Anchoring By The Stern

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Don C L

I have little doubt that anchoring by the stern will make a well behaved boat. I just would never be comfortable with the rudder now pushed out there on the bow pointing the wrong direction on a rough day. If you are sure the rudder is safe from being slammed back, perhaps using a rudder lock, and you don't mind the slapping and the splashes and spray into the cockpit then I guess its ok. Not my first choice. And this is coming from someone who regularly anchors bow and stern, in fairly small protected coves, and occasionally my stern will face a brisk night wind but not an onslaught of swell too. If I do by some chance, I wake up move the bow line to the stern and vice versa and go back to bed. My stern anchor is big enough to act as bow when needed. And yes you have to lay out a boat length of both anchor rodes on deck to do that, but it's not that hard.

Wave action will affect the stern more than the bow, excluding double enders etc. But we shouldn't be anchored anywhere where there is much wave action anyway.

I would be much more concerned in a storm, with the weather being driven into the cockpit, companionway, etc.

I use a springline to tame yawing at anchor, on the rare occasions when I have this problem. Much simpler than a drogue and much less risk of tangling etc.

Principle of a springline is that you make the wind see the centers of pressure and lateral resistance not in an unstable line, but spread out, so that a constant force is exerted trying to blow the bow around, in one direction, without the oscillations. It works!!

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Wave action will affect the stern more than the bow, excluding double enders etc. But we shouldn't be anchored anywhere where there is much wave action anyway.

I would be much more concerned in a storm, with the weather being driven into the cockpit, companionway, etc.

I use a springline to tame yawing at anchor, on the rare occasions when I have this problem. Much simpler than a drogue and much less risk of tangling etc.

Principle of a springline is that you make the wind see the centers of pressure and lateral resistance not in an unstable line, but spread out, so that a constant force is exerted trying to blow the bow around, in one direction, without the oscillations. It works!!

You're absolutely correct, it works well, and is much simpler to get away from than some other ways of accomplishing the goal. It's great when the wind isn't too shifty.

If you have wind coming at you strongly from both sides of a hill, the "V" has worked better, for our boat, with its fine entry.

I realize this comment leaves me open for the charge of old fogeyism, but I would not even consider anchoring by the stern, except if someone were going to be going "spinnaker flyiing."

Ann

[Don C L]

Old fogeyism is a good thing, right?

[boatpoker]

The feather analogy in the article makes some sense to me however I believe there is an easier way of achieving the same end
.... an "anchoring" sail.
i.e. a main sail with a very short luff, say 3-4'.

I was already planning to try this on DIRT FREE as she sails around quite a bit at anchor. When we pick her up in Florida this fall she will be sporting such a sail.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

However I am with CaptTom on this, pointy end of the boat is designed to take the weather, not the flat stern.
However maybe if both ends are pointy?

This ^^^^^^^

If you have a canoe stern, great. But think about some of the newer cruising boats with VERY wide, and VERY flat sterns. Now imagine serious wind and waves pounding against that stern. Does not seem like a good situation at all to me.

So, my conclusion is that -- as with most things -- the right answer here is "it depends." It depends on the design of your boat whether anchoring by the stern, or by the bow, is a better idea.