Will be anchoring in Columbia river Portland /Vancouver area and within a day or two east or west. The bought I bought is a Hunter 27 with 20 feet of chain and and84 feet of line. So as long as I am in 10-30 feet of water, I should be fine right??? Also have rear anchor that is all line and no chain.
Anchoring
- Thread starter Bigjer40
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in my opinion you have enough length to anchor in the columbia.... probably up to about 20ft of water. not much more....
the bottom in most anyplace you will be anchoring is a sandy mud and as long as you stay out of the current you should be fine....and the current can be strong at times. but you will eventually want more rode for deeper water. remember the 5 to 1 minimum scope, and more is usually better, but if you actually need much more than 7 to 1 your anchorage isnt that great.... but sometimes thats all there is available...
the bottom in most anyplace you will be anchoring is a sandy mud and as long as you stay out of the current you should be fine....and the current can be strong at times. but you will eventually want more rode for deeper water. remember the 5 to 1 minimum scope, and more is usually better, but if you actually need much more than 7 to 1 your anchorage isnt that great.... but sometimes thats all there is available...
I agree that you probably need more rode to face every eventuality, but adding more chain will reduce the scope needed. If all chain, 3 to 1 is often enough. And in you calculation of scope needed, don't forget that the measurement is from deck height to the bottom, not just water depth !
I agree with the assessment that you are good for depths up to 20 feet. I have never anchored in the Columbia but my experience from the Sacramento/San Jouquin delta is that once the anchor is set strong currents are not as big a problem as when the tide reverses them. That is the most hazardous time, especially in a wind as frequently the boat will start dancing around at anchor.
I will usually set an alarm and stand an anchor watch during the reversal of the current. That does not apply if we are bow to a bank with a stern anchor out. The good news is it amazing how short a time slack lasts.
I will usually set an alarm and stand an anchor watch during the reversal of the current. That does not apply if we are bow to a bank with a stern anchor out. The good news is it amazing how short a time slack lasts.
Thanks all, I plan on a new set up soon but need a few paycheck's due to other projects. Anyone on here familiar with the Columbia? I know we are affected by the tide but not sure if it affects anchoring much.
Our home sailing area is the Columbia River centered on Portland and ranging up and down river from there. One thing you will definately want to add is an anchor off the back to keep your boat oriented with the current, which runs from 1.5 to 3 knots, depending upon the time of year. We use a drogue chute. It is very common around here to have the wind opposing the current, which can make your boat try to sail upstream ahead of the anchor and chafe the rode against the keel, which can lead to getting the rode tangled up in the keel and rudder, or the keel sawing your rode in half.
Every one talks about the desired 5:1 anchoring scope but I wonder how many really meticulously measure their scope. I honestly do not know what is the best angle of pull for our 35lbs CQR. I guess whatever the weight of the 30 ft chain provides. My rode is also not marked so any attempt to attain any specific scope would be at best a wild approximation. To make sure I include the deck height to water distance would just be just another joke. What I do is that I anchor according to the weather and bottom holding conditions. The tension on the rode is what advises me to let out additional scope or not. I many years of experience I have had but a handful of anchor dragging events and most attributable to poor holding conditions.
In my years, I was always told 7 feet of line to 1 foot of depth and that would include the height of the boat from the water line up to the deck too. In stronger winds and current for example anchoring out for hurricanes in North Carolina, I added heavier anchors, longer chain and went to 14 feet per 1 foot depth with two anchors, one to the east and one to the south making sure the swing did not hit other boats nearby.
Don't forget to use chafe gear where the line goes over the boat in heavy wind.
Don't forget to use chafe gear where the line goes over the boat in heavy wind.
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