A Guess at how Quick you can Drop your Anchor in an Emergency?

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by sabray

Pretty sure I could do something like this. Snag a line in the prop. Which kills the engine. Approaching the canal banks fast I quickly drop my anchor while still doing 4 knots. Thankfully the anchor grabs. Now chain is flying out I grab the chain with my right hand and major skin is removed. Next I grab with the left because the right hand is useless. Same result. The Cain snags up in a hockle bending the roller and dislodging a few fasteners. All is good. Except for the next week I can't use a can opener and I starve.

I use a combination of rope and change, and your scenario is not at all impossible on my boat. So what I do is cleat off the rode and then feed the anchor down manually. If I can control it, fine. If not, the cleat will catch it. I always wear gloves when sailing, but I don't know any men who do that.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by sabray

Pretty sure I could do something like this. Snag a line in the prop. Which kills the engine. Approaching the canal banks fast I quickly drop my anchor while still doing 4 knots. Thankfully the anchor grabs. Now chain is flying out I grab the chain with my right hand and major skin is removed. Next I grab with the left because the right hand is useless. Same result. The Cain snags up in a hockle bending the roller and dislodging a few fasteners. All is good. Except for the next week I can't use a can opener and I starve.

I use a combination of rope and chain, and your scenario is not at all impossible on my boat. So what I do is cleat off the rode and then feed the anchor down manually. If I can control it, fine. If not, the cleat will catch it. I always wear gloves when sailing, but I don't know any men who do that.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by marujo.sortudo

...................... Had one emergency anchoring situation where the primary was fouled in Charleston and we were been driven by the current towards a bridge we might not have cleared. Could have let out scope on the fouled bower and hoped it held, but quickly dropped the stern, instead. Then threw out the kedge for extra insurance, and took the next couple of hours freeing the primary.

Now here's a credible case with a need for quick anchoring. Were you on the Ashley River at that anchorage where the flood tide puts you toward the 55' bridge? ....someplace else?

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

Now here's a credible case with a need for quick anchoring.

The bridge is always going to win ...

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by ohdrinkboy

I have a small boat, keep my anchors in my lazerette and deploy from the cockpit (singlehanding). I can probably hook down in ten seconds. Another fifteen to get the line situated on the bow as the rode is paying out. My wife calls me speedy

Also a small boat owner. We can scamper forward, and get our anchor out of the bow anchor locker and in the water in maybe 30 sec. But we just bought a new anchor, so the folding danforth type will move to the lazzarette as well, which means an anchor in the water in about 15 sec.

And my wife calls me "lover"

[sabray]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

I use a combination of rope and chain, and your scenario is not at all impossible on my boat. So what I do is cleat off the rode and then feed the anchor down manually. If I can control it, fine. If not, the cleat will catch it. I always wear gloves when sailing, but I don't know any men who do that.

It is what I thought of when I heard fast. Is why some thought is necessary. Fast is good a slow deep breath takes like 3 seconds. Anchor hitting the bottom maybe 10. Fixing all the stuff that broke and healing is days..

[scoobert]

2 min for me. i have a safety chain holding it up.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by sabray

It is what I thought of when I heard fast. Is why some thought is necessary. Fast is good a slow deep breath takes like 3 seconds. Anchor hitting the bottom maybe 10. Fixing all the stuff that broke and healing is days..

I guess it's the retired teacher and musician in me, but I believe in practicing. This is one more thing to practice. If you know exactly how your reefing system works, and have done it enough to be really familiar with it, you won't hesitate when it's called for.

I think emergency anchoring is also something that should be practiced. I know something about how the brain works, and when things become automatic, it frees the higher functioning parts of the brain to do other things -- like make sure you end the day with ten fingers instead of 9... That's why musicians practice scales and arpeggios. Those make up a huge amount of what they will play. the more automatic is, the more they can focus on phrasing, nuance, etc. If you don't practice your scales you have to think about fingering instead of overall musical excellence.

Docking is also something I practiced systematically really benefited from doing so.

[capngeo]

Stern anchor.... about 30 seconds, Bow maybe twice that. Life aboard a 28' boat can be good

[sabray]

Another thought which isn't emergency related. Just anchor experience. It can be hard to estimate current, boat speed and force. . Twice I have missed the judge while anchoring in fast flowing currents . Well learned lessons. One of which took some major skin off very quickly.

[Normanby]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

I use a combination of rope and chain, and your scenario is not at all impossible on my boat. So what I do is cleat off the rode and then feed the anchor down manually. If I can control it, fine. If not, the cleat will catch it. I always wear gloves when sailing, but I don't know any men who do that.

I'm a man (just checked) and I wear gloves while sailing, cheap riggers' gloves from the hardware store.
Down here under the hole in the Ozone layer (thanks CFC users) it's either wear gloves or have your cancer surgeon on speed dial...

[Megs]

We had to deploy the anchor heading into Georgetown Harbor, SC. We lost engine power about 10 miles north so we were sailing. Made the turn across the Pee Dee to get into the harbor and the wind went right on our nose. It was also max ebb, so getting into the charted anchorage was going to be tricky. We tried to pin the course and bank some wind but the wind suddenly dropped off and we had no steerage. The current was sending us straight for a docked boat. The Captain hollered for me to "let her fly!" So I ran forward (4 sec), opened the locker (6 sec), and kicked the ol' delta over with 90' of chain and another 10' of line. We always keep 100' ready to go, and this day I was very grateful we did! It took about 20 harrowing seconds for the anchor to bite and we turned with a jerk about a boat length from the other boat and thankfully just barely outside the shipping channel.

[DoubleWhisky]

With the hook unsecured and ready to go (when closing anchorage or harbour) it is push on button near the wheel and press and keep depressed another one. May be the second for the anchor to start down. Setting procedure - depends on seabed - two, three, four minutes. To unblock the anchor secured for the trip - about a minute.
Cheers!