Dropping anchor w/ no motor

[Benny]

Anchoring of the stern is ok when deploying

a secondary anchor. I keep a 35 lbs plow on a roller at the bow and an emergency/lunch hook in the stern locker. If anchoring for the night or in rough waters I do not want to mess with the stern anchor. The process of anchoring wether by wind or motor is not a race against time. This is not a roping competition in a rodeo. In some dubious holdings it may take 1/2 hour of observation and checking the hold and the angle of the rode before I can relax and crack a beer. Better now than at 3:00 AM under a thunderstorm. It's amazing how my luck improves when I take the time to do things right.

 

[Fred]

Cap'n Jim, anchoring off the stern

is not a "disaster waitin to happen". If the wind or waves come up you can easily move the rode to the bow. As to swing, a boat anchored by the stern swings the same as the other boats, just pointing the other way.I hope we will be anchored with enough room so our circle of swing won't intersect anyone else. When there is no wind and weak current, boats will drift all over the place.If the anchor is set from the stern, the force exerted on the anchor as the boat goes in the direction it goes most easily is much greater than in reverse. That means the anchor sets better and quicker.I anchor from either end of the boat depending on inclination and conditions. I've done it for around 30 years on all kinds of boats. Sometimes the anchor sets first time, and sometimes it doesn't. If anything, my experience suggests that an anchor is more likely to set well off the stern than off the bow. Most of the time, it's more comfortable to move the rode to the bow after setting.In hot, calm weather, I like the breeze into the cabin, so I leave her anchored by the stern, and I swing with the other boats, except the pointed end is in the other direction.

 

[Ben16737]

Nothing like an anchoring post....

to get the keyboards out there moving! I should have remembered that before I started one and then ignored the internet all weekend.Thanks for all the input. Some of the details are overkill for the type and amount of anchoring that I currently do, but it's worthwhile info to remember anyway. I will someday either buy a bigger boat to weekend/cruise in, or I'm going to get caught out in unexpected weather in my current boat.The only place that I've anchored in is the Patuxent, outside of Solomons, and once in the Chesapeake bay itself (wanted to take a lunch break, so just lowered sails and dropped hook). So far, it's been easy, but I've never anchored in more than 10kts of wind. I do know that my Danforth, with about 6 ft of chain, bites into sand quickly and holds against tidal currents with no problem. Saurer, I'll bear what you said about leafy bottoms if I ever anchor farther into a creek instead of open water.