Are you comfortable sleeping "while on the hook"?

[Guest]

Ground tackle

Terry, Based on your experience I am more than adequately supplied for ground tackle. Others may assert that you have been lucky but you have not blown ashore so your system must be adequate.

Hi Ross, it works for us. Some could say it is luck, but I trust the Danforth to hold and reset as needed and it has performed well over the years. Once I set the anchor hard I let the kellet slide down to the rope/chain shackle. That twenty pound lead ball has made a huge difference in our anchoring system. Many years ago an old salt gave me the tip. He said it was known as a sailor's sleeping pill.

BTW, that time in Cocktail Cover, the next day when it was time to set sail, the Danforth was set so deep it took almost everything to get it loose. During the night it was very noisy with the wind howling through the rigging, the boat was sailing and rocking all over the place due to the high gusty winds and I was worried the anchor would drag so frequent anchor checks during the night.

Terry Cox

 

[Ross]

Re: Ground tackle

Terry, I believe that an anchor will dig deeper if set on a long scope with plenty of heavy chain and can break out on a short scope and small chain.

 

[NotCook]

We have (2) 75 pound Bruce, with 400 feet of 1/2" chain each, and in reserve a 150# fisherman with a deck crain. Like JohnH, I generally sleep well on the hook, unless of course, like Higgs, it is really blowing, then I hear every little sound and it tends to keep me awake. I find it amazing that in 15 kt winds, the anchor chain will still be hanging straight down. But, in a big blow, we put a snubber on it to reduce the shock if we are getting 3-4' waves bouncing all 79,000 pounds of us around and pulling the chain tight. I have had 3 nights in particular in the last 6 years on Lake Erie where we had to weigh anchor in the middle of the night and move to a more sheltered area when the winds shifted around contrary to the forecast, and we felt it was better to move than try to ride it out. I don't like those nights. Tonight, I wouldn't want to be anchored out on Lake Erie. Here is the current forecast:

"Overnight: West gales to 40 knots. Rain showers and scattered thunderstorms. Waves 13 to 17 feet. Tuesday, West gales to 40 knots becoming northwest to 30 knots in the afternoon. Rain showers and scattered thunderstorms. A chance of waterspouts. Waves 13 to 17 feet subsiding to 8 to 11 feet."

I would not be sleeping AT ALL in that!

 

[Hermit Scott]

I have only anchored twice. The first time was with a 33lb. claw. It dug in the first time with out backng down. But was difficult to retrieve with no bow roller in high winds. The second time we anchored was up wind of an oil rig to fish. It took 4 trys to set the danforth.
The week I receive the dinghy I purchased from a guy on here, we are going to anchor out overnight. I will use the claw on a bow roller. I have an anchor alarm to offset my amature anchoring.
I have a Catalina 30, 10,200 lbs. dry. 30' of 5/16" chain and 125 feet of 1/2" double braid nylon. We will be anchoring in no more than 15' of water. I doubt I will sleep much.

 

[Ross]

Hermit, 15 feet of water plus 4 feet of boat to the water is 19, times 7 equals 133 feet of rode.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Sometimes I just don't understand

I have a Catalina 30, 10,200 lbs. dry. 30' of 5/16" chain and 125 feet of 1/2" double braid nylon. We will be anchoring in no more than 15' of water. I doubt I will sleep much.

hermit, there is NO rule that says you have to do your third anchoring overnight.

Remember the suggestions everyone here has given you about docking, tying up your boat, reefing, raising sail, and everything else involved with a boat?

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

So, instead of staying up all night worrying, why not spend a day anchoring and hauling. Learning all the stuff that's in the books. And if you haven't gotten the books yet, AND if you haven't gotten the WM catalog, try this:

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...visor/10001/-1/10001/Anchoring-Techniques.htm

and this:

http://www.boatus.com/boattech/TipAnchoring.htm

That's all you need to know how to do it.

What YOU need to do is practice, rather than worrying all night.

Then you can sleep well.

 

[MoonSailer]

http://www.irbs.com/bowditch/

Here is a great reference for free online. I guess you can download it into your laptop and take it on the boat.
There really is no substitute for experience!!!!! Reading takes the edge off of learning the hard way (experience) but reading about selecting an anchorage and anchoring is not the same as doing it yourself.
ALWAYS attach a float line to your anchor for easier retrieval when it fouls on something or simply digs too deep into the bottom.

 

[dserrell]

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