Sailing while on Anchor

[Jeff Bacon]

OK, lets say we all decide to try anchoring from the stern. Now how do we actually do that? I have two hundred feet of rode in the bow with a windlass and a CQR35. Do I set the anchor from the bow first? Then I drag fifty feet of slack to the stern and connect it to a bridle? Might be possible in really benign conditions.

An excellent representation of Theory vs Practice ! Never really thought about how to do it, only that it might be a good thing to do.

You are right, Ed, actually anchoring by the stern could be a tedious event, particularly with a boat like yours without a sugar scoop stern.

So, how about a middle of the road approach ? Has anyone used the tecnique of anchoring by the bow, then bringing another line from the rode back to a midship cleat to "cock" the boat away from the wind ?

Jeff

 

[Ed Schenck]

This post was under "Ask a Hunter Owner". Wish we could get it moved to "Ask All. ." in case we are missing some good input.

 

[Jeff Bacon]

Good point. Ed. I think I'll post a link over there.

 

[RichH]

Im not a Hunter owner, but I did stay at a "Holiday Inn" last night.

Over the years, and owning many boats that 'hunt' when anchored, I discovered the 'best' overall method is to use a "bridle".

Ive tried heavier ground tackle, kellets, riding sails, anchoring from the stern, removing sails, etc. etc. etc. Nothing beats a bridle attached to the rode. A bridle is attached from an auxiliary chock or 'hawse' about 10-15% of the boats LOD 'back' from the stem on one side of the boat, then attached to the rode at the bow's center-line, and run back to an identical chock or 'hawse' on the opposite rail. To 'set' the bridle, you pull in on one side, then the other .... until (important) so that the bridle's connection (multiple rolling hitch or chain hook) is AT the waterline AND just slightly in front of the bow !!!!!!!! The rode will then have a much greater 'scope angle' and if the boat does start to 'hunt' one side of the bridle will tighten (straightening the bow to the wind) while the other side 'relaxes', all giving an 'early counter-force' to dampen the 'hunt' / sailing at anchor.

When anchored in large waves and if the boat then begins to get 'knocked around' by the oncoming waves, then an added 'riding sail' mounted to the backstay can be used to 'help' the bridle to keep the boat steady. Plus, if the wave are from a slightly different direction from the direction of the wind (coriolis effect, etc., or waves 'bending' around a land prominence, etc.) then the attachment point to the rode can be shifted to one side, etc.

 

[Scott B]

This post was under "Ask a Hunter Owner". Wish we could get it moved to "Ask All. ." in case we are missing some good input.

Can do.

 

[RichH]

Windage is a contributory cause of the 'sailing at anchor'. If your boat has a dodger, bimini, 'granny enclosure', radar antenna, windgen, etc. and all near the stern; then, anchoring from the stern will be just as bad (or worse) than anchoring from the bow.

 

[NYSail]

I hoist my riding or anchor sail and my P36-2 keeps pointed into the wind nicely. I Block Island last year with 50 knot winds almost caused problems as I was not swinging and all other boats were.

 

[RAD]

Because of high free board,bimini,dodger,etc my 32 ODay hunts in high winds so what works for me is my anchor sail

 

[Ed Schenck]

Love the bridle idea. But made of what? Do we need worry about damage to the gelcoat on the topsides? And what about my all-chain rode, anything special there?

 

[RichH]

My current bridle (for chain rode) is braided nylon with a chain hook 'middled' to it with a 'figure-of-8 knot'.

For my secondary rope rode, I use braided nylon and attach it to the anchor rode with a 4 or 5 (instead of the normally 3) wrapped 'prussik knot'. http://www.animatedknots.com/prusik/index.php or do websearch for 'prusik knot'.

Gel Chafe - you need stout chocks 'hawse hole in bulwarks', etc. to protect the 'cap rail'. I havent seen any gel chafe below.... but it does sometimes 'rub' on my bobstay and for that I use chafing gear (rubber/nylon tube over the braided) near the attachment / chain hook.

 

[Rich Stidger]

RichH,

Following this thread, my problem is that I don't have any cleats that are back 4-6 feet from the bow. Therefore I don't have any attachment points for the bridle.

Do you have cleats that far back on your boat? Did you install these especially for this bridle?

All I have are mid-ship cleats for spring lines and I imagine that they are too far aft for this use.

 

[RichH]

RichS -
On my boat I have 'hawse holes' through the bulwarks. Could be cleats, etc. on 'any' boat.

see attachment

 

[Ron20324]

I'm thinking of designing a tri sail to mount on the aft of the boom with a halyard from the top connected to the end of the boom. I'd like some suggestions on other ideas. Thanks

Sailrite makes (and has kits) for two anchor-riding sails. I have been hashing over the possibilies for a couple of days, having seen the smaller Sailrite model flown on my neioghbor's boat here at the dock. I have a Sailmagazine article that I am going by as far as square footage of the sail. For your 410, they call for a 30 to 32-square-foot sail.

 

[Mike Holibar]

Anchoring by the stern is a good method and not that difficult to accomplish. Simply set the anchor from the bow as usual, then run a line from your stern cleat to the anchor line at the bow. Pay out the anchor rode and the load will transfer from the bow the stern line, and the boat will turn stern to. When you want to recover the rode, let go the stern line from the cleat and the boat will swing head to wind. Recover the rode as usual and recover the stern line from the rode when it appears at the bow roller.
Best wishes,

 

[FastOlson]

At Anchor, here... and there....

Sailing back 'n' forth at anchor on a windy day is pretty common for all kinds of boats.
Here is good thread with some nice pix from the Ericson site.
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=2580&referrerid=28

The anchor sail attached to our backstay really does work well.

L

 

[MrBill_FLL]

I think I've got the smallest and lightest boat here, and its a huge problem in any kind of chop.

What I'm doing is setting 2 anchors at 45-90degrees. using a main and lighter danforth.

The lighter of the 2 is adjusted to reduce the 'sailing' to around 30degrees, which is a big improvement. before the boat would go to 90 degrees and really rock the boat.

sometimes I'll dingy out the lighter anchor..

 

[Maine Sail]

The affects of sailing at anchor should not be a concern until higher wind speeds are encountered such as +40 knots. If your anchor is experiencing creep in winds under 25 knots this is NOT a good sign and a clear one that your ground tackle should be addressed as well as trying to minimize the sailing.

Here are some numbers from the ABYC model for wind loads on a 36 foot sloop. This model takes sailing, yawing and pitching into account. I have physically tested this on my own boat using my digital strain gauge, up to 30+ knots, and the ABYC model is remarkably close to real world on my own vessel.

5 Knots = 27 Pounds
10 Knots = 107 Pounds
15 Knots = 241 Pounds
20 Knots = 429 Pounds
25 Knots = 671 Pounds
30 Knots = 966 Pounds
35 Knots = 1314 Pounds
40 Knots = 1717 Pounds
45 Knots = 2173 Pounds
50 Knots = 2683 Pounds
55 Knots = 3246 Pounds
60 Knots = 3863 Pounds

When I set my anchor at 80% reverse throttle it applies a load of about 500-700 pounds or roughly to winds below 25 knots. I have a rather large engine for a 36 footer, 44 HP, and a fixed three blade prop, so most engines won't develop this much reverse thrust on a boat this size. Setting the anchor hard is good practice. Remember the ABYC model above takes sailing at anchor into account. If you can drag the anchor with the engine you need to get a new anchor. If you can drag the anchor in anything under 40 knots from sailing at anchor you should strongly consider better ground tackle. My anchor does not budge even with wide open throttle applied, as it should not.

Rich is spot on and a method I have also used is to offset the bow purposely, using a bridle, which keeps it on either a port or starboard attack to the wind, kind of like heaving to. I only use this if I don't have a riding sail or solid attachment points for a bridle.

Riding sails work too. Boat design and bimini, dodger, radar pole, mast keel and their placement can all play a role in sailing at anchor. Some boats are worse than others. Our current boat does not sail at anchor much at all but previous boats have.

Anchor, Peak Loads At 17-19 Knots, 36 Foot Sloop (VIDEO LINK):

 

[DanoDano]

Sailing at Anchor

I agree with Alan.....

Last Fourth of July we were in a crowded anchorage and my 2002 356 began its usual swing. I was so concerned about adjacent boats that I was not enjoying myself at all. My son-in-law had his 21 ft. fishing boat tied alongside and I asked to borrow his small "no name" danforth.

When my boat reached the "top" of its arc swing I threw the danforth off the rear quarter of my boat and loosely held the rode. As it started to swing in the opposite direction I felt the anchor set and I put tension on the rode still holding it in my hands. The boat stopped its swing and I cleated it off on the rear quarter cleat.

The boat never moved again. I now carry a small danforth in my cockpit lazzarette and I've never had another problem. Not saying other solutions don't work.....but this certainly works for me.

 

[Chuckbear]

Next time your in an anchorage and the boat starts sailing at anchor, Take a long line and attach it to your anchor rode with a rolling hitch. Run the line aft and attach it to a stern cleat. Let out enough anchor rode to have the boat sitting on a Y with the attachment forward of midships. Let everyone know what happens. Chuck

 

[Chris Burti]

I have about ten feet of line with a loop at the end permanently attached to my bucket (some useful wisdom I learned over four decades ago). When we start sailing at anchor, I simply hook the loop to a stern cleat and drop the bucket overboard. It does a fair job of dampening the swings and doesn't require storing any extra junk aboard.