Setting Two Anchors

[Pelagic]

For those who have never done this…

Where skippers get into trouble is by not reading the weather conditions properly and trying to maneuver under power with a 2nd anchor chain at their stern, or dragging along the hull

1. Drop the first to windward, pay out while going astern directly down wind.
2. Test Set that anchor and then drop 2nd from bow.
3. Slowly pull yourself up to mooring position with first anchor using the winch only while laying out the second so that there is no tension.
4. Then when boat is settled, tighten up on 2nd which will twist vessel to her natural lead and balance the catenaries’ as I explained before.

Leaving… pull down to and retrieve leeward anchor while paying out windward… then pull up windward.

It is a lot of work and you need a strong windlass, so I only use the Bahamian when I have to

[barnakiel]

Start the engine, sail in circles.

Or set the anchors fore and aft.

Or join the rodes together and ride to a piece of chain shackled to the joint.

b.

[chala]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

ONe thing I am thinking about and would like a bit of advice is with the second anchor: use it or not?
Mark

Here is a thread that may save people a lot of writing.

[Sabbatical II]

Originally Posted by defjef

If you want more holding with two anchors, deploy them on the same rode. The one closest the the bow will do most of the holding.

This is the prescribed method in the Rocna manual. It assumes of course that you have 2 Rocnas which have a hole in the shank designed and located for the attatchment of the 2nd anchor. It might be a difficult way to anchor if you didn't have anchors set up for it. Rocna advises having the secondary anchor forward of the main anchor. So the seconadry hits the dirt first, don't set it but keep paying out chain until the primary anchor hits dirt and then set it. If the primary drags, then the secondary will dig in and you have two anchors loaded. Sounds good to me but I'd like to hear from someone who's actually done it with twin Rocnas.

Greg

[Nauticatarcher]

Our second anchor lived on the bow with 10m of chain and a shackle in a little bag, if needed shackle to main anchor and drop it first

[craigsmith]

Originally Posted by Eleebana

This is the prescribed method in the Rocna manual. It assumes of course that you have 2 Rocnas which have a hole in the shank designed and located for the attatchment of the 2nd anchor. It might be a difficult way to anchor if you didn't have anchors set up for it. Rocna advises having the secondary anchor forward of the main anchor. So the seconadry hits the dirt first, don't set it but keep paying out chain until the primary anchor hits dirt and then set it. If the primary drags, then the secondary will dig in and you have two anchors loaded. Sounds good to me but I'd like to hear from someone who's actually done it with twin Rocnas.

Well we've done it and it should be said we reservedly advise on the matter... take it from us, tandem anchoring in series is fraught with problems. Doing it correctly so that ultimate holding power is actually reliably increased is much harder that it might seem and unwise set-ups can easily do more harm than good. In the latter case, the holding power of the rig is defined by the first-down anchor (once the other anchor pops out, which it certainly will). When you hear "oh we tandem anchor all the time by shackling our Danforth variant to our CQR copy and we've never had any problems", it is just observational selection - they've had no problems not because their anchor rig works, but because they haven't experienced the conditions to generate the problems.

Rocna provides the tandem attachment points (I must say they are the only anchors you can attach a tandem directly to) for the benefit of long range / high latitudes cruisers, who appreciate the feature. If you're not in Greenland or Patagonia, frankly you shouldn't even be thinking about it.

www.petersmith.net.nz/boat-anchors/tandem-anchoring.php

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by defjef

With two deployed at 45 or 60 or 120 degrees unless the wind force is perpendicular to the imaginary line connecting the two anchors only one is actually holding the boat, muck like the painters in a bridal when the boat shears, first one then the other takes the load and they only share it when the bow aims right between them.

Right. Multiple anchors looks like a mess to me, however you do it. You will only get some contribution to holding from both anchors in the extremely rare case that they are both exactly lined up with your boat and the wind. Even when two anchors are on the same rode. And how to get two anchors really set, on one rode? Blehhh.

If you need more holding power, get a bigger anchor. You can get a great big Spade which breaks down for storage, to use as a storm anchor.

I am in the process of buying a new anchor. If I can fit the 55 kilo Rocna on my bow roller, then I think that will do for both storm anchor use and regular overnight use. If it won't fit, then I will go with the 40 kilo Rocna and I'll buy a great big Spade for those times when I really need to hunker down.

I'm not going to mess with trying to set multiple anchors for increased holding power. Looks to me like almost zero chance of any useful increase in holding power, with huge increase in hassle and risk.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

For those who have never done this…

Where skippers get into trouble is by not reading the weather conditions properly and trying to maneuver under power with a 2nd anchor chain at their stern, or dragging along the hull

1. Drop the first to windward, pay out while going astern directly down wind.
2. Test Set that anchor and then drop 2nd from bow.
3. Slowly pull yourself up to mooring position with first anchor using the winch only while laying out the second so that there is no tension.
4. Then when boat is settled, tighten up on 2nd which will twist vessel to her natural lead and balance the catenaries’ as I explained before.

Leaving… pull down to and retrieve leeward anchor while paying out windward… then pull up windward.

It is a lot of work and you need a strong windlass, so I only use the Bahamian when I have to

But the purpose of the Bahamian Moor is not to increase holding power. It's to limit swing. You cannot load both anchors at the same time with a Bahamian Moor and you can trip them both if you get a wind or current perpendicular to the axis between the two anchors. Blehh. I'd rather use a bow and stern anchor, than this, or much, much better -- find a spot where the boat can swing normally.

[daddle]

Nobody simply catenaries one chain back to a snubber rode at the stern? I though that was the popular method. No spinning. Easy way to bow-stern anchor. But maybe you don't want the stern into the weather half the time?

[Auspicious]

For the OP's question, if in fact your issue is Bahamian Moors, the answer is that your chains or rodes will twist over time. Get in your dinghy and push the stern around the bow in circles until you're untwisted.

Two anchors are a pain and ground tackle should be selected and sized to avoid using two anchors as much as possible.

[eyschulman]

I have used two anchors on boats up to 44ft. when needed off bow for over 40 yrs -primary heavy high holding power anchor with chain or chain rode- secondary anchor a light anchor( danforth-fortress or better a spade)-this unit is on lighter rode only(no chain) and of a leangth so that bitter end is close to cleated position.-the light unit is set at approx. 60-80 degrees from bow-when the rodes wrap as they often due I uncleat the rope line hang over the bow and untwist -if there is extra rode I furl it so it can be turned around the primary rode. It usually takes about two to five min. to undue. I use this method to control swing and as extra security and have never found reason to regret-one must remember two poorly set anchors are no better than one poorly set anchor

[kb79]

Originally Posted by craigsmith

If you're not in Greenland or Patagonia, frankly you shouldn't even be thinking about it.

just to bring this back to reality, i'd ask:

1. how often (rough percentage) do you guys actually use two anchors?

2. of those time when you do, how often is it done only in an effort to reduce swing?

call me lazy, but i feel like 95% of the time, one anchor will do.

[eyschulman]

close-I would say 75-80% one anchor-but its nice to have the extra card up your sleave for when you need or want it.

[captden]

just to bring this back to reality, i'd ask:

1. how often (rough percentage) do you guys actually use two anchors?

I've never used two anchors that is why I asked. I thought I read that a lot of cruisers did.
captden

[Therapy]

I met a person in April who spent 4 years in the Carib and he told me unless he was somewhere for only one night in benign conditions he used two anchors. He said sometimes when at the bar and a squall came through the place emptied out fast with those running to their boats. More room at the bar for him!

I noticed the same thing in Key West though 10 "runners" for 144 boats (counted) is not that many I guess. I wonder how many had two anchors?

I know an obvious cruising Swedish boat near us had two and another that came in the second afternoon. This second one was impressive with 4 guys on board. Anchored and heading in to shore in less than 10 min. Oiled machine and all......