By a show of hands; Stern Anchoring?

[Sailor Robius]

hello all,

how often are you stern anchoring? (bow and stern). We are specifically cruising to Mexico. If you stern anchor often, what's your setup and process? thanks in advance.

[senormechanico]

Danforth on a bracket on stern, rode with some chain permanently attached and flaked in a locker ready to deploy.

Drop bow anchor, set it and let it run as you back to stern drop.
Go forward taking up bow as you pay out stern.
That takes two people.
Alternatively, anchor from bow, get in dink and deploy stern hook.
Boat might fight you with current and/or wind in this scenario.

[estarzinger]

not very often (once or twice a year) . . . . danforth with a short bit of chain stowed in the lazerette.

[boatman61]

Are you asking if we just anchor our stern... or if we Bower and Kedge...
If just the stern... never..
Bower and kedge.. in rivers and occasionally in tight spots.. though in the Med that often involves taking a stern line ashore and tying off to a tree

[s/v 'Faith']

I like to have a stern anchor, have one rigged on both boats. Mostly use for a short break on inland waters.... Like an ox bow on a remote stretch of the ICW. I very very rarely use it with the bow anchor, setting two anchors mostly screws up others around you... I do it but very rare.

If asking about anchoring off the stern, as in spending the night in the wind and sea swinging from the stern not only NO, but have only ever seen one boat that practiced it.

That was in TCI, and it was a European boat with a roller on the stern. I asked them about it, and they said they were embarrassed to do it but that they had a windlass malfunction and only did it because they could use their primary wenches to raise the hook.

[Vasco]

Never if I can help it. Don't like a hook at the stern. The wind usually changes and and blows sideways. Have seen stern only anchoring when doing spinnaker rides.

[rw58ph]

Depends on how the other boats are anchoring. Mainly we have done it on opening day in Seattle as that is what is done. We drop the stern anchor mid channel the pull forward as close to shore as possible drop the bow anchor and then tighten up mid way between the two. The stern anchor is a 40+ lb Danforth. To pull the stern anchor I have use the mast and boom. We carry 4 anchors and three rode’s.

[zeehag]

only souls i have seen anchor bow and stern were in zihuatenejo anchored near the cliffs art playa madera. the stern anchor rode invariably chafed thru. vs broke loose
no one anchors bow and stern in any of the anchorages in which i have anchored.
is wise to keep a kedging anchor at ready in case of need so you dont have to pay mexican salvage when and if you break loose or chafe thru nylon rode.
everyone uses all chain or loses boat. bottoms are sand with rocks all down coast or mud with rocks.

[goboatingnow]

Once or twice to hold the bow off the rocks, safer on the rudder,

dave

[Cheechako]

"Danforth on a bracket on stern, rode with some chain permanently attached and flaked in a locker ready to deploy."
Yep. I have to say though, I have stern anchored quite a few times, nearly every time it was problematic. I would only do it as a last resort and would far prefer to anchor out further and deal with the depth. The only exception being in a place where there is no possible current or wind.

[Sailor Robius]

are we talking basketball sized rocks or VW Bug sized rocks?

[Tayana42]

We have a Delta and a Bruce on the bow. Never used the Bruce. Danforth on stern rail bracket with chain and rope in lazarette. We do anchor bow and stern in some very tight anchorages at Catalina in some of the coves, King Harbor, etc.


B'Shert

[TacomaSailor]

We spent three summers in the Sea of Cortez north of Puerto Escondido and did a lot of stern anchoring (probably 1/4 of all the nights we spent there).

Many of the anchorages are exposed to the Sea of Cortez usually from the NNE to the SE quadrants. The prevailing two to three foot swells are from the SE. The daytime winds are from the E and SE and then slowly back around to the W and NW as the sun sets, the land cools, and the wind starts coming down out of the hills.

If you let the boat swing it will end up broadside or stern to the prevailing swells as the wind comes off the hills. Therefore, we would deploy the bow anchor to keep the bow into the prevailing swell and the stern anchor close to shore to keep the boat from swinging around into the offshore night winds.

We did not follow that procedure several times and each time we ended up being awoken at 2 or 3 AM as Mirador rolled and rolled 'cause she was broadside or stern to the swell.

And, as mentioned above, we used the stern anchor to hold us close to shore in the far SW corner of the Zihuatenejo anchorage for two months.

We have an Anchorlina self deploying system on the stern. That is 200' of 2000# 2" webbing attached to 15' of 3/8" chain and a 22 pound danforth anchor. There were many nights where Mirador was stern to 5 knots gusting to 30 knots and all the weight was on the stern line and anchor. It never failed us.

We set the bow anchor where we want it
Back Mirador to where we want the stern anchor
Drop the stern anchor
Motor forward until the bow anchor has the correct scope
Tie off the bow anchor
Back down on the bow anchor to set and then test it
Tie off the stern anchor
Power forward to set and test the stern anchor

During that entire process we never have to touch the stern anchor rode or chain except to tie it off when it is time to set it

Retrieval of the stern line is almost as easy.
Untie the bow anchor
Put winch handle in the Anchorlina roller
Back onto the stern anchor and turn handle to roll stern anchor web onto roller
Retrieve stern anchor
Retrieve bow anchor

At no time does any messy, dirty, wet stern anchor, rode, chain find it's way into the cockpit.
Here are two links that show our stern anchor system:
http://www.svmirador.net/GROUNDTACKLE.htm

http://www.svmirador.net/SolarPanels.htm

[hpeer]

I wonder how much the answers would change if you looked at the transom design. I imagine that a canoe stern, or high transom would be much more stern anchor friendly.

Tacoma, I suppose your extreme careening event (solar panel link) was unintentional?

[TacomaSailor]

Originally Posted by hpeer

I wonder how much the answers would change if you looked at the transom design. I imagine that a canoe stern, or high transom would be much more stern anchor friendly.

Tacoma, I suppose your extreme careening event (solar panel link) was unintentional?

The boat was on the beach because I put it there at 5 AM when we had 65 knots blowing onshore with 10' breaking waves. My anchor rode parted about 3 AM and I had been driving around in circles in the anchorage for two hours - I was clothed only in briefs and I was getting hypothermic. I had already hit two other boats in the anchorage 'cause there was zero visibility.

I was single handing and could not get below to put on any clothes.

The nice soft sand/pebble beach was a better alternative than any of the rock cliffs and reefs that surrounded the anchorage.

Six hours after the picture was taken - I sailed Mirador off the beach and anchored her back when she had been before the rode parted. There was almost no damage to the boat other than the loss of all the paint and some gel coat on the port hull.

You can read all about this unfortunate episode that had a very lucky conclusion at:

Here Comes Marty!
http://www.svmirador.net/September_27_2003.htm
OCTOBER_11_2003

and finally - by thoughts about the episode written five years later:
TWO FAVORITE QUESTIONS ANSWERED