Most Sailors Can't Anchor Properly!

[crazyhorse]

Originally Posted by Shrew

It's not exclusive to sailors or even the size of the boat. Some folks anchor well, some do not.

Its not even exclusive to countries...NZ, the bigger and more expensive the gin palace, the worse they are at anchoring. We have videos of waking up to a boat that has swung so close they were almost touching. We have a loud speaker....Ethel Merman for the young ones and rap for the oldies...if we can't work out whos on board then a polka usually does the job. Only the hardy or the deaf stay long!! One friend who is no oil painting appears naked on deck, he says they up pick in an instant.

[jimisbell]

Originally Posted by KJThomas

Certainly proves the point that becoming wealthy is due to luck, rather than intelligence, or diligence.

not always

[Laurie watson]

I am sure you don’t just criticise you must help these poor incompetent people and give them the benefit of you experience. Or maybe you are one of the “don’t anchor near me” brigade !

[Laurie watson]

Originally Posted by bemao

I'll admit that I'm probably one of those who can't anchor properly.

The vast majority of my time sailing has been spent, well, sailing. Even when we go out for a week-long cruise (still working), i'll spend the whole day sailing and only a tiny amount of time actually choosing a place to drop the anchor and setting it.

What is the proper etiquette? How do I know how much room to leave between me and other boats around? I understand that an anchored boat can potentially occupy any space within the circle centered at its anchor whose radius is determined by the amount of scope, however is it practical/possible that all boats at anchor occupy non-overlapping circles? Anchored boats typically swing together, so perhaps maintaining such a large separation is less important? It may be hard to judge from being on the water, but it definitely seems like boats are packed pretty tightly in most anchorages I've seen. Moreover, even if this is the preferred distance, it's not always so clear where the limits of this circle are. For instance, if the wind is light, it seems like an anchored boat can drift quite a bit, and may not always be at the edge of its circle, bow pointing at the anchor.

I actually find anchoring to be one of the more stressful aspects of sailing. Anchorages (at least where I've sailed) are generally very crowded, and it's at least a little unclear how close is 'too close.' I'd love to hear any thoughts on this matter.

You now have the full attention of one of those 'sailors who can't anchor properly.' Short of staying on land/at the dock/at a mooring ball, what should I be doing when I pull into the anchorage where you've already dropped the hook?

Yes the ever so superior cruisers would rather you stayed at home rather than learned like they did, of course unless they were born perfect !!

[TeknikFrik]

Originally Posted by David M

Are you guys saying that after the anchor hits bottom that you still have to put out more line?

This reminds me of the time I lay in the sun on top of my 21 foot hardtop motorboat in the Stockholm archipelago, and suddenly had to catch a 36+ foot sailboat drifting by with crew nowhere to be seen. Anchor dangling straight down and depth no more than 10 meters.

Another boater had to climb aboard and lower their anchor "a bit" while I held the boat (there was virtually no wind, luckily).

I think I later spotted the crew on their dingy leaving a small nearby island....

[CarinaPDX]

The truly hard part of anchoring is the conflict between the different rules that are offered. One person says put out 10:1 scope, another says have a clear swinging circle, don't use rope/chain, don't hog the anchorage, talk to prospective neighbors, scare off prospective neighbors. Not surprising that many are put off.

Often absolute rules don't really apply. If the anchorage is crowded you will have to settle for shorter scope and keeping a weather eye. The first into an anchorage may set the standard but that shouldn't mean giving everyone the finger; nor should it mean that everyone coming later should be angry with you. If the first boat in is a cat, then a full-keel monohull will have to stay a good distance off because of the different responses to wind/current. The same is true for rope vs. chain rodes, but in that case the "chain snobs" often feel it is OK to criticize the one with rope. It is true that some skippers will yell at you unless you are completely out of sight, and others will be reluctant to say anything as you anchor almost on top of them. It can be confusing and bruising...

Coming into an anchorage, having studied the chart for suitable locations, one has to judge how other boats will swing, whether they look to be well anchored, and how to fit in with the least crowding while also taking account of the usual scope, bottom conditions, forecast wind/current changes. There is a real art to it that is not quickly learned. Of course if you are favored with being the sole boat things are a whole lot easier...

Greg

[Maybers]

My wife and I have sailed in many parts of the world. Some were crowded with inexperienced charter boat traffic, and some were never before visited off the beaten track anchorages. After 20,000 miles of cruising I still find anchoring to be more of an art than a science. I have anchored 100s of times in all kinds of crazy places; deep water, (140 feet) steep slopes, tiny patches of sand in a sea of coral, rocky ground like marbles, mud, weeds, super shallow, (5 feet) crowded mooring fields where I was the only boat not on a mooring, etc.... And I almost never drag, and yet after all of this I sometimes find it difficult to predict exactly where my boat will end up laying. Maybe it's just me, but I think it is kind of tricky to get that part right. Not making sure to dig the anchor in and leave enough skope, but predicting where the boat will lay.

I share the frustration of the person who started this thread. Sometimes it is just annoying when someone anchors closer than necessary. But sometimes it is dangerous because it is obvious that the boats will collide or the new arrival anchors poorly directly up wind from my boat.
I offer two observations.
1. Anchoring is a skill that takes learning the theory, and then putting in time and practice to master. So it is good to be patient with folks who are newer to cruising.

2. All cruisers should be aware that when arriving in an anchorage it is important for safety, and also important for courtesy to anchor as far away from any other boats as can be safely done.

And a suggestion for folks that are newer to anchoring. You can use your boat length as a way of measuring distance. ex. If your boat is 40 feet long and the water is 40 feet deep, you can assume that the cruising boats in the anchorage are 3 to 5 boat lengths down wind from their anchors.

By using your boat as a measuring stick you can estimate where they have dropped their anchors and that will make it easier for you to know the circle they will swing around. Next, If possible when arriving in an anchorage, do not anchor up wind from other boats. If you can, drop your anchor splitting the distance between two boats that are at least 5 boat lengths away from each other. Drop your anchor in a line even with the stern of their boats and let the wind push you back as you drop 3 to 5 times the depth of the water worth of anchor rode. NoteCommon practice is 3 to 5 times depth, but all the books say 5 to 7 times depth so depending on the conditions you may want to go more).

Hope that is helpful.
Steve

[lestersails]

Originally Posted by KiwiKen

I will tell a story that has a bit of a lesson.


We were spending a weekend cruising in the Solway Firth and decided to visit the Pub on the Ilse of Whithorn, there were 2 of us and our yacht was an IOR 1/4 tonner "Privateer of Rathan"


The Isle of Whithorn Harbour (or what passes for one) dries out, so we securely anchored about 1/4nm off the beach, and took off to the Isle of Whithorn pub for a meal and pint of ale or three. Excellent Scampi & chips and the Younger's Tartan went down very well. I did a indifferent rendition of Walzing Matilda with the attractive lass folk singer who was the entertainment.
Come closing time, back to the yacht, my sailing companion, 6'1" of drunken Scotsman, had to be helped to walk.
No trouble finding our inflatable dinghy, the yacht was a different matter, in our hurry we hadn't turned on the anchor light, simple enough to do because in Scotland in summer it is light till about 2030.
When we wanted to return it was as black as the inside of a cow.



So with a semi-comatose Scotsman lying in the bottom of the dinghy I set about finding the yacht, took me about 30 minutes of sweeping parallel to the beach with about a 2ft swell running. Found the yacht securely anchored were we left it.


The next problem was getting Jock back on board, problem solved by dropping the lifelines on the port side, putting a sheet firmly round Jock's chest, and winching him on board using the starboard sheet winch. He was too heavy to get below so I covered him up with a secured headsail, and turned in.


When Jock awoke in the morning he had no recollection of the trip back from the pub, but complained of the mass of bruises and abrasions suffered when I dragged him out of the dinghy and back on board.


Moral - If you anchor and go ashore for an evening remember to switch on the anchor light and anything else that will help you identify and get back to the vessel.

Yes indeed - I made that mistake*. Once. One of those things that you can read it ten times and people can tell you eleven times, but my oh my, there is nothing like roaming about in the dinghy in the pitch dark to firmly and irrevocably impress it in one's mind.

*Not leaving the anchor light on. I haven't yet made the mistake of hauling an unconscious Jock aboard his boat.

[KP44]

Originally Posted by sagablu

However, there are also those without the experience who could use some advise from those with the knowledge.

In some situations it might be helpful to offer..ie: "happy to help you anchor more securely if you like".

In my experience, some of these these helpful people have read a book but lack experience and consider themselves experts. It's fine to listen to helpful advice but there is a limit. Remember it is your boat and your responsibility to keep it safe and secure.

[four winds]

I'm happily at a slip for the hot month of August, with the air running. And have a run of around one thousand consecutive nights at anchor just completed. Still no advice to offer, it's too complicated and not the topic. Edit,..... derp! It is the topic, my bad, stop reading now. lol.



I'm not sure why some of the discomfort expressed by many posters seems so foreign to me. I try to anchor responsibly, but honestly I have no hard feelings towards anyone for their choice of anchor location. Certainly never considered the idiot response. Or even concerned how close they are, especially in tight anchorages.

I'm usually in the cockpit, happy to chat if they come by, and note their choice particularly in relation to my perceived anchor position. Then I spend a few minutes thinking about weather and wind changes that might be coming. Where will we be then, so to speak. Occasionally, even rarely I think, I have had a low key opportunity to share some ideas about coming weather with them without drama. Haven't swapped paint with anyone yet.

I have seen some crazy stuff. Like hailing one unaware skipper as he dragged pass my starboard side, all good, only to turn to port to see a boat just then clearing my port stern. And that's nothing compared to a hundred others.

Waking up on the water every morning makes many things trivial.

Chilin'..... Cheers

[Dave Isom]

I've found after having sailed for over 50 years that the worst offenders when anchoring are charterers who often don't have much experience, it's not their boat, and The French ( wait for the fallout over that comment ! ....who will anchor on top of you with little chain out then go ashore for a 3 hour lunch !)!) I have Earl Heinz's book on board but he turned me right off when he doesn't know the correct name for an "Admiralty" or "Fisherman's anchor" calling it " an old fashioned " anchor ! We have 100 meters of 3/8 tested chain and an oversized Manson Supreme and still manage to drag on the odd occasion depending upon the bottom etc. I have a very experienced friend who swears he's never dragged with his old CQR, even though on all of the tests they are well down the list for holding ability. ( I think they are about as useful as a stringbag full of shark farts !) I'm often shocked at the tiny ( usually CQR) anchors that many big plastic fantastic cruisers have when you see them in marinas. I don't know the answer to your problem as you're not going to be able to educate charterers, the inexperienced or the selfish in a hurry or indeed at all ! Best to avoid the popular anchorages if possible, think it out for yourself and not follow "the sheep" principle. We once anchored in a totally unsuitable bay in the Whitsundays which was not recommended in the cruising guide in order to just get mobile phone reception and within an hour there were 3 other boats next to us and more arriving as we left before the forecast weather hit us. Something's are unavoidable eg a friend was recently anchored in Suva harbour when a squall hit causing mayhem and an old ferry dragged over his anchor, ditto for other boats causing much damage to his new paint work. Good luck, I don't really know the answer or even if there is one .

[Pelagic]

The best advice I can give about anchoring is to look closely at the depth contours of the chart and find a hole where the contour lines are closer together surrounding that deeper spot.
That is where to drop as anchors hate dragging uphill

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by TeknikFrik

had to catch a 36+ foot sailboat drifting by with crew nowhere to be seen. Anchor dangling straight down and depth no more than 10 meters.

Becomes your boat doesn't it? 8-D

[curtis742]

Country and western would probably work better.

[Gerrycooper56]

Best charter boat anchoring I saw was a Benetau motor into into anchorage at around 4-5 knots then drop anchor, with chain scraping down the side of the boat. Once the anchor dug in the boat turned 180 and the engine switched off!