Upsizing anchor - suggestions?

[soopad00pa]

Usually when anchoring I find my spot and orient into the wind so that when I dump the weight off the front I'm set to just drift back and begin setting.

If the current/tide is strong, does it make sense to nose into the current instead of the wind?

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by soopad00pa

Usually when anchoring I find my spot and orient into the wind so that when I dump the weight off the front I'm set to just drift back and begin setting.

If the current/tide is strong, does it make sense to nose into the current instead of the wind?

Before you initially set your anchor figure out the combination of wind and/or current that is acting on the spot. Rather than drifting straight downwind, you may drift at an angle due to current.

Then set your anchor along that axis of drift. After it’s set it doesn’t matter if the direction the pull changes. If it’s a new generation anchor and you’ve set it well then it will reorient itself as your boat moves around. But unless the force on the rode is relatively high, you will likely just hang off the chain portion of the rode (another reason to use more chain).

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by soopad00pa

Usually when anchoring I find my spot and orient into the wind so that when I dump the weight off the front I'm set to just drift back and begin setting.

If the current/tide is strong, does it make sense to nose into the current instead of the wind?

Doesn't matter. You are over thinking it.

I usually come in to windward and drop anchor while still moving with engine off then let wind and tide do the setting.

With one anchor, the current and wind will do what they will with your boat so that at times you will be beam too to the waves regardless how you set in the first place..

But I'm thinking your tides are usually not as strong as ours up here so it depends.

It's not rocket science though or when I first started anchoring at age 15 it would have been tough, but it wasn't cause my 16 year old friend had anchored his boat a few times before

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by thomm225

You are such a techie guy and catamaran person the boat for you these days if you (and I) were young would be a $25,000 plus A Class 18' Beach Cat with a weight of 165 lbs.

One that raced them Glen Ashby Australia was on their winged Americas Cup boat as crew a few years ago.

Spithill also raced them...A Class Cats

Check out the mast bend and the wave piercing bows..

Btw in Pensacola /Ft Walton beach in the mid 90's to 2006 I got to race with folks like Carlton Tucker, Bob Curry (who I trained with on the Nacra 17/I17R) , Randy Smyth, Brian Lambert, Kirk Newkirk, etc.

I was actually 8 boat length behind Newkirk after 50 miles on my Nacra 6.0 (he and his crew Glen on a Supercat 22) in the 1997 RTI race out of Ft Walton Winds were light and that was my strength coming from Tennessee

I was winning in Tennessee and had to start over when I got transferred to Pensacola.

Check out the age of some of these guys. They have tons of experience ....

BTW folks no anchors onboard not even in our 100 mile races...

Small boat porn!

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Small boat porn!

For those cruiser that think about sail trim and setup on their boats, consider racing a 165 lb one design 18' sailboat with one sail and the difference steering, batten thickness and tension, sheeting, traveler position, amount of downhaul, mast prebend, mast rake, weight distribution, rudder alignment, and mast rotation can make.

Plus possibly these days the wave piercing bows and daggerboard shape....and position depending on up or downwind

Plus the mainsail shape....and of course start line position depending a lot on the angle of the line and boat traffic

See video above.

[thinwater]

The very LAST thing you want to do when you need to anchor in an emergency is dump the anchor and rode and hope. No matter how panicked the situation or tight the space. This is when you need it to hold the FIRST time. I have had several close quarters situations over 40 years of sailing.


* Spin into the wind. Helps you slow down anyway.
* Lower carefully, and tip the anchor over mindfully. Not just dump. EVER. The rode may form a pile on the anchor, fouling it. You want it tipped the right direction.
* Let out some scope, Do NOT try to set until 5:1 if possible. It might hold, but if it drags it will keep dragging. Can't take the chance.
* When you go to set the anchor, hold the rode in your hand, or at least only loosely around a cleat or drum. Feel it in. You have only one shot at this.
* Let out a little more and secure.

[team karst]

As i tried to sleep in the last gale, with limited space before tragedy, i thought about the actions needed after the anchor alarm went off. In each scenario, it was start both engines. To the point of using one hand on each control panel. The 10 second glow plug cycle could be a real liability.

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Doesn't matter. You are over thinking it.

I usually come in to windward and drop anchor while still moving with engine off then let wind and tide do the setting.

With one anchor, the current and wind will do what they will with your boat so that at times you will be beam too to the waves regardless how you set in the first place..

But I'm thinking your tides are usually not as strong as ours up here so it depends.

It's not rocket science though or when I first started anchoring at age 15 it would have been tough, but it wasn't cause my 16 year old friend had anchored his boat a few times before

I'm a total newbie and maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I go to where I want to drop the hook, align with other boats in the anchorage (because presumably they are affected by the wind and current in more or less the same way as I would be) then drop and fall off it.

If there aren't any other boats, I just drop where I want to and let my boat fall off as it wants to. It simply doesn't matter to me if I picked the right drop location, the boat will do what it will.

[Mr B]

I know the depth Im in, I have a depth sounder thats accurate,
I lay the chain out on the deck for the depth,
When Im at the spot I want to anchor in, I drop my anchor over the front,
Once it hits the bottom, I feed out an extra 10 metres of chain,
I wait till it is all solid, fully stretched out,
Then I back down on the chain with about 3rd power,
When it stops moving, I increase the power till I know its holding, solidly,
Set the anchor alarm,
If I havent moved in half an hour, Im usually set for a couple of days,
But with tide changes, It dont always work out like that,
I some times have to start the motor and back down on the anchor to reset it,
Being a narrow gutted Cat, I tend to go around in circles all the time,
I set the alarm and GPS at 50 metres, Other wise the alarm goes off more frequently,

Very rarely I can see the bottom, So I dont know what the substrate is like,
Some times my 40 KG anchor wont hold, So I drop my 24 KG anchor and it grabs instantly, But then again, the 24 KG anchor wont hold and I Drop the 40 KG anchor and it grabs instantly,
No idea on why, It just happens like that,

[team karst]

Originally Posted by Mr B

...
... But then again, the 24 KG anchor wont hold and I Drop the 40 KG anchor and it grabs instantly,
No idea on why, It just happens like that,

Maybe because you have a quite heavy anchor for a 10m long boat?

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by team karst

Maybe because you have a quite heavy anchor for a 10m long boat?

The 40 KG anchor wont hold and I drop the 24 KG anchor and it grabs instantly,
Didnt you read that,
That happened in 70 knot winds, And it held for four days till the Gale blew over,
At least I was safely out of the 6 metre waves I was in, ,

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by Mr B

The 40 KG anchor wont hold and I drop the 24 KG anchor and it grabs instantly,
Didnt you read that,
That happened in 70 knot winds, And it held for four days till the Gale blew over,
At least I was safely out of the 6 metre waves I was in, ,

These both home-made anchors of the same design?

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Small boat porn!

And more with this updated Hobie 16 video................with spinnaker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIZhNviIar4

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

These both home-made anchors of the same design?

Yes, They are very similar,

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by thinwater

The very LAST thing you want to do when you need to anchor in an emergency is dump the anchor and rode and hope. No matter how panicked the situation or tight the space. This is when you need it to hold the FIRST time. I have had several close quarters situations over 40 years of sailing.


* Spin into the wind. Helps you slow down anyway.

The boat speed will only help set the anchor.. provided you can get enough scope out fast enough. You can ensure the anchor is well set if dropped under speed, whereas stopping first.. maybe it will drag when the wind picks up.

* Lower carefully, and tip the anchor over mindfully. Not just dump. EVER. The rode may form a pile on the anchor, fouling it. You want it tipped the right direction.

If the boat is moving fast enough, it won't pile.

* Let out some scope, Do NOT try to set until 5:1 if possible. It might hold, but if it drags it will keep dragging. Can't take the chance.

Generally agree it's bad to drag a bit with short scope and then let more as this increases probability of fouling on something.