under the boat and when it wrapped around his prop and he stripped off to jump in I neglected to mention the water (now pitch black) was teaming with stingers. I'll give him his due he came out rubbing his legs shouting about Medusas but he did get the painter undone first!
He still refused to move though so I had to but better that than end my season with damage...
He still refused to move though so I had to but better that than end my season with damage...
sailaboutvic
Well-known member
We had a non British ( doesn't matter what county it came from ) boat this afternoon anchor very close , the skipper after doing a very good job at setting his anchor look at our boat and some minutes later put all his fenders down , some time later I rowed over and asked if he could speak English , which he could , I explained the forecaster for to night was going to be 20 to 25 kts and I thought he was too close and like him to move , he did went on to say he was thinking of moving has he too thought it was too close , and hour or so later after he re anchored he swim over with a bottle of wine and thank me for not standing on the bow shouting at him to move which seen to be the fashion these days .
And a very nice bottle of wine it was too .
And a very nice bottle of wine it was too .
BobnLesley
Well-known member
Is the 'FOB' the Danforth with the slightly curved sides that the French often use? We refer to them as 'Brittany Anchors'; I'm fairly easy going about anchor selection - I've got no problems with the Genuine CQRs, they're not my favourite, but they're an adequate/acceptable unit if carefully set - but those Brittany/FOB units are just bloody awful and finger-breakers too; I would estimate that over 50% of the yachts we saw drag their anchors during the years we were in the Med had one of those things on the end of their chains!
When we viewed our current boat with a view to purchase 'everything on board's included in the sale', it had a Fortress 16 stowed in the locker, but when we returned for the survey visit, the owner had swapped it for a 30-40lb Brittany; apparently he thought 'it might be more useful to us and that we'd prefer it'. We declined his generous offer and insisted that the Fortress was returned before the sale was completed.
The other anchor we've come to fear since reaching the Caribbean/Bahamas/US east coast is a north American unit which we've come to know as the 'Octopus Anchor'; it's hard to describe beyond saying that it looks very like a CQR/Rocna/Bruce/Danforth/Fisherman's/Delta. The Muricans and Canadians have big countries and like their space (God knows how they survive if/when they take yachts to all those cosy little bays around the SofF and Balearics etc.) so besides not liking anyone being anchored alongside/close astern - 30m is the absolute minimum if you wish to avoid getting the hard stare - they are even more touchy about anyone 'laying over my anchor', so you need to be VERY well clear of their bow, which is where the Octopus Anchor comes into play: We have regularly seen a US yacht come in, drop their Octopus off the front, along with perhaps 30m of chain or more usually mainly rope, then if any yacht which arrives later has the temerity to anchor anywhere within 60-70 degrees either side of their bow and less than 70-80m ahead of them, the skipper will race onto the foredeck and hurl abuse at the offender for 'sitting on top of my anchor'. Once he's seen off that incompetent idiot, you can be sure another will happen along shortly, anchor somewhere completely different relative to his bow, but once again manage to be 'sitting on top of my anchor'. So, if you ever venture to the west side of the Atlantic, be very wary of Octopus Anchors, they invariably sit far beyond the scope of their anchor chains, boats using them do not necessarily, indeed rarely, hang directly down wind/tide of them and these anchors move around the anchorage and reset themselves randomly. It get's even worse when the owners use them to execute a twin/Bahamian anchor technique to 'save space' as nobody else can then anchor within 70-80m in any direction of the Octopus users.
Carmel2
New member
vyv_cox
Well-known member
It's the unnamed one that Alain Poireaud tested, finding that it rotates and lets go at a certain relatively low load. The graph showing this may be on the Alain Fraysse website, or maybe Poireaud had one of his own. Whereas the Spade curve just kept increasing the FOB is a series of low peaks with zero holding between.
Mistroma
Well-known member
Just arrived back on boat after chatting to boat anchored nearby and discussing recent strong winds arriving with little or no warning. We'd had problems with sudden 40-50kts gusts and downpours and he'd had 60kts in Soller. Unfortunately, he'd had quite a bit of damage. Not surprising that almost everyone had dragged.
I was having a beer when a 40' charter cat. dropped his hook about level with my saloon. We were in 5.8m and my wife thought he'd put out very little chain. He settled just off our stern and I asked how much chain he had out. "Oh, probably the same as you so I'll be fine here". I asked exactly how much and he said "about 10 metres. I said "TEN METRES IN 5.8m" and he then said it could be quite a bit more "as much as 13 perhaps even 15m".
I was happy with him behind me as my anchor was well bedded in and he hadn't even put any strain on his. Unfortunately, a boat left the anchorage and he decided to move as I was only 5-8m from his bow. Now he's anchored directly ahead of me and looks as if he has only 10m of chain out.
I can't think why anyone would imagine that a scope of 1.7:1 would be reasonable, is it just me? I do understand why he didn't even try to set the anchor as he'd have simply reversed out of the bay.
Hoping for a settled night with no wind or a shift in direction.
I was having a beer when a 40' charter cat. dropped his hook about level with my saloon. We were in 5.8m and my wife thought he'd put out very little chain. He settled just off our stern and I asked how much chain he had out. "Oh, probably the same as you so I'll be fine here". I asked exactly how much and he said "about 10 metres. I said "TEN METRES IN 5.8m" and he then said it could be quite a bit more "as much as 13 perhaps even 15m".
I was happy with him behind me as my anchor was well bedded in and he hadn't even put any strain on his. Unfortunately, a boat left the anchorage and he decided to move as I was only 5-8m from his bow. Now he's anchored directly ahead of me and looks as if he has only 10m of chain out.
I can't think why anyone would imagine that a scope of 1.7:1 would be reasonable, is it just me? I do understand why he didn't even try to set the anchor as he'd have simply reversed out of the bay.
Hoping for a settled night with no wind or a shift in direction.
macd
Active member
An unpleasant dilemma, Mistroma.
On the one hand, you are clearly blameless. On the other, you have identified a real risk to your boat (and told the world about it), yet stayed put. Insurance implications?
I also hope it's a benign night for both of you.
P.S. 1.7:1 is by no means the height of optimism. I once encountered a charter yacht, in Pythgorean at the height of the Meltimi, which tried to anchor three times and three times dragged in very short order. Its Danish skipper was convinced he'd been instructed by the charter company always to put out five metres (which happened to be about the depth where he was). Perhaps "Five to one" had lost something in translation.
On the one hand, you are clearly blameless. On the other, you have identified a real risk to your boat (and told the world about it), yet stayed put. Insurance implications?
I also hope it's a benign night for both of you.
P.S. 1.7:1 is by no means the height of optimism. I once encountered a charter yacht, in Pythgorean at the height of the Meltimi, which tried to anchor three times and three times dragged in very short order. Its Danish skipper was convinced he'd been instructed by the charter company always to put out five metres (which happened to be about the depth where he was). Perhaps "Five to one" had lost something in translation.
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Mistroma
Well-known member
Monitored the situation in hope of avoiding a problem and a wind shift did take place earlier than expected so went to bed with him on my starboard side. He's now behind me and very close to another cat. No idea why he thought the busy part of the anchorage was the best option.
We recently saw a charter boat repeatedly try to anchor in a weedy patch surrounded by sand. He kept dragging and went back to the weed about 4 times even though there was excellent holding nearby free of other boats. I also assumed the charter company had said something along the lines of "watch out for weed when dropping the anchor" and it also lost a bit in translation.
We recently saw a charter boat repeatedly try to anchor in a weedy patch surrounded by sand. He kept dragging and went back to the weed about 4 times even though there was excellent holding nearby free of other boats. I also assumed the charter company had said something along the lines of "watch out for weed when dropping the anchor" and it also lost a bit in translation.
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ribrage
Active member
Just arrived back on boat after chatting to boat anchored nearby and discussing recent strong winds arriving with little or no warning. We'd had problems with sudden 40-50kts gusts and downpours and he'd had 60kts in Soller. Unfortunately, he'd had quite a bit of damage. Not surprising that almost everyone had dragged.
I was having a beer when a 40' charter cat. dropped his hook about level with my saloon. We were in 5.8m and my wife thought he'd put out very little chain. He settled just off our stern and I asked how much chain he had out. "Oh, probably the same as you so I'll be fine here". I asked exactly how much and he said "about 10 metres. I said "TEN METRES IN 5.8m" and he then said it could be quite a bit more "as much as 13 perhaps even 15m".
I was happy with him behind me as my anchor was well bedded in and he hadn't even put any strain on his. Unfortunately, a boat left the anchorage and he decided to move as I was only 5-8m from his bow. Now he's anchored directly ahead of me and looks as if he has only 10m of chain out.
I can't think why anyone would imagine that a scope of 1.7:1 would be reasonable, is it just me? I do understand why he didn't even try to set the anchor as he'd have simply reversed out of the bay.
Hoping for a settled night with no wind or a shift in direction.
60 knots in Soller - sod that , not surprised he sustained damage , we had no end of idiots anchored on top of us there just last month, we love the place , but it was much nicer back in April , just two of us at anchor then
