My first night on the hook

[JerryA]

I spent my first night on the anchor this past Saturday evening. I've spent several nights at the dock, but this was definitely different. It was fun and a little scary. I had chosen to anchor in a cove on the North side of Kelly's Island, Lake Erie. You locals know where I'm talking. The wind had all but disappeared by evening and I had to tie off the anchor to one of the stern cleats to prevent "Purr'n" from wallowing in the slow swells. I read that here on the forum, and it works! About 1am the wind picked up and I had 2 foot waves and faster swells. I released the anchor from the stern cleat... I already had it tied to the bow cleat earlier with extra rode going back to the stern. "Purr'n turned around and pointed into the wind. She rode much better like that, as expected. It was still an uneasy night, and I got little sleep in my Precision 23. It wasn't all that bad, just a small fear of the unknown. I kept checking my two reference points through the night to make sure I wasn't going anywhere. I presume that one can hear or feel an anchor drag, but I wasn't sure having never experienced it. It held. I was in 21 foot of water and had out about 135 foot of which 15 foot is chain. So I have a question, does in get any easier after you do it a few times? Is there any small secrets that would make the boat ride better at anchor when it gets breezy. I definitely want to do this again, but I'd like to have a better time next time.JerryA

 

[Bob V]

More chain

You should have at least your boat length of chain and more is better. You did not say what anchor you are using but if you really want to sleep soundly, check out some of the new generation anchors reviewed by Sail magazine and others. I just ordered a Rocna anchor as an upgrade from my Bruce. Also use a slightly larger anchor than recommended if you can.

 

[Frank]

Every night is different at the north side of Kell

Jerry,Check the weather forcast and if they are calling for winds from the NW, N or NE you will spend the night rocking. You said you were in 21 feet, thats a ways out. You could easily get in to 15 feet without a problem. Wait till you get SW,W,SE and you will have a gentle night. I just love anchoring at Kelly's but if it gets rough leave for School House point on Middle Bass or tuck into Put in Bay.

 

[Ross]

The secret is in the chain. Use as large a chain

as you can handle and as much as you can haul in by hand. In my case 30 feet of 3/8 and a 35 pound CQR. 30 foot boat and I sleep the sleep of the rightous.

 

[Maine Sail]

Sounds like..

Sounds like you did your homework and you had plenty of scope and a good set. My only advice would be to pay attention to the predicted weather & wind direction before you pick your over night spot. I also echo at least a boat length of chain but beyond that properly setting the anchor is what will really help give you a good nights sleep. If you truly back down with the full throttle thrust of your motor and the anchor does not budge and the rode stretches and snaps you back a boat length or two you'll sleep more soundly. If it ever gets uncomfortable letting out more scope is never a bad thing unless it's a very crowded anchorage.

 

[JerryA]

Thanks Frank

Frank,Thanks for the advice, I'll remember that. Your right about getting in closer. I could have been in closer to shore but I was playing it safe, first time and all. There was a powerboat in closer to shore about my size, but if his light dancing around was any indication, he was having just as much fun. Looking at the chart, maybe I should have anchored over toward the East side of the cove instead. There were a couple of sailboats over there. I'll have to try it again when the winds are more from the South.Thanks,JerryA

 

[JerryA]

More Chain

Bob, Ross & MaineSail,More chain makes sense to me. I've never heard the "boats length" reference though, but that will be easy to remedy. Another ten feet would fix that. I've got a Danforth type anchor because it fits the locker, but I've been thinking of getting a second anchor to store below. It probably doesn't need to be a shiny polished stainless thing, but something in addition to what I have now.Thanks,JerryA

 

[Steve Dion]

Anchor type can make the difference.

Jerry:While I would agree that more chain is not a bad idea, you need an anchor that matches the bottom condition. If you are anchored in weeds/grass, the danforth anchor is not a very good option. The delta, bruce or CQR make a better option in these conditions. The danforth style anchor is good in mud and sand so keep this in mind too.Check the bottom and use the anchor to match.

 

[Ross]

Jerry, Nancy and I always anchor out when

we are away from the slip. We draw 4.5 feet, more or less and have a 3 foot tidal range. so we like about 10-12 feet under us and try to find a place where the wind will be coming off the land for the night. The waves are smaller. The forecast helps but sometimes they really get it wrong. One night we anchored in the open with a forecast of 0-3 knots and got 10-15 out of the south. Giving the wind the longest fetch possible. It was a bumpy night.

 

[Ross]

Steve, in a 23 foot boat you probably don't

have very many choices for your anchor. On my boat you can have a 35 pound CQR or a 15 pound Northill. By the same token you may have white wine or red wine or tea.

 

[Mike B]

Watch your fingers!

If your going to release the anchor from the stern cleat watch your fingers. Some poor crew member lost the tip of his this past weekend when the line began to run uncontrolled and his finger was under it. Good for him they had the finger tip in the fridge and the CG was setting up a transfer so they could get him to a hospital ASAP.

 

[Benny]

An instrument that may help sleep more at ease.

A GPS with an anchor alarm. The GPS does not have to be really expensive, we actually use a handheld Garmin 48 and set the anchor alarm on a circle of twice the scope. Make sure the batteries are fresh as low batteries will also trigger an alarm. This will advice you if you have dragged anchor and moved away from your predetermined safe area. The big chartplotters almost all have anchor alarms, the probelm is that you can hardly hear them from the berth. The small handheld you can set next to you. We dragged anchor badly one night off the Florida Keys in the middle of a storm. After moving away from the lee shore and reseting anchor I sat in the cockpit for about an hour watching the chartplotter. It was raining, windy and cold and I thought of many other places I would rather be at 3:00 AM but there. Then it ocurred to me that I could do the same with the handheld inside the cabin and dry. I went below, got dried up and laid on the berth ste up the alarm and watched the coordinates until I dozed off and before I knew it was morning. Good anchoring techniques and finding adequate protection have no substitutes but there is nothing wrong with using electronic aids.

 

[Roger (Ninette Manitoba)]

2 more points

Assuming you don't have an anchor drag alarm, tie the handle of a cooking pot that sits on top of your cockpit, the line then is threaded through a handrail on the opposite side of the cabin top or through some eyelet or loop on the stern and then down to a very small weight, say 5 pounds sitting on the bottom of the lake directly under your boat. If and when your boat moves, it will drag the pot across your coach roof and onto the cockpit floor, clanging and banging as it goes... you'll wake up!Secondly, it increase your comfort, add a second light anchor about half way down the rode. It will act as a shock absorber and smooth out your ride. It does the same as more chain.

 

[Steve Dion]

Ross, you can have a delta & a danforth.

Ross:Most any boat has room for two anchors. His boat can use a 9 or 14 lb delta and will have very adequate hold power. This together with his danforth should give him the versatility that he needs.

 

[Fred]

Jerry, your question was "does it get any better?"

referring to the feeling of unease when you are the Captain of an Anchored Vessel. Captain sounds a bit pretentious, but there are few times in our modern lives when we are away from other people and really responsible for ourselves, our loved ones, the vessel, and damage that could occur by our mistakes. It makes you pay attention, even to the point of sleeping light and making your rounds in the night as necessary.My answer is that it doesn't get easy, but you learn to enjoy it. I have lived aboard and cruised for over 35 years, and I still don't sleep soundly when I'm at anchor. I'm up at least a couple of times even on a calm night. A couple of nights ago I got up to check things in the middle of a starry night, and when I pulled on the anchor rode to make sure it had set when we swung, the phospheresence was amazing. A few times I've ended up sleeping in the cockpit in a marginal situation ready to fire up the engine and pull anchor if necessary and waiting for first light to get the hell out of there. I think most sailors like the bit of self sufficiency we get when we're on our own little floating world. It ain't much, but it's mine. Well, mine and the Admiral's

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

I agree with Fred

I don't know that it gets easier but you do learn to enjoy it. We have been cruising the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior for 4 years now and we have improved our anchoring technique. I also have a lot of confindence in our ground tackle (bruce anchor and 50 ft of chain on a 40 ft boat). An eye to weather is key in picking a good spot but you always have to be prepared for change. What I do now after we put the hook down is I figure where we might have to go to if the wind switches during the night. I then plot it on the chartplotter and save the route as ESCAPE. That way I know if we have to leave in the mddle of the night we have some idea of where we are going. Although I feel more comfortable now spending the night out but it is a rare night that either I or Captain Grumpy sleep through. Actually I have come to enjoy those middle of the night/early morning forays. A few weeks ago we were anchored off Sand Island and I woke at 3 a.m.. I went topsides to see how everything was. There was a full moon sinking slowing toward the horizon and the only sounds were peaceful sounds. Water, wind and boat. I sat for a long time, doing nothing except drinking it in. So I don't sleep the night through. Big deal. I'll sleep when I'm dead. Keep doing it Jerry. It is so worth it.

 

[MoonSailer]

Always Different

We like to get into a deep cove and drop one anchor and tie to a tree on shore. But when anchored out without a nice cove everything depends upon the weather. As long as the wind comes from th esame direction it is unlikely that you will drag once the anchor is set...but wind shifts are another matter. We drug one night and we were very lucky that my wife got up to check. She didn't know what was happening. First she said "the other boats have left". I said check the gps and it said 0.4 nm and I said double check you must be reading it wrong. But no we are out in the bay drifting down wind. When I pulled up the danforth it had a big conch on it's points preventing resetting. The plow apparently was lying on it's side sliding over the grass. All of this fun happended at 4 am and the bay was still very choppy from the storm that had caused the wind shift. Never be afraid to check!!!! Before this I had always checked and we were always secure. I was being stuborn and refused to check that night. My wife saved the boat. Now if in doubt I check. If I've got to pee during the night I check.  We had one rough night near Port Saint Joe Florida. The forcast was for 10 knots from the southwest so I anchored close to shore even though the wind was from the north. I trusted the weather forcast...bad move. I had set two anchors as we were between two shallow areas. We went to sleep about 8 and woke up about midnight because of the wind. It was blowing about 20 and with several miles of fetch we had a 3-4' chop. We were swinging 15-20' from very shallow water. I started the motor but decided that trying to get up two anchors in the small area between the two shallow spots was just too risky... the wind held until about dawn and the anchors held us off of the beach. To add insult to injury the wind died as we tried to sail back to the marina and we ended up having to motor most of the day. Never believe weather forcasts!!!! My gut feeling was to go north and anchor in the lee of the mainland. But believeing the forcast led me to stay put. We had originally anchored so that we could go ashore and do the obligatory beach walk. St Joe Pennisula State park has one of the best beaches in the world. 10-12 miles completely undeveloped... If the wind forcast had been accurate staying anchored behind the pennisula would have been the best place to spend the night.  Where you anchor is more important than ground tackle!!!! Almost any anchor will hold in sticky mud...most in sand. But in rocks and grass it is always hard to anchor securely. Then if the anchor gets wedged into the rocks it might be hard to recover. My Bruce knockoff the Claw has always held even after a wind shift. I bought it after our near disaster in Andrews bay. My other anchor is the big Danforth which holds well but sometimes won't reset after a wind shift...it also is hard to set in grass. When I can see the bottom I look for a nice big patch of white sand. In our lake the bottom is almost always nice sticky mud!!!

 

[JerryA]

Weather Forecasts

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions. I'll definitely do it again and again, but I have to agree with some of the comments about the weather forecast degree of accuracy. I had checked the NOAA weather forecast earlier in the day, the afternoon, the evening and even when the wind began blowing, and even earlier in the morning. The forecast was exactly the same each time, so I can only assume that the wind was a localized event. I like the ESCAPE route idea, I had planned for a possible wind shift although I didn't really expect one. It was kind of exciting. There's a small sense of accomplishment that goes along with doing something by yourself, and learning some new tricks along the way. It was a relatively pretty night with clear skies and a partial moon. I sat in the cockpit for awhile around 3am and was awake for the sunrise, which was spectacular. It would have been better with a cup of coffee though.JerryA