Why is it usual to anchor off the bow instead of off the stern ?

[Boo2]

Hi,

Q.a.t. : it's normal to the point of being universal for yachts to anchor off the bows not the stern ? (Note: I know people often moor with a stern anchor and sometimes have both bower and kedge out, but ordinarily we anchor off the bows.)

There are problems with this arrangement like sailing to the anchor, having to go forward to do it etc. In addition, people who know say that it is better in stormy conditions to lie with the stern to the weather and waves in preference to the bows as most yachts are more directionally stable in that orientation. Add to that the fact that boats usualy have loads more room in the stern for the cable and anchor and it's hard to see why we do it off the bows at all.

So my question is : what is the reason we anchor off the bows instead of off the stern ?

Thanks,

Boo2

 

[Shuggy]

Add to that the fact that boats usualy have loads more room in the stern for the cable and anchor

I can seat 4 adults in my bow anchor locker! I can't fit a single fender in my lazarette so anchoring theory aside, bow works for me.

 

[Sybarite]

Less resistance and therefore less strain on the anchor and chain.
You won't get pooped by breaking waves.
Your rudder is better protected.
You are pointing in the right direction (normally) to get clear of a lee shore.

 

[Sans Bateau]

Why is it usual to anchor off the bow instead of off the stern ?

Cos thats where my anchor is.

 

[Leighb]

If you were lying mainly to the wind, that would be blowing straight down the hatchway, the cockpit would be windy and chilly, if raining even worse. If much wind there would be more noise from waves breaking against the transom, and spray or solid water coming aboard.

As already mentioned there would be much more load on the rudder, especially a transom hung one.

Yachts are designed to go ahead, and don't behave as well going astern.

 

[Talulah]

Plus if you are trying to sleep in the rear cabin you don't want to be kept awake by a grinding anchor chain. Best as far away as possible.
(Note to self: Don't sleep in the forward cabin without a chain snubber.)

 

[nimbusgb]

1 - Sail the boat up to a point, round up into wind, come to a halt, drop the hook. The wind now allows you to dig the hook in. From the days when people used to sail rather than motor around!

2 - Try anchoring with a stern anchor on any reasonable current or tide! If you think a boat shears around bows too try the other way around.

3 - Reefing / Raising sail lying head to wind is a HELL of a lot easier than with the wind up the transom!

 

[Amulet]

It seems pretty bleeding obvious (see LeighB's response). The front end of your boat is sharp and designed to take all the weather and stuff. Also if you are lying to tide then the boat is going through the water forwards which is what it (hopefully) is designed to do.

(Do I get points for the most patronising answer?)

 

[prv]

Yachts are designed to go ahead, and don't behave as well going astern.

This in summary is why. And true of nearly all vessels, not just yachts.

The bow is the strongest, most watertight, most streamlined end. It's designed to be thrust into the water and weather, and that's exactly what happens when anchored unless there's no wind and no current.

I don't think I'd want to lie with my stern to the weather in a gale; not sure who advocates that (I can understand towing a drogue from the stern to slow down, but that's not quite the same thing).

The only other "problem" you state is "having to go forward". Well, we don't drop anchor while hacking to windward in big seas, so if you can't make it onto your own deck under sane anchoring conditions, you have a bigger problem than what end to hang the boat from.

Pete

 

[Roberto]

Yachts are designed to go ahead, and don't behave as well going astern.

no more pointy ends ?

oh, btw it just won the 650 Mini Transat

 

[Nicholas123]

people who know say that it is better in stormy conditions to lie with the stern to the weather and waves in preference to the bows

Do they?Makes me wonder if these experts of yours have actually ever sailed a boat.

 

[PatrickB02]

Well, at risk of being flamed, I’m going to put my head above the parapet and say that, for me at least, it isn’t normal to anchor off the bow, in fact I always anchor off the stern. On the evidence of the posts above, this puts me in a minority of one, so I guess I had better explain myself!

My reasons are as follows:
1. I am pretty much always single handed.
2. I have a small boat (Benny First 211), with a very small bow area and anchor locker. It is really not a practical place for a bloke of my size to work from.
3. I use a relatively light anchor with a chain and rope rode, so I anchor and retrieve by hand – I don’t have or need a windlass.
4. My boat weathercocks downwind very strongly and very fast. If I stop the boat then by the time I get to the front it will have swung round away from the wind, and the bow will be pointing downwind not upwind.
5. By contrast the stern is wide and almost open, so is a very easy place to drop the anchor from, with a nice space between the twin rudders that is free of obstructions.
6. By dropping the anchor from the stern, the natural tendency to turn downwind means that the wind will help to lay out the anchor chain nicely.
7. Working from the stern, I am also right next to the tiller and the outboard controls, so I can use these to help in setting the anchor without having to dash back and forth from the bow to the stern. This also makes it much easier to retrieve the anchor from the stern than the bow.

I would however agree with the other posters in that if I am going to stay on the hook for any length of time then, having anchored from the stern, I will run the anchor line to the bow, for all the reasons listed above.

So, for me, in my boat, anchoring from the stern works – I’m sure that if I had a bigger, heavier boat then I would change my mind, but until then..!

Tin hat on, awaiting incoming!!

 

[noelex]

Yachts do lie more stably when anchored from the stern. The reduced sheering helps reduce the load on the anchor, but the windage and wave resistance is much higher. So most boats are less likely to drag when anchored from the bow and I would not advocate anchoring from the stern in strong conditions.

Its worth considering anchoring from the stern occasionally , however, for all sorts of reasons such as a better view, more privacy, different breeze, or the sun being at a more comfortable angle or even better angle for the solar panels.

The main problem is that every boat that enters the anchorage wants to know " what the problem is", but they do tend to anchor further away from the strange boat with the mad skipper.

 

[PatrickB02]

the strange boat with the mad skipper.

That'll be me, then..!

 

[pappaecho]

Sybarite sums it up perfectly..
When sailing single handed I always pick up the buoy from the stern, because it is easier and safer, but I still attach to the bow.

 

[Jamesuk]

If Marmite was the bow anchor and Vegemite was the ketch, although both do a similar job we like to go with what feels right and of course in that would be the Marmite option.

We dont have a ketch anchor it would be nice to have one but then where would the gas bottles go.

 

[charles_reed]

Hi,

Q.a.t. : it's normal to the point of being universal for yachts to anchor off the bows not the stern ? (Note: I know people often moor with a stern anchor and sometimes have both bower and kedge out, but ordinarily we anchor off the bows.)

There are problems with this arrangement like sailing to the anchor, having to go forward to do it etc. In addition, people who know say that it is better in stormy conditions to lie with the stern to the weather and waves in preference to the bows as most yachts are more directionally stable in that orientation. Add to that the fact that boats usualy have loads more room in the stern for the cable and anchor and it's hard to see why we do it off the bows at all.

So my question is : what is the reason we anchor off the bows instead of off the stern ?

Thanks,

Boo2

In fact Jordan (of Jordan drogue) who is an aero-engineer can prove its far better to anchor by the stern by loads of calcs which gave me an headache.
I still usually anchor by the bows, unless I want to enjoy a light breeze on a hot day without the hassle of rigging a windscoop.
More usually I want protection from the wind, which bows to does offer.
It's probably down to mariners' orthodoxy more than anything else.

 

[Leighb]

Plus if you are trying to sleep in the rear cabin you don't want to be kept awake by a grinding anchor chain. Best as far away as possible.
(Note to self: Don't sleep in the forward cabin without a chain snubber.)

I would second that. I do sleep in the forecabin - SWMBO has the "double" berth. I forgot the snubber only the once. It was a nasty afternoon with hail and thunder when we anchored and I thought "I will await until it clears and then set the snubber".

What a horrible night.

I nearly got up and set the snubber in the early hours but decided that f**ting around on the foredeck in the dark was probably a bad idea. I always take the snubber up to the foredeck with me when I am anchoring and set it straight away now.

 

[l'escargot]

Try anchoring from the stern in adverse conditions with any significant wind and tide. Make sure you have a knife ready to cut the warp beacuse at some point you will have had enough and you won't want to try to pull the boat stern first into the wind and sea to retrieve your anchor. I doubt whether you will do it a second time. Who are the "people who know"?

 

[prv]

It's probably down to mariners' orthodoxy more than anything else.

It's down to not wanting wind and rain blowing down the companionway into my bed!

Pete