Marking anchor rode

Dec 28, 2015
1,837
Laser, Hunter H30 Cherubini Tacoma
Could someone please explain how marking every 25 feet actually helps?

If you anchor in 20 feet, and have 5 feet from your bow to the water, that's 25 feet, so 100 feet of combined rode deployed is 100 / 25 = 4:1. What do the extra 25 foot markers between the anchor and the first 100 feet do for you?
They signify the first 100ft you don’t need to count I guess. I have 80ft of chain that isn’t marked and my first mark starts at 100 (80ft of chain and 20ft of rode) then 25 and 100 increments after.
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,400
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
Could someone please explain how marking every 25 feet actually helps?...
I sort of agree, but just so you know...

I anchored in 4' of water last night. That has never been unusual for me. Locally, tide is about 1'. Allowing for 5:1 scope and 3 feel of freeboard, that's 40 feet. I use a snubber (bridle) that extends about 15' forward, so if I attach at the 25' mark, that's 5:1 scope. Often I use a bit more, but often less than 50'. In this case, the winds were light and swirling, and the space was tight. This includes my previous, larger cruising cat. Most years I never reached 100'.

So everyone is different. I find too many emphatic "this is how it should be done" statements in anchor threads. What type of marker is just one topic. I've used pretty much every type suggested, and they all worked. I have my favorites, but I'm stayin' out of it.
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
You could mark the first 60 feet in fathoms, for tradition's sake: 18', 24', 30', 36', 42', 48', 54', 60'. Use corresponding colors : red, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, white. Then, at the 7:1 marks (or 3:1 for chain, etc.) for each, put a double color mark that matches.

When you initially drop the anchor, you note the nearest color above the bow and feed out until you get to the matching double mark.

-Will
 
  • Like
Likes: Parsons
Mar 26, 2011
3,400
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
I never marked the rode on my first (27') boat. I'd do the math in my head and then pull the rope out of the locker in fathoms (arm span). Marking the rope did not occur to me, since fathoms was so simple. Typically I needed 5-10 before attaching the bridle, so it took only seconds, and I wanted to get the bridle on BEFORE the boat drifted back.
 
Oct 29, 2016
1,915
Hunter 41 DS Port Huron
You could always run your rode through this
 
Jan 19, 2010
1,169
Catalina 34 Casco Bay
My first marking is at 100' ( 3/4 of my chain).. I never anchor in less than 10' of mean low tide water. That becomes 20' on a ten foot tide. 5:1 with all chain on a 45lb CQR has never failed. After the 100'' is out I know I have 50' fo chain left before the rode becomes line.. Then there is 350' that is marked every 10'.
 
Oct 29, 2016
1,915
Hunter 41 DS Port Huron
And from the times I have seen them used, measuring by hand is faster, easier, and accurate enough.
Oh undoubtedly, just wanted to throw that out there, there is also some hall effect sensors connected to a counter display that the rode could be wound onto a roller and a magnet drilled into the roller, then calculated each count on the display as x number of feet, lots of ways to skin the cat as they say.....
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,400
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
Oh undoubtedly, just wanted to throw that out there, there is also some hall effect sensors connected to a counter display that the rode could be wound onto a roller and a magnet drilled into the roller, then calculated each count on the display as x number of feet, lots of ways to skin the cat as they say.....
Most of the time I sail with the electronics turned off. The cell phone stays in the pack. Just not interested in more digital data that I don't need. Sailing is about the senses.
 
Mar 6, 2008
1,078
Catalina 1999 C36 MKII #1787 Coyote Point Marina, CA.
I cut strips from old jib and wove through the rode and marked with permanent marker.
 
  • Like
Likes: Ward H

dLj

.
Mar 23, 2017
3,373
Belliure 41 Sailing back to the Chesapeake
I'm running all chain rode. The first 10 feet of chain is painted white. I have 6 feet of draft, and roughly 4 feet from bow sprit to water. so with 10 feet of white chain, I know I've lifted my anchor from the bottom - depending upon water depth likely well before that mark. I have painted marks every 50 feet after that. I think with 50 foot marks on my chain, I'm in good stead to figure what my scope is, depending upon water depth of course. I personally don't like to anchor with less than 5:1 scope. I know folk are looking at 3:1 scopes but that makes me nervous. In Cap'n Fatty Goodlander's book "Creative Anchoring", he says, you need to use 5:1, 7:1 and 10:1, depending upon anchoring needs. Knight's Modern Seamanship also agrees with the 5:1 and 7:1 and then has tables to calculate for storms based on chain strength, but the 10:1 is not unreasonable.

I guess you could put 25 foot marks, but do you need that tight of a scope measurement?

dj
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,760
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
I sort of agree, but just so you know...

.............................................

So everyone is different. I find too many emphatic "this is how it should be done" statements in anchor threads. What type of marker is just one topic. I've used pretty much every type suggested, and they all worked. I have my favorites, but I'm stayin' out of it.
You might want to return to my original comments which was quoted. I asked a question, I did NOT do a ""this is how it should be done statement" in any way.

I fully understand different horses for courses. I started out in a Catalina 22 swing keel (always down when on the boat), so like one of the respondents. We up-sized to a Catalina 25 with 5' draft, and anchored in many of the same 20 foot depth places. Then we bought this boat in 1998. When back in San Francisco we anchored in all the same spots.

Then we moved in 2016 to British Columbia, with tremendously larger tidal differences. Same boat, same draft, same anchor gear.

My question has still not been answered.

What do the extra 25 foot markers between the anchor and the first 100 feet do for you?
 
May 17, 2004
5,028
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
You might want to return to my original comments which was quoted. I asked a question, I did NOT do a ""this is how it should be done statement" in any way.

I fully understand different horses for courses. I started out in a Catalina 22 swing keel (always down when on the boat), so like one of the respondents. We up-sized to a Catalina 25 with 5' draft, and anchored in many of the same 20 foot depth places. Then we bought this boat in 1998. When back in San Francisco we anchored in all the same spots.

Then we moved in 2016 to British Columbia, with tremendously larger tidal differences. Same boat, same draft, same anchor gear.

My question has still not been answered.
The OP has a 25’ boat in New Jersey. Here’s a chart of an example New Jersey anchorage:
1622510180098.png


Those depths are in feet, and the typical tide is about 1’. At 3’ freeboard the OP might never even see the 100’ mark on the rode.
 
  • Wow
Likes: sailme88
Jan 19, 2010
1,169
Catalina 34 Casco Bay
The OP has a 25’ boat in New Jersey. Here’s a chart of an example New Jersey anchorage:
View attachment 194740

Those depths are in feet, and the typical tide is about 1’. At 3’ freeboard the OP might never even see the 100’ mark on the rode.
Those are waters that I'd never drop the hook in...the 10 depths have surrounding shoals that the swing would most likely take you into...
 
May 17, 2004
5,028
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
Those are waters that I'd never drop the hook in...the 10 depths have surrounding shoals that the swing would most likely take you into...
Hard to capture the scale from a screenshot, but the anchorage (where the depth shows as 4-7 feet) is about a mile north/south and 2/3rd mile east/west. Most of the 4’ sections are really about 5.5” until you get closer to shore. On a busy summer weekend there are a couple hundred boats anchored there, which thins to about 40 overnight. The only places on the bay that are 10+ feet are far from any land and have no protection.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,992
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Anchoring space, depth, and boat specifications are so dependent on the waters you cruise.
With some areas around the PacificNW 50 feet is near shore.

Here is an example East Sound- Orcas Isand in the San Juan Archipelago.
The depths are in Fathoms. 5-9 fathoms 30-54 ft at Mean Lower Low Water.
EastSound ORCAS Isl.JPG


Granted there can be a 10 ft tidal change, but great spot to hide from Northerlies.
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,400
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
Those are waters that I'd never drop the hook in...the 10 depths have surrounding shoals that the swing would most likely take you into...
Then you would never sail the mid-Atlantic, or rather, you would miss a lot. Remember, there's not much swing when you only have 50' of rode out.

Different boats, different long splices, and even with my cruising cat, I would have felt those soundings looked just fine.
 

Ward H

.
Nov 7, 2011
3,645
Catalina 30 Mk II Barnegat, NJ
Hard to capture the scale from a screenshot, but the anchorage (where the depth shows as 4-7 feet) is about a mile north/south and 2/3rd mile east/west. Most of the 4’ sections are really about 5.5” until you get closer to shore. On a busy summer weekend there are a couple hundred boats anchored there, which thins to about 40 overnight. The only places on the bay that are 10+ feet are far from any land and have no protection.
Yep, I use a quieter anchorage in the southern part of the bay, Conklin's Island. With my freeboard and 6-7' depth I use 70' for 7-1 scope. The bay is shallow enough and depths are gradual enough swinging into water less than my draft is not an issue.

My rhode is marked with purchased 30' markers. The 90' marker has never been wet.

I sailed 15 miles north and then back south on the bay today. Only depth I noticed over 10 or 12' was at the channel leading to the inlet. It can get plenty deep in that channel. I've seen spots 20' deep.
 
  • Like
Likes: jssailem