Anchoring

[Stratocaster]

Re: Anchoring

Waiting until the wind picks up to let scope out is poor seamanship.

So let me get this straight. I'm sitting in a calm anchorage on a nice sunny day, well-hooked at 5:1 scope. In the middle of the night the wind comes up. I let out enough line for 10 or 15:1 to increase my chance of staying put. That's 'poor seamanship' exactly how? I should have anchored at 15:1 on the calm summer day and had a 600 foot swinging circle? There is such a thing as anchoring etiquette.

 

[JustMrWill]

Re: Anchoring

Please don't use a chain. When we dive we really like getting free anchors (at least 4-5 per summer). Last one I found...brand new 13# danforth...with 2' of rope tied directly to it...a chain wouldn't have been cut by the rock it was next to. <br /><br />Most of what has been said is correct as a general rule of thumb...conditions will always dictate "best practices". When in doubt...more tends to be better...is losing a $50K boat to the rocks worth saving $50 on not using a chain?<br /><br />-JustMrWill

 

[ED21]

Re: Anchoring

Originally posted by wmteich:<br />How do you mark your rope to know what you let out? black marker?

You can buy plastic/vinyl strips at the boat store w/ depth numbers on them. They are inserted in the rope by untwisting it then inserting the marker.<br />Twisted anchor rope is generally considered the best to use because it stretches & tends to reduce shock loading on the equipment.<br />I'll let you decide how much chain to use.

 

[jim dozier]

Re: Anchoring

I just want to reiterate what Stratcaster said in his point #3. It is, I believe the single biggest and most common mistake that people make anchoring with fluke type anchors (most common type), perhaps even more important than scope, at least on a calm day. DON'T THROW THE ANCHOR, LOWER IT. If you throw it you have a 50% chance that it will land backwards and not set or the line or chain will wrap around it and it won't set. This is the most common reason for a poor initial set. Associated with this is that the boat should be moving slowly away from the anchor (usually reverse if off the bow) so that the anchor will grab. If the boat momentum is still running toward the anchor you may wrap the line around the anchor and foul it when you finally back up.

 

[BillP]

Re: Anchoring

Originally posted by Stratocaster:<br />

Waiting until the wind picks up to let scope out is poor seamanship.

So let me get this straight. I'm sitting in a calm anchorage on a nice sunny day, well-hooked at 5:1 scope. In the middle of the night the wind comes up. I let out enough line for 10 or 15:1 to increase my chance of staying put. That's 'poor seamanship' exactly how? I should have anchored at 15:1 on the calm summer day and had a 600 foot swinging circle? There is such a thing as anchoring etiquette.

Rarely, if EVER, does more than 10:1 scope help. If 10:1 doesn't do it the anchor is too small or wrong for the bottom. <br /><br />So you anchor short with limited holding power (or you wouldn't have to increase it later) to stay clear of other boats...what happens when you let more scope out in the middle of the night when all hexx breaks loose? This mentality gives a higher chance of hitting other boats when additional scope is set out and doing it at the worst time...darkness, windshifts and foul weather. Not exactly the best time to pull up and get to open water without snagging anchor lines either. Nope, lets just all bang our boats against each other and drag ashore together...ROTFLMAO. <br /> <br /><br />Etiquette and good seamanship?...They be called anchoring far enough away from others to be safe with a scope that doesn't have to be increased in the middle of the night. <br /><br />

 

[Stratocaster]

Re: Anchoring

Etiquette and good seamanship?...They be called anchoring far enough away from others to be safe with a scope that doesn't have to be increased in the middle of the night. <br />

Nice theory. However reality, as always, infringes on theory. You, Bill, have anchored a lot more than I have, so would know this. It just doesn't work in cheek-to-cheek anchorages. Everyone anchors on enough scope to keep them hooked in 99% of expected conditions. That's usually about 5:1. The wind comes up, any prudent boater is on anchor watch. The first thing all the boats are going to do is let out more line.

 

[BillP]

Re: Anchoring

Originally posted by Stratocaster:<br /> Nice theory. You, Bill, have anchored a lot more than I have...

Maybe a thousand nights anchored...and probably learned not to do "cheek to cheek" anchorages from doing it. I've experienced Chinese Fire Drills at midnight in tight anchorages. Too many boats drag and take others with them. The only way I know to work around in tight anchorages is to put 2-3 anchors out and be able to adjust my boat position from another boat when it drags by. If it snags a line you drop it off and ride on the other(s). Speaking from experience on that one too. I had to let 20:1 scope out on one rode and completely slack the other so the dragging boat didn't snag it. I don't do single anchors for overnight either but that's a different subject.

 

[umblecumbuz]

Re: Anchoring

Everyone else has gone.<br />Bill and Mike just carry on.<br /><br />Thanks for the info fella's. It's an education.

 

[rwidman]

Re: Anchoring

Originally posted by Stratocaster:<br /><br />To anchor:<br />1. Enter the anchorage with the wind in your face.<br />2. Check the direction other boats are pointing. They should all be pointing the same way due to wind and/or current.<br />3. Find a spot to drop the anchor. Don't throw it, lower it. You'll feel it hit bottom.<br />4. Get the boat going slowly in reverse, either with power or using the wind.<br />5. When you have 5:1 or 6:1 scope out, hold the anchor line tightly in your hands. You will feel the anchor grab, the boat will STOP and the line will try and pull you forward...hang on!<br />6. The boat will move slightly forward as the chain and rope sink. You're now hooked. Tie the rope off to a cleat.<br />7. If the anchorage is tight, you can pull rope back in until you're at 3:1 scope. That will keep your swinging circle smaller. Remember, everyone else will be swinging too, so interference shouldn't be a problem.<br />8. If anchoring overnight, let the line back out to 5:1. If the wind comes up, let even more line out. That is what will keep you in place more than anything.<br />9. Never tie off an anchor at the stern.

Good except for part of #5:<br />

5. When you have 5:1 or 6:1 scope out, hold the anchor line tightly in your hands. You will feel the anchor grab, the boat will STOP and the line will try and pull you forward...hang on!<br />

If you try to stop a large boat while anchoring in any current or wind, this will likely end with you in the water and the boat continuing downstream! <br /><br />Wrap the rode around your bow cleat. You can still feel it grab but the cleat will provide enough friction to stop the boat with you still in it.

 

[Stratocaster]

Re: Anchoring

Excellent point. However, I think most iboats members have boats less than 30 feet, so this method should work fine. Larger boats should definitely take rwidman's advice.