Singlehanded anchoring strategies

[Stu Jackson]

Here on the Wet Coast, if you put out even 5:1, you'd hit every boat in the bay.

Similar to the "Ferries" discussion this week, druid, I think we have to be very careful of how we say what we say.

You say: "Here on the west coast."

Well, that's simply NOT true here in San Francisco, and I think we're still on the west coast. I have never had swinging room porblems in any anchorage in The Bay, the Delta or Drake's Bay or Half Moon Bay.

I think what you mean to say is "Here in the Pacific Northwest." Or maybe even specifically in your anchorages, because Montague Harbor is huge, as is Bedwell/Poets Cove in the Gulf Islands.

I don't want those east coast guys thinking we're all packed in like sardines.

Ooops! If they learn we have anchor swinging room they'll all come and move out here! Oh, no!!!

 

[Rick Webb]

Were it Me

I'd get a Fortress anchor and about ten feet of chain. Make sure the Fortress has the mud flaps on it. It is all sand or soft mud around there the Fortress works great in that and is way lighter than other anchors.

 

[Don12364]

mcaswell - your answer

This would be ideal, but how do you (or can you) do this with a chain/nylon rode? I would have chain running across the deck when dropping or weighing the anchor on the bow with the rode led back to the cockpit.

My rode was 10 m (33 feet) of chain and then nylon.
First time I did this the anchorage was so tight there seemed no other way to drop exactly where I wanted so I just pulled the 5/16" chain along the fiberglass non slip deck. It sounded terrible both laying it out and when dropping. Anyway the anchoring was successful and, on inspection, it left no marks whatsoever.
So I carried on doing it this way and after a further 15 years there was still no evidence of damage. I guess I must have used this technique 30 or 40 times over that period, eventually preferring it even when crewed because it was more reliable and the anchor went down just where needed. Of course the boat needs to be moving gently aft as with other techniques.
Doesn't say much for my crews though!

You could try it just the once and see for yourself.

 

[druid]

Similar to the "Ferries" discussion this week, druid, I think we have to be very careful of how we say what we say.

You say: "Here on the west coast."

Well, that's simply NOT true here in San Francisco, and I think we're still on the west coast. I have never had swinging room porblems in any anchorage in The Bay, the Delta or Drake's Bay or Half Moon Bay.

I think what you mean to say is "Here in the Pacific Northwest." Or maybe even specifically in your anchorages, because Montague Harbor is huge, as is Bedwell/Poets Cove in the Gulf Islands.!

Well, first, I said "the WET Coast", so I'm not sure Calif qualifies... Second, the "Pacific Northwest" of Canada is Haida Gwai, Stewart... I'm actually in the "Pacific Southwest". Pacific Yachting had a discussion about this - there was no conclusion, but one suggestion was "Pacific Northeast" because it's the Northeast corner of the Pacific Ocean. And PLEASE don't suggest "Salish Sea": It's not a sea and there's no such native tribe as "Salish".

As for Montegue and Bedwell - Yes, there is usually swinging room in Bedwell, although not in the more protected places. But on a sunny long weekend in Montegue, there's NO swinging room, even though the bay is huge.

druid

 

[Stu Jackson]

Ah, yes, Druid, you did say WET, I'm sorry. You're right, too, that you're in the PSW coast of your lovely country. My in-laws live on Vancouver Island mid-way between Nanaimo and Victoria, so I know the waters well. Damn engineers - we urge specificity but haven't yet learned to READ!

One other question": What's a sunny long weekend?

 

[shemandr]

I like my friend Andy's technique when he couldn't start his motor and was doing 6 knots toward a beach downwind. He threw the anchor over from the cockpit, squinted hard and kept his hands out of the way. No whiplash and moments later his boat was laying peacefully to the wind. His wife, however, was a no show for the evening's festivities. Sometimes anchoring isn't pretty.

 

[Hermit Scott]

I anchored twice with out a bow roller. I can't believe the boat made it 30 years with out one. Those two times were rediculously difficult. I made a bow roller.
It is a pleasure to anchor now.
Don't get rid of that chain, just use a snubber. I intended to get one, but I haven't needed it yet. I put the boat in forward walk forward and start hauling in the rode and then chain. If the boat starts going the wrong direction to haul it in easy I cleat it off, put the boat in nuetral and let the wind take me back. I then repeat the process but with less rode/chain to pull in. I do pull the chain vertical, and I have been able just to hold it and the boats motion breaks it free.
If it was really crazy wind/wave action I would want one of those chain snubbers. The chain snubbers are made to be failsafe, holding the chain in a caputered area.
The key is you have to have some way to snub the rope AND the chain at any point you are hauling it in, which MaineSail covers. Not too long ago these guys schooled me on how to deploy and retrieve ground tackle alone.

MS-you say 1:1, but isn't that a 45 degree angle at 1:1??? Vertical is infinite slope or really undefined since you divide by zero. Isn't it 1:0 when you are directly over the anchor? Sorry if I am just being stupid and not seeing this right, sometimes I miss obvious things.

 

[Maine Sail]

MS-you say 1:1, but isn't that a 45 degree angle at 1:1??? Vertical is infinite slope or really undefined since you divide by zero. Isn't it 1:0 when you are directly over the anchor? Sorry if I am just being stupid and not seeing this right, sometimes I miss obvious things.

Think of it as:

7 to 1, 7 feet of rode to every 1 foot of height from the bottom to the bow.

or

7 times the rode to 1 times the water depth (7:1) or 2 times rode to 1 times the water depth (2:1).

For a 10 foot bow height from the sea floor it would be 70 feet or 7:1 / 7X10=70, 2:1 / 2X10=20, 1:1 / 1X10=10

1:0 would put you on a ledge because you can't have less rode than the water depth without being hard aground..

1:1 would be equal rode to the bow height from the bottom or vertical...

1 times the rode to 1 times the depth from the bow chock...

 

[Bill1565]

Getting back to Michael, sooner or later you have to pull up the 20 feet of chain. If you do it while the boat is coasting forward from either an engine pulse or from pulling in the rope rode, soon you will reach Maine's 1:1 and be over the anchor. Cleat the chain and let the boat's momentum pull the anchor out. Looking down, you can see the wake that the chain leaves after the anchor come out. Then you can pull up the 1:1 chain, get the anchor on deck and stroll back to take command of your boat.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Think of it as:

7 to 1, 7 feet of rode to every 1 foot of height from the bottom to the bow.

or

7 times the rode to 1 times the water depth (7:1) or 2 times rode to 1 times the water depth (2:1).

For a 10 foot bow height from the sea floor it would be 70 feet or 7:1 / 7X10=70, 2:1 / 2X10=20, 1:1 / 1X10=10

1:0 would put you on a ledge because you can't have less rode than the water depth without being hard aground..

1:1 would be equal rode to the bow height from the bottom or vertical...

1 times the rode to 1 times the depth from the bow chock...

Thanks for clarifying that.

 

[agaliha]

Electric windlass with binnacle switch

My Beneteau 361 has a Lewmar electric windlass. I installed a secondary Up/down switch back at the helm. (This is wired in parallel to the bow switch.) I highly recommend it as a marriage/relationship saver.
Agaliha

 

[hz293]

I'm not sure why the info about retrieving the anchor hasn't included using a ball fender and a large ss ring. The rode goes through the ring and the ring is attached to a large ball fender. Of course the rode should go from the bow around the lifelines and into the cockpit where it's attached to the anchor. Drop the anchor into the water from the cockpit, the ball will float and the anchor will go to the bottom. Let out as much scope as needed.

When you want to weigh anchor, drive forward at about 30 degrees and the anchor will break loose and ride up the ball fender. Pull the ball and rode in with your floating anchor and pull it all on board. No going up forward where it's dangerous or breaking your back.

For more info check out http://www.ironwoodpacific.com/products/anchoring_mooring/anchorring.htm There are others but this is just to give you an idea.

Harris