What to do if anchor drags?

[hd002e]

Originally Posted by Lance

Sounds like you will make it and being close to land I dont expect there are too many large swells lifting the bow periodically .
The first thing to do tho is to ditch that rubbish plow and buy one of the modern super holding anchors .
Then you can get some sleep.

I use Rocnar but know there are others to match it .
I inherited a cqr once and straight away replaced it with a Rocnar .
I dragged that plow 5000 miles in the locker , thinking a spare mbe until one day I got it in the dinghy and gifted it to a Sea Gypsey on an island in the Andaman Sea .
His boat was only 20 ft long .

I am good with the swell, there is almost no up and down movement of the bow. I have less than 1/2 a mile to shore windward.

My yaw is 120+ degrees at the moment.

I will have to look into getting a rocna, I know it’s one of the things I should not have left the US without, they are not easily available this part of the world. Either way, I would find it very challenging to get sleep under these conditions. I am taking everything down from deck to reduce windage. The biggest of them is the bimini with solar panrls which I cannot bring down during these winds.

[Stu Jackson]

1/4" chain and 1/2" rode is good for about 42 knots. I know, I sized MY system for that.

I once got hit by 60 knots one afternoon in a protected bay in SF (Horsehoe Cove).

I dragged even with the engine in gear over 1500 rpm. I dragged the damn anchor around that cove for five minutes until I had the guts to pull into tyhe only remaining slip at the marina at warp speed. Amazing what adrenaline can do for you. Sheer dumb luck.

After it calmed down and my new friends on the dock were helping me retrieve my chain and anchor, one was pulling one end of the chain and I was pulling the other.

The lap link I'd put in had dissolved!

I replaced it with a shackle.

I have a Rocna 10, 22#, also good for 42 knots.

I have no idea what a 25# cqr is worth, but...

Good luck.


PS - my lap link was not brand new, most likely if it had been it would have held. Replace it with a shackle. I don't have a windlass.

[DefinitelyMe]

I know how you feel. Stick it out mate, I think you’ll be fine. If you haven’t dragged yet your anchor is likely nice and dug in.

Nothing wrong with a chain link if you peened it right when you put it on and if it’s still in good shape. They like to rust from the inside out, but it takes a while.

Nothing wrong with the nylon line. Wonderful properties. I used to suspend silly weights off the bow of a barge with tiny little pieces of nylon line and was consistently amazed at how stupidly strong it is. BUT, you must be absolutely sure that it cannot chafe! Once the wind dies down, if there is any risk that the rope will touch bottom, haul it in. One rock and it could be toast, fast.

Extra scope won’t do much. Tests show negligible increase in performance beyond 7:1 scope. Even if it’s 4 feet from the water to your bow you’re already at nearly 9:1.

No, don’t set the dinghy anchor, it will only pose a risk of entanglement with the main anchor.

To answer your actual question: if you drag, rather than re-setting, first use the engine (as others have suggested) to reduce the load, but be careful: apply just enough power to take the load off without causing the boat to yaw excessively. Too much power will cause the boat to flip flop from side to side more in strong winds, presenting a larger surface area to the wind and thereby increasing loads and dragging. Just enough, no more. We sat out a hurricane in Bermuda like this.

Plow anchors often (but no always) drag stably. They literally plow a furrow in the sea bed rather than letting go all at once. So, if you do drag, you’ll probably get some warning before the poop hits the fan.

You’re good. Hang in there. Stick the alarm next to your head and try to get some shut eye.

[a64pilot]

I didn’t see, but assume you have an anchor alarm? Cause your going to sleep. Not much and not well, but having an anchor alarm is gold
If you drag it will be at night and dark, what may be hard is getting the anchor up and to try to keep from drifting when you do. I put the boat in gear and guess as to how much throttle and use the windlass to raise the anchor or course, but not all the way up.
Then motor over and drop it again letting rode out and hope it holds.

If you don’t have other boats around you close that helps a lot, a whole lot.

[Don C L]

Hang in there, I agree that if it is still holding it is most likely set well and doing its job. If the bow is not pitching that is good. I may have missed it, but can you let out any more rode? I wouldn't bother with the dinghy anchor at all. If you let out more nylon be aware that it stretches and you may think you are dragging when you are not.

[hd002e]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

1/4" chain and 1/2" rode is good for about 42 knots. I know, I sized MY system for that.

I once got hit by 60 knots one afternoon in a protected bay in SF (Horsehoe Cove).

I dragged even with the engine in gear over 1500 rpm. I dragged the damn anchor around that cove for five minutes until I had the guts to pull into tyhe only remaining slip at the marina at warp speed. Amazing what adrenaline can do for you. Sheer dumb luck.

After it calmed down and my new friends on the dock were helping me retrieve my chain and anchor, one was pulling one end of the chain and I was pulling the other.

The lap link I'd put in had dissolved!

I replaced it with a shackle.

I have a Rocna 10, 22#, also good for 42 knots.

I have no idea what a 25# cqr is worth, but...

Good luck.


PS - my lap link was not brand new, most likely if it had been it would have held. Replace it with a shackle. I don't have a windlass.

Your laplink story scared me until I read the last part.

Where do you look up the wind ratings for anchor sizes?

[hd002e]

Originally Posted by DefinitelyMe

I know how you feel. Stick it out mate, I think you’ll be fine. If you haven’t dragged yet your anchor is likely nice and dug in.

Nothing wrong with a chain link if you peened it right when you put it on and if it’s still in good shape. They like to rust from the inside out, but it takes a while.

Nothing wrong with the nylon line. Wonderful properties. I used to suspend silly weights off the bow of a barge with tiny little pieces of nylon line and was consistently amazed at how stupidly strong it is. BUT, you must be absolutely sure that it cannot chafe! Once the wind dies down, if there is any risk that the rope will touch bottom, haul it in. One rock and it could be toast, fast.

Extra scope won’t do much. Tests show negligible increase in performance beyond 7:1 scope. Even if it’s 4 feet from the water to your bow you’re already at nearly 9:1.

No, don’t set the dinghy anchor, it will only pose a risk of entanglement with the main anchor.

To answer your actual question: if you drag, rather than re-setting, first use the engine (as others have suggested) to reduce the load, but be careful: apply just enough power to take the load off without causing the boat to yaw excessively. Too much power will cause the boat to flip flop from side to side more in strong winds, presenting a larger surface area to the wind and thereby increasing loads and dragging. Just enough, no more. We sat out a hurricane in Bermuda like this.

Plow anchors often (but no always) drag stably. They literally plow a furrow in the sea bed rather than letting go all at once. So, if you do drag, you’ll probably get some warning before the poop hits the fan.

You’re good. Hang in there. Stick the alarm next to your head and try to get some shut eye.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I couldn’t get sleep but the sun has come up and it is definitely a storm out here.

I will definitely dive on that anchor if the conditions calm down. I am very curious what everything looks like down there.

[hd002e]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Hang in there, I agree that if it is still holding it is most likely set well and doing its job. If the bow is not pitching that is good. I may have missed it, but can you let out any more rode? I wouldn't bother with the dinghy anchor at all. If you let out more nylon be aware that it stretches and you may think you are dragging when you are not.

I can let out more rode but I am afraid that it will touch bottom and snag on a rock or something. Also The rode has soo much tension on it, aside from adjusting the anti-chafe stuff I dont really feel like touching it.

[hd002e]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I didn’t see, but assume you have an anchor alarm? Cause your going to sleep. Not much and not well, but having an anchor alarm is gold
If you drag it will be at night and dark, what may be hard is getting the anchor up and to try to keep from drifting when you do. I put the boat in gear and guess as to how much throttle and use the windlass to raise the anchor or course, but not all the way up.
Then motor over and drop it again letting rode out and hope it holds.

If you don’t have other boats around you close that helps a lot, a whole lot.

Definitely using an anchor alarm. My swing range is 100 feet but it feels much wider.

[hd002e]

Just saw 50kts of wind. The spreader was 10ft from the water. Absolutely sideways! Anchor still holding up.

[Don C L]

Are there other boats in the anchorage with you? Any that are upwind of you? If so keep a sharp eye on them. My prediction, after it all calms down is that your anchor is fully buried and may have dragged about 10' as it buried itself.
I had a similar experience once with a bigger boat and a bigger CQR (and it made for a horrible night) but you have a much better situation given that you don't have swells in the anchorage to deal with. That much wind can be scary though to be sure!

[Dave_S]

Please don't consider this as advice, just a question to the knowledgeable people in the group that might help. I assume this is a monohull, if you were to set up some sort of bridle as wide as you can, would this reduce the swinging and be beneficial?

[Sojourner]

On nights like this, nonstop anchor watch is the way to go. Make some coffee, be ready with the engine (not on, just ready) to up anchor at a moment's notice. If it were me, and I dragged, I'd try to reset it a few times with more or most of my chain out before going out in 50knots....I was in 50 knots the other week and you're in a better place if you're sheltered with no swells. Get a good long snubber on. Get a spotlight out to monitor the upwind boats. If it's all sand, and the boat is equipped with a Fortress or Danforth, and you do drag, consider having that ready, get in the cqr and deploy the fortress instead as the main anchor...even with rope rode, they are unbeatable in sand by any other anchor.

Oh, and if this is your boat, ie not a charter, replace the CQR at your earliest inconvenience

[boatman61]

Good morning mate, hopefully your still hanging in there.. the good news looks to start easing in a few hours..
Hope this is a time they are accurate..
Try dropping the end of your boom to one side of the cabin and lash it to the guardrails, should ease the yawing.

[mikedefieslife]

I would set multiple anchor alarms, and try to get some sleep. If you are up for days straight you'll be in poor condition to deal the situation if the anchor does drag. Depending on how close the upwind boats are, you can even set radar guard zones to alert you if they start dragging on top of you. You will need some sleep at some point.