We just returned from a fabulous three week sailing trip to Desolation Sound in British Columbia. The winds and weather were great and the scenery is unbelievable. While the anchorages are beautiful, they have a tendency to be deep and cozy. Consequently, if you put out enough rode for adequate scope, you run into swing room problems either with other boats or a rocky shore. The popular solution is to combine an anchor off the bow with a stern tie, a line running from a stern cleat to a tree or a rock on shore and maybe back again, given enough line and the desire of the skipper. The advantage of the stern tie is that it obviously keeps your swing room to a minimum. However there are several disadvantages. If you've motored into the wind to place your bow anchor and backed down, you've now tethered yourself to a lee shore with the stern line. If you put tension on it to keep swing room down to a minimum, you've added stress to the bow anchor. If the wind veers or backs 90 degrees, you're now crosswise to the wind which also stresses the ground tackle. Finally handling all that line in and out of the dinghy can be fun though we saw some interesting setups with reels mounted to stern rails to facilitate deployment and recovery of stern lines. Do you ever use a stern line? How have you liked them or had problems? Any hints for use and deployment? Do you lead your stern line back to the boat? Do you prefer another two anchor technique to limit swing room? Gary Wyngarden S/V Shibumi H335
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Two off the bow . . .but
In a tight situation that allows it, I prefet to run two off the bow - even though one anchor is to my stern. When the wind swtiches, the other anchor grabs. But, one can only do that when there is sufficient room. Southern St. Lucia anchorages doesn't permit such and so the anchor goes to the tree there.
In a tight situation that allows it, I prefet to run two off the bow - even though one anchor is to my stern. When the wind swtiches, the other anchor grabs. But, one can only do that when there is sufficient room. Southern St. Lucia anchorages doesn't permit such and so the anchor goes to the tree there.
stern line
We've often tied a stern line to a tree or a rock on shore. Agreed it can put stress on the anchor with shifting winds. But we've also generally let out a little extra scope and also played with the stern line to allow some swing into the winds reducing the stress on the anchor. Demployment is never fun and I'm curious myself to get a good method. The easiest method I've found is to lead the line back to the boat and retrieve from there if possible. Else, someone's been out in the dingy and pulled himself in with the line while stowing it in the dinghy itself until later.
We've often tied a stern line to a tree or a rock on shore. Agreed it can put stress on the anchor with shifting winds. But we've also generally let out a little extra scope and also played with the stern line to allow some swing into the winds reducing the stress on the anchor. Demployment is never fun and I'm curious myself to get a good method. The easiest method I've found is to lead the line back to the boat and retrieve from there if possible. Else, someone's been out in the dingy and pulled himself in with the line while stowing it in the dinghy itself until later.
Bahamian Moor
Hi Gary, Hope I've got that name right. Anyway, one off the bow, one off the stern. I like scope to be around 7 to one, with 6 to one minimum for overnights. When the wind if off the shore, I drive toward it and drop a stern anchor when the depth hits around 20 feet. I continue on until all 250 feet are out, and then drop the bow anchor. I am usually in about 8 to 10 feet of water at that point, and have used the boat's momentum to set the rear anchor. Then, I just pull in line from the aft anchor, which allows the forward anchor line to play out. When I reach a point with about 175 feet on each end, I back down in reverse to set the forward anchor. It usually results with a very good set and minimal swing. I use two danforths and 15 feet of chain on each. Bottom is usually mud. Hope this helps - and by the way, great article in in Sail a few months back - the one about boat ownership. Right on the money. Rob
Hi Gary, Hope I've got that name right. Anyway, one off the bow, one off the stern. I like scope to be around 7 to one, with 6 to one minimum for overnights. When the wind if off the shore, I drive toward it and drop a stern anchor when the depth hits around 20 feet. I continue on until all 250 feet are out, and then drop the bow anchor. I am usually in about 8 to 10 feet of water at that point, and have used the boat's momentum to set the rear anchor. Then, I just pull in line from the aft anchor, which allows the forward anchor line to play out. When I reach a point with about 175 feet on each end, I back down in reverse to set the forward anchor. It usually results with a very good set and minimal swing. I use two danforths and 15 feet of chain on each. Bottom is usually mud. Hope this helps - and by the way, great article in in Sail a few months back - the one about boat ownership. Right on the money. Rob
Complicated solution but it works for me
Here in Maine anchorages tend to be tight and are often deep and rocky. We also have more than ten foot tidal changes so scope is an issue- if you set at high you swing at low. If you set at low you may find yourself without adequate scope at high. If I'm going ashore to walk or shop, I just set the best I can and forget about it. If I am going to leave the boat for a while, or sleep - especially if I'm going to be moored for a few days I do this more complicated version. I carry three anchors on my boat. A big Bruce and a 22 pound Danforth (25 foot boat). I also carry a light danforth a usually carry in the Zodiac. I'll hang the boat from the Bruce on a small short scope. Then I'll take the Danforth in the dinghy out about sixty degrees to the wind in the direction I expect the wind to shift. If I don't konw, I'll set it 180 degrees to the wind. Then I take a six inch loop of polished stainless over the bitter end of both rodes. The loop has a line tied to it long enough to hit the bottom. Then I shackle the small Danforth to the loop on about a foot of line. Really - this is faster to do than to read. So, I lower the loop down over both rodes with the Danforth hanging from it ready to set. When it gets to the bottom I reset the two anchor rodes out about three feet, but the trick is I lay slack so the boat fall back on the system, setting the little Danforth. The result is a moor similar to what Champan's recommends - two anchors so I'm protected as I swing but with limited swing because of the centering effect of the loop. Nuts? Maybe. But it takes three minutes and I sleep well. Justin - O'day Owners' Web
Here in Maine anchorages tend to be tight and are often deep and rocky. We also have more than ten foot tidal changes so scope is an issue- if you set at high you swing at low. If you set at low you may find yourself without adequate scope at high. If I'm going ashore to walk or shop, I just set the best I can and forget about it. If I am going to leave the boat for a while, or sleep - especially if I'm going to be moored for a few days I do this more complicated version. I carry three anchors on my boat. A big Bruce and a 22 pound Danforth (25 foot boat). I also carry a light danforth a usually carry in the Zodiac. I'll hang the boat from the Bruce on a small short scope. Then I'll take the Danforth in the dinghy out about sixty degrees to the wind in the direction I expect the wind to shift. If I don't konw, I'll set it 180 degrees to the wind. Then I take a six inch loop of polished stainless over the bitter end of both rodes. The loop has a line tied to it long enough to hit the bottom. Then I shackle the small Danforth to the loop on about a foot of line. Really - this is faster to do than to read. So, I lower the loop down over both rodes with the Danforth hanging from it ready to set. When it gets to the bottom I reset the two anchor rodes out about three feet, but the trick is I lay slack so the boat fall back on the system, setting the little Danforth. The result is a moor similar to what Champan's recommends - two anchors so I'm protected as I swing but with limited swing because of the centering effect of the loop. Nuts? Maybe. But it takes three minutes and I sleep well. Justin - O'day Owners' Web
? for salt water sailors. When you use the
bow/stern anchor technique or anchor/shore style what roll does the tide play and how do you deal with it? We fresh water sail on the upper Columbia River in NE Washington and would like to make the trip to the Puget Sound and lower BC. area. Thanks Ray S/V Speedy
bow/stern anchor technique or anchor/shore style what roll does the tide play and how do you deal with it? We fresh water sail on the upper Columbia River in NE Washington and would like to make the trip to the Puget Sound and lower BC. area. Thanks Ray S/V Speedy
Tides
Ray, We sit by the anchor rode and let some out every few minutes while the tide is coming in, and pull a little in when it is going out...OK, really, we just allow for the maximum range of the tide during the time we are at anchor. In the bay area here, that range can be up to about an 8' range on larger tides. So set your scope as if the tide were at the highest and you won't drift off very far as it falls and your scope will be right if it is rising. Dan Jonas (S/V Feije)
Ray, We sit by the anchor rode and let some out every few minutes while the tide is coming in, and pull a little in when it is going out...OK, really, we just allow for the maximum range of the tide during the time we are at anchor. In the bay area here, that range can be up to about an 8' range on larger tides. So set your scope as if the tide were at the highest and you won't drift off very far as it falls and your scope will be right if it is rising. Dan Jonas (S/V Feije)
I have no advice to give
But I once tried a stern tie in Squirrel Cove while singlehanding my Passage 42. Suffice it to say, two hours later I was exhausted, in all those conditions you describe, and the object of much amusement within the anchorage.
But I once tried a stern tie in Squirrel Cove while singlehanding my Passage 42. Suffice it to say, two hours later I was exhausted, in all those conditions you describe, and the object of much amusement within the anchorage.
Effect of Tides on Stern Lines
Ray, Another thing to watch out for on stern lines if you tie them off on shore is indeed the state of the tide. Since our tidal ranges up here can get to ten feet and more, retrieval of the tied off stern line can become an issue. If you tie off to a tree at high tide and need to release at low tide, you may find your knot ten feet up in a tree and out of reach. Conversely if you tie off at low tide and need to retrieve at high tide, you may find your knot ten feet under water. This is a good reason for leading the stern line back to the boat if you have enough line (be sure to chafe protect on shore). Otherwise you may find that being tied off without considering the tide may leave you fit to be tied or at the least teed off (forgive me!). Gary Wyngarden S/V Shibumi H335
Ray, Another thing to watch out for on stern lines if you tie them off on shore is indeed the state of the tide. Since our tidal ranges up here can get to ten feet and more, retrieval of the tied off stern line can become an issue. If you tie off to a tree at high tide and need to release at low tide, you may find your knot ten feet up in a tree and out of reach. Conversely if you tie off at low tide and need to retrieve at high tide, you may find your knot ten feet under water. This is a good reason for leading the stern line back to the boat if you have enough line (be sure to chafe protect on shore). Otherwise you may find that being tied off without considering the tide may leave you fit to be tied or at the least teed off (forgive me!). Gary Wyngarden S/V Shibumi H335
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