What's the deepest water you've anchored in? 20 feet? 50? 75? 100??? What kind of scope did you use, and did you have enough rode to handle it? If not, what did you do to keep the boat nailed down? Share your deepest thoughts here, then vote in this week's Quick Quiz at the bottom of the home page.
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Deep water anchoring
I've often anchored in 85 feet, but never anchored in over 90 feet. My own comfort margin for scope is 4 to 1 on an all chain rode, and I carry 350 feet of 5/16" proof coil on a 60 lb. CQR on my P42. The chain flakes into the anchor locker and sits about 6" below the lip of the slanted "shelf" that the chain slides down after leaving the windlass cathead. I set the anchor using a 2 (or 3) to 1 scope, while backing down under power until I hit at least 1500 RPM. I use a snub line that has one end attached to a forward cleat and the other end attached to a carabiner hooked onto the chain. This works well, and I have anchored scores (hundreds?) of times like this. I have dragged only when I have needed to shorten my rode due to boats coming up and anchoring too close to me. The only time I have gotten into trouble for too much rode has been in coral atolls where the shifting winds blow the boat in different directions. The rode will wrap around coral heads, thereby shortening the useful rode. One time my 4 to 1 scope was reduced to about 1.5 to 1 scope by this wrapping. Then the calm water turned into 3 to 4 foot swells and 25 knot winds. The snub lines were parting as quickly as I could make them, and we ended up taking all the stress on the Maxwell 700 VWC windlass. It bent the mainshaft at such an angle that it became useless. I had to scuba dive to see just how the rode had wrapped, and then surface and drive the boat in that direction to get it up. We ran two lines from each main winch to the bow, and attached chain hooks to each one. We then pulled in the anchor line foot by foot with these two lines. It was grueling, and not quite safe, but with a reef about 50 behind us, we were motivated. I had the mainshaft straightened in Papeete, and it worked pretty well until I got a new mainshaft in Auckland. Other than that, and some additional diving to unwrap the rode from coral heads, I've never had trouble due to too much rode. The weight is fine as well, and we've noticed no problems with sailing into unexpected weather with our ground tackle secured in the bow.
I've often anchored in 85 feet, but never anchored in over 90 feet. My own comfort margin for scope is 4 to 1 on an all chain rode, and I carry 350 feet of 5/16" proof coil on a 60 lb. CQR on my P42. The chain flakes into the anchor locker and sits about 6" below the lip of the slanted "shelf" that the chain slides down after leaving the windlass cathead. I set the anchor using a 2 (or 3) to 1 scope, while backing down under power until I hit at least 1500 RPM. I use a snub line that has one end attached to a forward cleat and the other end attached to a carabiner hooked onto the chain. This works well, and I have anchored scores (hundreds?) of times like this. I have dragged only when I have needed to shorten my rode due to boats coming up and anchoring too close to me. The only time I have gotten into trouble for too much rode has been in coral atolls where the shifting winds blow the boat in different directions. The rode will wrap around coral heads, thereby shortening the useful rode. One time my 4 to 1 scope was reduced to about 1.5 to 1 scope by this wrapping. Then the calm water turned into 3 to 4 foot swells and 25 knot winds. The snub lines were parting as quickly as I could make them, and we ended up taking all the stress on the Maxwell 700 VWC windlass. It bent the mainshaft at such an angle that it became useless. I had to scuba dive to see just how the rode had wrapped, and then surface and drive the boat in that direction to get it up. We ran two lines from each main winch to the bow, and attached chain hooks to each one. We then pulled in the anchor line foot by foot with these two lines. It was grueling, and not quite safe, but with a reef about 50 behind us, we were motivated. I had the mainshaft straightened in Papeete, and it worked pretty well until I got a new mainshaft in Auckland. Other than that, and some additional diving to unwrap the rode from coral heads, I've never had trouble due to too much rode. The weight is fine as well, and we've noticed no problems with sailing into unexpected weather with our ground tackle secured in the bow.
deep water
usually 80-110 ft, 3-1 or if i have room 4-1 scoop, 40lb danforth with 30ft chain im going to add 30 more ft of chain this week, even though ive never had problems in the past. this system has held me in 60kt winds for almost 3 days (i did have a clay bottom though) the new windlass i added to my h35.5 makes anchoring great. i cant wait to head south and be able to dive down and actually check my anchor set.
usually 80-110 ft, 3-1 or if i have room 4-1 scoop, 40lb danforth with 30ft chain im going to add 30 more ft of chain this week, even though ive never had problems in the past. this system has held me in 60kt winds for almost 3 days (i did have a clay bottom though) the new windlass i added to my h35.5 makes anchoring great. i cant wait to head south and be able to dive down and actually check my anchor set.
Desolation - B.C.
You can stern tie within 30 feet of shore, and you’d better have over 200 feet of anchor line to put out front. Scope? About 1 : 7 (notice the reversal here). Difficult to set anchor because it’s all rock (like basalt). But stays once it’s caught.
You can stern tie within 30 feet of shore, and you’d better have over 200 feet of anchor line to put out front. Scope? About 1 : 7 (notice the reversal here). Difficult to set anchor because it’s all rock (like basalt). But stays once it’s caught.
shivers
Paul and Michael's stories give me the shivers. Being a spoiled Californian, I try never to set the hook with more than 25 feet under the keel. This has worked for me here in the SF bay silt, all down the coast and in Baja. I'm using a 20 kilo bruce with 200' of 5/16" BBB chain. I figure that's enough to give me a good night's sleep in anything up to 50 feet of water, and I can't imagine sleeping anywhere deeper. I carry three spare rodes: one with 50' chain, one with 25' and one all nylon. Backup/stern anchor is a Guardian which I store down below in pieces.
Paul and Michael's stories give me the shivers. Being a spoiled Californian, I try never to set the hook with more than 25 feet under the keel. This has worked for me here in the SF bay silt, all down the coast and in Baja. I'm using a 20 kilo bruce with 200' of 5/16" BBB chain. I figure that's enough to give me a good night's sleep in anything up to 50 feet of water, and I can't imagine sleeping anywhere deeper. I carry three spare rodes: one with 50' chain, one with 25' and one all nylon. Backup/stern anchor is a Guardian which I store down below in pieces.
The deep and the dumb
There's a pier here on the Seattle waterfront where they play concerts during the summer. They've now built some other piers and things around it, but a few years back you could anchor right off the pier and see (sort of) the show. Kind of like a wet drive in movie. The god spots were pretty deep: about 90-100', but what the heck, you're only dropping the hook for a couple hours, right? I took my 35.5 there one night, dropped my Bruce and let out approx 250' of rode. Then I dropped my Fortress off the stern with all 200'. Then we watched as a few dozen boats arrived and anchored almost on top of each other (and us) including a few ski boats who had clearly never used an anchor before (another story for another day). Of course, everyone had hundreds of feet of rode out, bow and stern sets, short scope, and nor room to swing or drag. You're getting the picture. During the encore we hauled the stern anchor, which of course snagged the rode of the bow anchor set by the catamaran behind us. He pulled in his stern anchor so we could haul our stern anchor -- and his boat -- to our transom. Then we went forward to lift the bow anchor. The boat had no windlass and we had a lot of rode out so it was a long, tough job. And it got harder when we got to last 90': the anchor would not budge. We lifted, tugged, even powered the boat toward and away from the anchor at every point on the compass. No luck. We were permanently affixed to the bottom. After watching all but one boat motor away, and with the clock approaching midnight, we gave it one last try with all six of us on the bow, hauling. It moved! slowly, painfully, stopping frequently for rest, we inched it to the surface. After what seemed like forever we could see the anchor in the water... it broke the surface! And then we saw the problem: an anchor chain of at least. 5/16 was draped over the Bruce. Just then a dinghy came flying over to us and the driver asked, "Hey, did you find our chain?" Turns out he had lost his 350' of all-chain rode -- and anchor -- off his 50' ketch earlier that night when the bitter end slipped right through the windlass. The 180' of chain (90' per side hanging from our Bruce) was bar tight. They had to motor the ketch over, tie the chain to a winch, and pull one side of the chain toward them, just to slip the Bruce out of it. If I'd had my wits about me (frankly, I was too angry to see straight let alone think) I'd have claimed salvage and sold their damned tackle back to them. We had earned it. As it was, they sailed away and we did too... docking at 2am, bruised and exhausted. The moral: When you want to hear a concert, buy tickets.
There's a pier here on the Seattle waterfront where they play concerts during the summer. They've now built some other piers and things around it, but a few years back you could anchor right off the pier and see (sort of) the show. Kind of like a wet drive in movie. The god spots were pretty deep: about 90-100', but what the heck, you're only dropping the hook for a couple hours, right? I took my 35.5 there one night, dropped my Bruce and let out approx 250' of rode. Then I dropped my Fortress off the stern with all 200'. Then we watched as a few dozen boats arrived and anchored almost on top of each other (and us) including a few ski boats who had clearly never used an anchor before (another story for another day). Of course, everyone had hundreds of feet of rode out, bow and stern sets, short scope, and nor room to swing or drag. You're getting the picture. During the encore we hauled the stern anchor, which of course snagged the rode of the bow anchor set by the catamaran behind us. He pulled in his stern anchor so we could haul our stern anchor -- and his boat -- to our transom. Then we went forward to lift the bow anchor. The boat had no windlass and we had a lot of rode out so it was a long, tough job. And it got harder when we got to last 90': the anchor would not budge. We lifted, tugged, even powered the boat toward and away from the anchor at every point on the compass. No luck. We were permanently affixed to the bottom. After watching all but one boat motor away, and with the clock approaching midnight, we gave it one last try with all six of us on the bow, hauling. It moved! slowly, painfully, stopping frequently for rest, we inched it to the surface. After what seemed like forever we could see the anchor in the water... it broke the surface! And then we saw the problem: an anchor chain of at least. 5/16 was draped over the Bruce. Just then a dinghy came flying over to us and the driver asked, "Hey, did you find our chain?" Turns out he had lost his 350' of all-chain rode -- and anchor -- off his 50' ketch earlier that night when the bitter end slipped right through the windlass. The 180' of chain (90' per side hanging from our Bruce) was bar tight. They had to motor the ketch over, tie the chain to a winch, and pull one side of the chain toward them, just to slip the Bruce out of it. If I'd had my wits about me (frankly, I was too angry to see straight let alone think) I'd have claimed salvage and sold their damned tackle back to them. We had earned it. As it was, they sailed away and we did too... docking at 2am, bruised and exhausted. The moral: When you want to hear a concert, buy tickets.
Princess Louisa Inlet, British Columbia
I anchored a chartered 336 in 135 feet of water about 50 feet off shore in Princess Louisa Inlet, British Columbia. We had about 30 feet of chain and 300 feet of rode which was all out. The key was a stern line tied to a tree on shore. The anchor (a Danforth) dug into the steep slope and kept the boat off shore. The stern line kept the Danforth from sliding down the incline to the 600 foot depths that were another 100 yards out. The boat had no windlass and hauling the ground tackle from those depths was a real chore.
I anchored a chartered 336 in 135 feet of water about 50 feet off shore in Princess Louisa Inlet, British Columbia. We had about 30 feet of chain and 300 feet of rode which was all out. The key was a stern line tied to a tree on shore. The anchor (a Danforth) dug into the steep slope and kept the boat off shore. The stern line kept the Danforth from sliding down the incline to the 600 foot depths that were another 100 yards out. The boat had no windlass and hauling the ground tackle from those depths was a real chore.
Final results
Final results for the Quick quiz ending 6/19/2000: What is the deepest water you've anchored in? 39% Under 30' (119) 28% 31-49' (84) 14% 70' (43) 12% 50-69' (36)
Final results for the Quick quiz ending 6/19/2000: What is the deepest water you've anchored in? 39% Under 30' (119) 28% 31-49' (84) 14% 70' (43) 12% 50-69' (36)
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