Has Anyone Ever Used a Stern Anhor as a Brake in an Emergency?

[jmschmidt]

In all tricky entry situations both bow and stern ready anchors should be rigged and crew briefed on how and when to deploy. (When is easy, when I say so.)

[Scotty Kiwi]

I should have, once in 15 years, but it wasn't ready to go when I needed it.

I lost steering approaching a narrow exit to a marina. Got through using prop cavitation, then ran to the bow to drop main anchor.

Would have saved valuable 15 seconds had the stern anchor been ready.

I've seen a quasi tall ship do it to halt once the reached the right spot at the end of a wharf finger. Heavy square rigger, tiny engine (apparently), big stern anchor. They had it down pat.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Man thats a long "fly" time for that Fortress, about 30 seconds! Could end badly if in close quarters.

Danforths will fly too but what I do is I pay out the rode far more quickly so that the anchor IS on the bottom until I have the desired length out and I cleat it when it finally has enough rode to set. If you try to set it too early it will skip on the bottom. I don't know what would work in quarters closer than 100 or 150' of room from where the anchor is dropped depending on depth of course. oh and BTW, be sure the cleat you are using is reinforced and meant for this stress. From 3.5 knots to 0 will test the cleat's strength.

[piberman]

In the “old days” when engines were never considered reliable everyone and I mean everyone carried a a fluke anchor on the stern pulpit with some chain and line ready to let go. And then ran to the bow to let go the “big boy”. Of course if the stern anchor is a lightweight “toy anchor” then folks ashore will have some good stories to tell.

Nowadays we don’t see many stern anchors. Save on commercial boats. And we certainly don’t see them on “fancy boats” with lots of varnish. Stern anchors have another use for folks who spend time in the Bahamas and want to avoid the rolly pollies. Putting out a moderate size stern anchor out from amidships can often reduce the effects of the rollers. Especially after a storm.

Finally, in the “old days” any real tar and feathers “blue water sailor” carried a good half dozen anchors. Including several fairly lightweights quickly deployed from the stern. Even if never used they suggest a serious sailor.

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by piberman

Nowadays we don’t see many stern anchors. Save on commercial boats. And we certainly don’t see them on “fancy boats” with lots of varnish.

Please define "fancy" and "lots of varnish". It sure seems like we have a lot of varnish on VALIS: caprail, rubstrakes, handholds, dorade boxes, hatchboards, hatch cover, and misc trim.

And a stern anchor:



The Pacific Seacraft 44 has a stern anchor chain roller, which helps protect the caprail. Sometimes.

[sailon46]

First time had to do this coming into Foxys at Jost BVI last March dropped the sails started the reliable Yanmar but this time I heard a slapping noise from the engine of 51 Bene and the engine sounded the overheated alarm. By this time I was moving 2knts in a crowded anchorage. Shut the engine and dropped the anchor in 35 ft water. She hooked immediately delta 55 all chain so we didn’t bump any body. The engine fan belt was shredded I guess the article of Nigel Calder I had just read about burring out the belt in the pulley when tightening came to fruition. Had spare belt so the day after crossing from Bitter End was celebrated with pain killers at the Soggy Dollar.
Ernie on the Mary Jane

[Lihuedooley77]

Provided you have some sea room......

Situation. Newport Bay, Boat owner use to always docking under power calling the harbies for help. Engine inop. Light wind about 6 to 8 mph. 36 foot sloop. .Wind would be dead downwind on your stern during the approach. He had no clue, and was cussing out the harbies when they told him he had wind and a sail boat. Dock it under sail or call SEA TOW.

Very easily he could Sail upwind well past the slip. Drop the main , while sailing up wind. Sheet the boom tight, toss on a couple of quick sail ties. No blocking of any view.

Turn the vessel toward the dock, roll in on most of the roller snarler, still making some way, when you have your docking made, lay out your stern anchor. Thh anchor sets in the thick Newport Bay mud.Short final,

A shoe box will float down wind. From a ways out, with a small bit of jib out, Lay out your stern anchor and smoothly take a purchase to slow you down when you enter the slip. Jib will be totally rolled in when you enter the slip.

fix all fenders ahead of time, including a breast line, that fix that line to a cleat first, finish stopping the vessel before the bow runs up on the dead end slip.

Otherwise, with sea room and a lee shore, and maneuving room and lost engine power, bare poles under power, we would probably anchor into the wind, with the bow anchor, and once the vessel is stopped and secure, try to fix the problem. The bow would be pointed into the wind. If you cannot get the engine started and no tow available, , and if necessary hoist the main, and sail off the anchor and roll out the jib. Tack up the harbor to your slip.

Other than a down wind slip, you should be able to sail the vessel into the slip, on the approach, luff up the main, and even scandalize the main by hauling up on the topping lift with a run out main sheet running free as you enter . The jib would be already furled, .

As sailors, we generally should be able to dock a vessel under sail. But that also depends on the location of the slip, and maneuvering room. Lots to take into consideration.
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Med mooring in the greek islands.

We med moored many, many times during our two weeks sailing the greek islands. Bow anchor out and backing down under power . Which seems easy, but fleets of other vessels were all ready med moored three and four deep, with all kinds of anchor rhodes criss crossing and overlapping each other.

Bloody mess. loads of bow anchor chain and rhode out. Then we tied our stern lines up to the other boats and had to tromp over several other vessels to get ashore. We did have a greek skipper for the first week and the second week a canadian skipper and owner of the charter company.

If it were us, bare boating on our own, and no complement of 8 passengers, we would have anchored well clear of that goat rope, and after checking the security of the bow anchor, dinked into the guest or dinghy dock and snugged into the bar. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The fortess anchor video.

Those fortress anchors are some kind of strong and sturdy, yet light weight.

One time at Two Harbors, Catalina island, Erica and I, Erckson/Olsen 34. We called the harbies as we arrived on the VHF

We requested a mooring. The harbies said to anchor for bit, they had one opening up. So, I laid out the fortress anchor in fairly deep water outside of the mooring field.

Laid out a lot of road due the depth. The harbies called and assigned us a mooring. I was up at the bow, with Erica at the helm. The anchor rode was straight up and down, she pulled forward to break the anchor out. No luck. Tried that from four different quadrants. No luck, The anchor held fast.

The harbies came over and I took the bitter end of our anchor rode and I boarded on their powerful motor launch. He performed the same method we performed no luck.

Well we wanted a mooring, no bumper boats at two a,m. So , I tied a fender to the in the water anchor rode, with a coil of the remaining line rhode and secured to the fender line reduce the length of the rode and keep it straight up and down. No hazzard to navigation.

The next day, and I figure this is going to cost some bucks, A large work boat with a huge a frame and power engine, pick up my fender and dock line wrapped it to a capstan, and started Roaring away and blowing smoke. Quite a show.

It did not appear that plan was going to work, but then they were making progress....up comes my anchor that had snagged soundly on a few tons of a very large vessel's anchor and chain that had been resting on the bottom for quite some time.

Smoke blowing and the hoisting engine roaring, they haul up a load of very thick anchor chain and the huge anchor, that our little fortress had snagged.

The work boat motored slowly up along side. I know that they can sell that anchor and heavy long chain for some good yankee bucks.

So I say to them, " harggh, a veritable treasure trove in anchor and chain that you have there. "

The crew of the work boat just smiled, and said " Yep, here is your anchor...NO CHARGE. They were a happy campers and seeing lots of green.

Point being, seeing that video.....I remembered the strength that that little fortress anchor was capable of. One tuff mutha !

Hargghhh, me lads, enuff of the sea stories....

[Micheldawes]

I was once a deckhand on a famous old (And very solid) 85ft Ketch rigged Maxi yacht and the skipper misjudged his bow first entry - Stbd side to - into a berth in a floating concrete marina. Same thing happened, although due to the displacement of the ketch (52 tonnes!) she didn't ride up onto the berth that much - more like she sank the concrete pontoon under the bow. After eventually sliding back down into the water (And the pontoon surfacing again) and finishing the "manoeuvre" I inspected the damage - and not even a small scratch in the gelcoat! I was amazed by the whole evolution!

[knockabout]

it's known as the Oh! poo anchor / some boats have rear anchor spits fitted with an anchor sitting on the roller / we carry a stern anchor tied to a stern bollard the other section coiled in the self draining cockpit / in strange creeks and rivers sometimes picking through unfamiliar reef systems we have never used it for a hand brake and it's a nuisance trip over object / if we stow it away in the lazarette it will be the time we need it

[deluxe68]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

I've used my stern anchor a couple of times. It's a Fortress (aluminum danforth-shape) hanging on my stern pulpit. I've got a stern chain locker for it, and have it rigged with 40 ft of chain, and about 250 ft of line.

One time we were anchored off of Alcatraz Island for the Fleet Week airshow. It got quite crowded, and my bow anchor (rope/chain) got tangled with a powerboater's anchor. In trying to untangle ourselves, I managed to cut our rode with the prop and get it tangled up. I couldn't get the engine to shift and we were drifting towards the rocks. I tossed out the stern anchor on a short scope (more scope would have let us hit the rocks). The anchor held. A helpful sailboat let us raft up to them and they towed us to where we could sail out of danger. I learned some good lessons that day!

The second time wasn't an emergency. We were racing on San Francisco Bay, and the wind died, with the current pushing us towards the beach. I tossed out the stern anchor, but a little too late. We stopped, but were still swinging into the shallows. So, I radioed that we were retiring from the race and motored a hundred yards to where we could continue sailing. We sailed the remainder of the course, but just for fun.

In both of these cases having the stern anchor ready to instantly deploy made the difference. If I had needed to drag it and the rode out of a locker it would have been too late.

Isn’t that cheating?

[Pelagic]

In all my years cruising, I have never had an engine failure happen, when I really needed it in tight quarters.

Perhaps it is just my maintenance standard, or that I always test engine and reverse propulsion before committing myself to tight quarters, but to me, it is as unlikely as the propeller falling off.

Modern stern designs don't really lend themselves to permanent stern anchors and I honestly prefer to beach tie to a tree with a heavy floating line than use an unseen stern anchor, when I anchor off a steep-to beach, for same purpose.

I have one stored in the lazarette in case I ever needed it, but so far...never have.

[Panope]

Originally Posted by Don C L

......... oh and BTW, be sure the cleat you are using is reinforced and meant for this stress. From 3.5 knots to 0 will test the cleat's strength.

No problem

[buzzstar]

Back a decade or four, I had one. Never used it, ever, despite being sure it was essential gear and vital placement. At some point demoted it to lazarette status. Never needed it through several boats. Still have the rode in original roll -what is the right word- (now in my garage), but the anchor (Danforth copy) went with the boat.

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by deluxe68

Isn’t that cheating?

Dropping the anchor in a race? Completely legal, at least in the races where I've participated.

During one race we passed a bunch of boats while we were anchored. The wind had died and the current was sweeping the other boats backwards. They were struggling to sail upwind in the extremely light air, but the current was too much for them. We ate our lunch and waved as we "passed" them. Some of the boats probably weren't even carrying an anchor.

[BigBeakie]

One scary episode was when I was crew on a 57 foot alloy Radford mono coming back from the Coral Sea and a bit down on diesel as we came in over a bar crossing at Wooli River that has a very narrow rock wall breakwater that does a left bend to calm water. The bar was working ( Aussie for "rough" ) and just as we approached the run into the rock wall opening, the diesel died. The skipper without a moments hesitation hit the remote windlass control at the helm and let the big Super Sarca drop as our blood pressure skyrocketed looking at impending doom in the breakers. The anchor bit and swung us around with the stern a boat length off the rocks. Ention

The newly changed filter had plugged with bug that been stirred up coming over the bar, and once cleared we were able to motor out and around and back in.

Panope's videos show which anchors bite reliably and quickly, pay attention to that, it may come in handy one day.


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