Anchoring in a Gale

[Bash]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

No, a ketch will lay beautiful at anchor without hoisting anything... the bare rig itself takes care of it.

Absolutely! But there's hope for us sloopsters anyway. My boat used to sail the anchor something fierce, but when I added weather cloths, davits (with dink) and a transom-mounted wind generator, it solved the problem almost entirely.

It's like feathers on an arrow: you just need some windage back there.

[Hudson Force]

I've yet to notice anyone mention the most important strategy for anchoring in a gale. Gales are not typically afternoon thunderstorms that pop-up with a 60kt wind for a fifteen or twenty minutes. They are typically well forecast and related to tracked systems that give you a two or three day expectation. If you plan on anchoring, you are already coastal and usually have a choice,--Location! We always keep an eye on the best locations. A good holding substrate with a shallow depth to allow a large rode ratio and little fetch. Add a forgiving shoreline, surrounding elevation, little debris and few other boats and it's ideal. I know that some well speak of isolated islands with little to offer, but that's not the common case. Choose the anchor, the snubber, the windage removal, etc............. but number one is Location!

[Kettlewell]

Not technically gales, but I have spent all day (or all night) anchored in some pretty violent winds, coming and going, as a whole string of thunderstorms traveled by, going 'round and 'round as the wind came from all directions. One of the worst I've ever seen was a slow moving front when we were anchored in Manatee Pocket. The lightning was continuous for hours, with bursts and lulls, the wind from all directions at various speeds, torrential rain, etc. At one point five tornadoes were reported by NOAA all around us, but we didn't get any direct hits. Again, it wasn't technically a gale I suppose because winds weren't sustained. In a lull I rowed over to a boat that had been dragging all over the place (Bruce anchor), and the owner was sitting in the cockpit clinging to the tiller, zombie like. He was in some sort of shock, and I couldn't get any response from him, but soon a violent squall hit again and I had to go back to tend to my boat.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Bash

Absolutely! But there's hope for us sloopsters anyway. My boat used to sail the anchor something fierce, but when I added weather cloths, davits (with dink) and a transom-mounted wind generator, it solved the problem almost entirely.

It's like feathers on an arrow: you just need some windage back there.

That's interesting because when I was researching my 410 I PM'd you and 1 of the things you said was that it sailed a lot at anchor in 20 knots. But I have not really experienced this and rode out a gail last year with everything up, bimini, dodger, dink on the davits and I wasn't doing anything any different from other boats, including the "tanks".


I have been thinking that stripping down the boat in fact makes it worst because the boat does stay pointed into the wind as well.

[barnakiel]

I think that our boat sails more in shallow anchorages.

I also believe that sailing is worst at 15-25 knots of wind. It seems to be less when the wind gets above or below these values.

I might be wrong as I judge it all from aboard.

b.

[s/v Jedi]

What helps is shortening the scope and locking the tiller/wheel into some secret position you will have to find by experimenting. Don't start me on it, done that for 17 long years... but the scope shortening really helps.