Dumb question on storing anchor

[scotty c-m]

I would epoxy some pads to the inside of the locker. Attach tie-down straps to these pads so that the anchor is held firmly in place, yet would be easy to get out in an emergency. I wouldn't like the idea of an anchor boncing around loose, even if it were padded.

[FabioC]

Originally Posted by AndyEss

A boat anchor is not a convenience just to enable a quiet lunch - it is also part of a boat's emergency equipment. Burying it in a locker would prevent rapid deployment in critical situations.
I'd strongly suggest solutions that keep it in the roller, ready for quick deployment.

You raise a valid point. Indeed, ideally, the anchor should be kept on the roller.

However, boats that have a short bowsprit integrated with the bow, which are popular today (I have a Jeanneau, but I have seen the same design in recent boats of other brands as well) have this issue: the bowsprit is good so you can fly the asymmetric spinnaker or Code 0 from there, but the bowsprit being relatively short, the tack is very close to the anchor, and the spinnaker snatches on it very easily and rips, it is almost unavoidable... Even the lazy sheet can manage to get tangled to the anchor because it runs right next to it or even on top of it...

Even if you are careful to always keep the tack away from the sprit when the spinnaker is flying, the tack will come down right on the anchor when you are taking the spinnaker down. You can send a crew to the bow to manually keep the spinnaker away from the anchor or blow the tack line as the spinnaker is taken down, but that is not an option when shorthanded.

The only solution to the problem of spinnaker snatching is to remove the anchor and store it in the locker (I suppose another solution is not to use the asymmetric). In my case, I figured a way to store the anchor in such a way that it would be relatively fast to open the locker, reposition the anchor on the roller and deploy it. Ideally, that means that you should not have to untie anything in order to free the anchor from the locker, nor you should bury the anchor under any chain, hence the original question on how to avoid damage. (I plan to test taking the anchor out of the locker in a hurry and see how long that really takes.)

I agree that this is a bit of a dilemma... but not sure there is a solution that satisfies both requirements of being able to safely fly the spinnaker and having the anchor in the best position for deployment... I'll keep experimenting with some of the suggestions that were made in this thread and see what is the best compromise.

[FabioC]

Originally Posted by scotty c-m

I would epoxy some pads to the inside of the locker. Attach tie-down straps to these pads so that the anchor is held firmly in place, yet would be easy to get out in an emergency. I wouldn't like the idea of an anchor boncing around loose, even if it were padded.

Yes, I think this is a direction towards a good solution, maybe making the pads out of car mats or yoga mats as it was suggested elsewhere. Will need to fiddle with the tie-downs so they can indeed be untied in a hurry. Or it may even be possible to size the pads in such a way that the anchor is kept snugly in place in the locker and cannot really bounce anywhere. I'll send a pic when I find a good arrangement.

[thinwater]

A bow roller is a good solution--had a nice one on my last boat--but on many sprit-equiped sport boats, like mine, it makes no sense for assorted reasons.

(the PDQ in my avatar is my last boat--I have a Corsair F-24 now)

I'm a big believer in fast deployment. That has saved my bacon a few times, when an engine dies at the wrong time. But if the anchor is a size that can easily be lifted (less than 25 pounds), I don't see how this makes any difference. Pick and drop. There isn't even a lock to release. Done it hundreds of times on several boats.

There is also something to be said for moving the weight back from the bow.


Finally, many boats have been lost because the mooring line cut on the anchor. Very common in huricane season. That was probably the root cause of 25% of the losses at Boot Key last year.

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by AndyEss

... Burying it in a locker would prevent rapid deployment in critical situations. I'd strongly suggest solutions that keep it in the roller...

Many smaller yacht designs include an anchor locker in the bow - nothing unusual about that if the anchor is easily manhandled.

But doesn't everyone secure their anchors, whether lashed down on the bow roller or secured with a quick-release pin (not recommended, a bent pin may jam) or securely lashed on deck, or tied down in a locker? In any sort of weather, a loose anchor becomes a danger to life and property. Only a ship's hawsepipe provides a secure mounting in all weather.

In the days when a CQR or a Fisherman/Herreshoff anchor were the only choices, there used to be special little hard plastic mounts that could be screwed down on deck or in a locker to hold the corners and accept the necessary lashings that would hold it in place. I haven't looked for them recently but surely something similar is available today. They were once considered essential, at least for the second or third anchor.

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by AndyEss

A boat anchor is not a convenience just to enable a quiet lunch - it is also part of a boat's emergency equipment. Burying it in a locker would prevent rapid deployment in critical situations.
I'd strongly suggest solutions that keep it in the roller, ready for quick deployment.

Agreed! Decades ago a buddy and I learned this lesson as we drifted rapidly toward a breakwall while furiously untangling our anchor line.

Nowadays I get a lot of peace of mind knowing I can hit the brake at a moment's notice with an anchor sitting on my bow roller.

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by chris95040

...Decades ago a buddy and I learned this lesson as we drifted rapidly toward a breakwall while furiously untangling our anchor line. Nowadays I get a lot of peace of mind knowing I can hit the brake at a moment's notice with an anchor sitting on my bow roller.

Horses for courses.

Previous owner of this boat warned us that its sailing characteristics improve markedly when the anchor chain is manhandled aft and stowed around the base of the mast, the bower anchor below the floor. After all, there aren't too many breakwaters mid-ocean. Just move it all back again about a week before approaching land.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by chris95040

Agreed! Decades ago a buddy and I learned this lesson as we drifted rapidly toward a breakwall while furiously untangling our anchor line.

Nowadays I get a lot of peace of mind knowing I can hit the brake at a moment's notice with an anchor sitting on my bow roller.

My point is that these are NOT mutually exclusive on smaller boats. If the anchor is >45 pounds with a chain rode, one answer, if the anchor is 13 pounds with only a little chain, a different answer. In either case, I am quite sure I can get the anchor on the bottom before the boat begins making sternway.

[2big2small]

Glass a piece of pipe vertically in the locker and slide the shank in there (it comes with some chain so the diameter of the pipe must accommodate this too). Make it high enough so the anchor is kept in the pipe by the anchor locker’s hatch, which you may choose to pad on the inside. If you choose a strategic location near a corner you can probable make it so the anchor can’t twist around either.

[waterman46]

On boats I've sailed with spinnaker, the foot of the spinnaker was about even with top rail of bow pulpit when spinnaker was fully hoisted but collapsed against fore stay.due to lack of wind, bad trim, whatever and of course way higher when set. Why is your spinnaker foot so low?

[hellosailor]

Solid rubber bungee cords, hooked into D-rings that you generously epoxy into the anchor locker. Or some of the nylon webbing "tie down" straps, sold 4/$10 and used for strapping down loads on cars. They use a ratchet to tighten them down, they'll also do the job but eventually there may be rust on that. Again, hooked into D-rings epoxied in the anchor locker.