Does constant anchoring wear you down?

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by Nostrodamus

A-ha me hearties, pin back yer lug-holes and quiet them parrots. We have tales to tell.

I know everyone is different so any thoughts may help me or others in the coming years.

This cruising year we anchored about 98% of the time. We were getting used to anchoring and the advantages it could bring. We were staying in the most beautiful out of the way places sometimes not accessible by land and it was not costing us a penny. The disadvantages were that we had to constantly watch our power consumption and the level of the batteries. We also had to monitor the fresh water we were using.

For me sleep didn't come quiet as easy knowing that anchors do come out and if it did we may find ourselves on a beach or battered on rocks. With so many boats anchored together, often only a few meters apart, there was the constant worry of swinging into one of them during the night. I found myself waking with wind shifts and sea changes but I thought that would change as I gained more faith in our ground tackle and our ability to dig it in well.

I also found that I was loathed to leave the boat and explore our surroundings in anything but the most benign conditions. (Luckily my wife made me go ashore everywhere as I would have been more than happy to stay on the boat and I would have missed so much). When we did go I always had the weather, swell and other considerations in the back of my mind. It really was hard to relax.

To be honest the fears never did completely subside and over the year this lack of proper sleep and constantly making sure we were somewhere safe in the weather conditions really wore me down mentally and physically.

Now we are in our winter berth it is only now I realise just how much it did take out of me. I was totally drained but on the other hand we would never have been able to continue financially if we had gone in marinas and we would have missed some amazing places.

So how do you learn to relax being constantly at anchor? I know I worry too much but then again we have come through yet another year and several thousand miles safely.

Tales of our anchoring and places we have visited are being updated on our blog at Home « Cygnus III Cygnus III.

Thank god for the ignore option.

In any case, something we did quite often this summer was stern tied to shore anchoring. I have to say that I really liked it. Our neighbors were stacked in like cord wood sometimes but there was little to no worry about dragging, different swings, etc. I felt much more comfortable leaving the boat also. With two lines ashore we had redundancy and we could lay out a huge amount of scope with the anchor.

Now, I never had a beam on wind hit us with this set up. But all the bays were fairly protected from wave action so I again felt comfortable with anchoring. The Western Med didn't provide many opportunities for this type of anchoring but the Adriatic did and I'm guessing the Aegean will.

[atoll]

well as a bit of herasy here!
i would like to let you all know that i like to drop my anchor after i have been through the anchorage up wind,then on the down wind leg,i drop the anchor,normally at speed,1-2 knots,run the chain out,then stop it,with the boat doing a neat piroette,leaving the anchor firmly set..............

i also do this when docking stern too,as it is a great way to set an anchor and turn a boat 180 degrees in a short distance.......learnt from turkish gulette skippers!

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by atoll

well as a bit of herasy here!
i would like to let you all know that i like to drop my anchor after i have been through the anchorage up wind,then on the down wind leg,i drop the anchor,normally at speed,1-2 knots,run the chain out,then stop it,with the boat doing a neat piroette,leaving the anchor firmly set..............

I think that's a completely acceptable maneuver. It's the same as dropping the anchor and letting the boat get blown sideways while playing out the rode. It doesn't work for a catamaran though unless you force some sideways into the downwind run.

What I find funny is when sailors drop the anchor and continue to motor upwind of it, then drift down on it. Now, having typed this, usually those guys don't drag either. It's almost always the charter boats. Or me, last year.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Palarran

I think that's a completely acceptable maneuver. It's the same as dropping the anchor and letting the boat get blown sideways while playing out the rode. It doesn't work for a catamaran though unless you force some sideways into the downwind run.

What I find funny is when sailors drop the anchor and continue to motor upwind of it, then drift down on it. Now, having typed this, usually those guys don't drag either. It's almost always the charter boats. Or me, last year.

belive me any boat will spin on a dime if you are going fast enough,and break the chain when a decent amount of rode is out........the bow./..bows getting pulled down is a dead give away!,that it is time to put the helm over

[Jimbo485]

Originally Posted by atoll

well as a bit of herasy h

i also do this when docking stern too,as it is a great way to set an anchor and turn a boat 180 degrees in a short distance.......learnt from turkish gulette skippers!

That is amazing to watch in those little harbours in Turkey and Greece! I have never had the guts to try it.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Jimbo485

That is amazing to watch in those little harbours in Turkey and Greece! I have never had the guts to try it.

works a treat,but the person on the windlass has to know what they are doing,as the trick is to keep the speed up once the boat has pivoted,and the arse end is heading for the dock at 4 knots

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

I think Sea Monkey understands Rakuflames and now I do to. I woke early this morning while anchored on the Waccamaw near Georgetown, SC, with dreams of the Rosetta Stone. Any of us who speak with the use of standard nautical terms can agree with Rakuflames if we understand her language. I believe that when Rakuflames faces aft and turns her tiller to the same direction as she steers in reverse, she is using her tiller as a line of sight. With your hand grasping the distal end of the tiler and viewing down the shaft to the proximal end at the rudder post, this line of sight can be used to point in the direction that you want to steer in reverse. Therefore, when Rakuflames "points" her tiller to starboard her boat reverses to starboard; while most everryone else turns their tiller to port in order to reverse to starboard. Rakuflames knows what she is talking about. She is simply speaking a different language!

Just can't let it drop, can you. Today I sailed with someone who would make just about everyone here look like an amateur. I described how my friend backs her boat in, and he said, "Oh yeah, I know about that. I routinely use it if I have to back in anything bigger than 50 ft."

You believe what you want. God just told me I'm right.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Therapy

WE ARE BONKERS.

The original talk was on a boat that did not have a tiller. It had a WHEEL!

And then if you don't know the difference between a tiller and a rudder (and use the wrong term) there is all hale happening.

LOL.

No. The original boat has a tiller. I got to play with it.

[sabray]

I have tiller envy

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

Just can't let it drop, can you. Today I sailed with someone who would make just about everyone here look like an amateur. I described how my friend backs her boat in, and he said, "Oh yeah, I know about that. I routinely use it if I have to back in anything bigger than 50 ft."

You believe what you want. God just told me I'm right.

And here is where the problem begins...and ends for many of us......

[bfloyd4445]

I have tried them all and they all have there good and bad points. Over the years I have come to appreciate the old Danforth style and delta with lots of chain for a good nights sleep.

[Coops]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

Just can't let it drop, can you. Today I sailed with someone who would make just about everyone here look like an amateur. I described how my friend backs her boat in, and he said, "Oh yeah, I know about that. I routinely use it if I have to back in anything bigger than 50 ft."

You believe what you want. God just told me I'm right.

Now that we know we are all inferior. Where's my RV?

Coops.

[Palarran]

Please, Please, Please stop posting quotes on this completely stupid discussion on the tiller. Without the quotes we can live in complete IGNORance of this individual.

We need some help redirecting this thread because it really is a good subject. Anyone???

I'll give you another subject that wears me down is being a tour director in addition to the mechanic, captain, cook, sanitary waste engineer jobs I have. You would think that guests or family would spend a few hours reading about where your going but 95% of mine don't. I still am amazed about motoring past the Costa Concordia and explaining to my good friend what happened. He had no clue about the catastrophe.

[Coops]

Originally Posted by Palarran

Please, Please, Please stop posting quotes on this completely stupid discussion on the tiller. Without the quotes we can live in complete IGNORance of this individual.

We need some help redirecting this thread because it really is a good subject. Anyone???

I'll give you another subject that wears me down is being a tour director in addition to the mechanic, captain, cook, sanitary waste engineer jobs I have. You would think that guests or family would spend a few hours reading about where your going but 95% of mine don't. I still am amazed about motoring past the Costa Concordia and explaining to my good friend what happened. He had no clue about the catastrophe.

Sorry! Really did not consider you lucky souls that can do this. I apologise to all. Live in peace.

Coops.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Coops

Now that we know we are all inferior. Where's my RV?

Coops.

I'm so sorry. I thought it was a sailboat that had lost its mast, and I anchored it for you.