Why am I ahead of the anchor?

[Stu Jackson]

Here's mine, discussed above.

[Don C L]

I hope it turned out ok for you last night. When I read just now that you had shortened the scope on your CQR, I hope you didn't drag. That CQR likes a lot of scope. No anchor likes less scope.

[zeehag]

the best thing you can do is ditch the rope rode and go all chain. this travelling ahead of your gear will decrease and your wandering at anchor will diminish greatly. you also will find less chafe on your anchor tackle with all chain and more stable situation overall. in winds add more scope. the numbers are merely suggestions not rule. always go with more.

[TrentePieds]

TP has lotsa windage forward and ranges like a wild thing. She is also 9K displacement and 30 feet. Ranging is just a feature of modern fin keel designs, but TP seems worse than most. She'll only lie still if there is NO wind or if I bring the rode aft and take it through a chock on the transom and throw a bollard hitch over a sheet winch.

No problem - you get used to it :-)

Stu J was the first to mention the sentinel. On ANY fin keeler with a spade rudder you'll be wise to use a "sentinel" as illustrated. You GOTTA keep the rode below your keel and rudder - PARTICULARLY if you anchor "over the stern".

And as people have told you, shortening the scope is a recipe for trouble. In 20 feet of water and, say, four feet from waterline to bow roller for a vertical of 25 feet the rule of thumb is 25 x 3 = 75 feet for a "lunch break" when you are on deck and watching things. 25 x 5 = 125 feet when below decks for any length of time in CALM conditions, and 25 x 7 = 175 feet if it's blowing at all - or, if you are in water with strong currents, as we are here.

Lot's to learn, but CF will help you :-)

TP

[SkipMark]

Smart system, Stu! :-)

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Vasco

Watch out you don't get keel wrapped. That's when the rode gets caught behind the keel. One way to prevent this is to weight the rode down beneath the depth of your keel with a weight (I used to use plastic covered weights from bar bells). Tie the weight to a line , use another small line to make a loop around the anchor line and lower the weight eight feet or so. That way when the tide changes your rode will not get snagged on the keel. In some cases if you don't do this the anchor line will chafe through on the sharp back end of the keel and you will go walkabout.

I agree with the use of an anchor sally. It don't need to be fancy. A pail of cement with a rebar eye will do.

[LeeV]

My first move would be to increase the rode by 50'.

[Jman]

It is unnerving when you first encounter it - wind vs. current. Does not need to be a particularly efficient underbody either. Happens all the time on our 1968 full keel boat. Big current like you find anywhere in or near the ICW, and it takes a surprising amount of wind to get the boat lined up.

[KP44]

Tides.