Setting Two Anchors

[captden]

I just finished putting my second anchor with all chain rode on the bow and I started to wonder how do you deal with crossed anchor rodes when you set out two anchors with an all chain rode?

captden

[thinwater]

... which is why secondary anchors are not very popular. I do not believe there is a good solution if they are both all-chain. If both ends are fixed (one to the boat and the other to the ground) and you spin 3 times, it's bad.

I use a short chain/rope rode for my secondary, only 75' long. I attach this to either bridle (catamarans have long bridles) or to the primary chain (if the water is more than 10' deep), and thus if I spin, there is still no tangle (or the tangle is short and easy to clear).

[Philsboat]

An Alberg 37 was anchored in front of our house for a week with two anchors set from the bow.When he left yesterday he had a hard time pulling them up as they were twisted together so he had to untwist one rode from the other before he could pull either anchor up.
It would be a lot easier to put them in tandem but this could be a problem if you don't have an anchor winch.

Phil

[Randyonr3]

I've always made a point that if I anchor with two off the front, I also add the rear.. never had a problem with tangle

[Mark Zarley]

If I wanted to deploy 2 anchors off the bow , I would use one all chain rode for both , placing the 2nd anchor 30 ft or so from the 1st. This way you would be pulling on both anchors at the same time. I would not put out 2 anchors on seperate rodes at a 45 deg angle, as when the boat tracks back and forth one rode goes slack and all the load is on only 1 anchor. If the boat were to drag with 2 anchors the anchors would eventually come together and possibly become fouled. A 2nd anchor on the bow for different holding conditions makes sense, but I would not put myself in a situation where 2 anchors were needed to hold me on station.

[Sandero]

If you want more holding with two anchors, deploy them on the same rode. The one closest the the bow will do most of the holding. It's hard to imaging the furthest one actually holding unless there is so much force that both dig in and pull the chain between them taut.

But in this approach you can and will swing around. With two deployed at 45 or 60 or 120 degrees unless the wind force is perpendicular to the imaginary line connecting the two anchors only one is actually holding the boat, muck like the painters in a bridal when the boat shears, first one then the other takes the load and they only share it when the bow aims right between them.

Two anchors in near other anchored boats is also a problem. Best solution is big anchor or two, one after the other on the same rode is my opinion.

[thinwater]

Anchor threads are always complicated, because each commenter faces different situations. I think every comment (including mine) here is sometimes right and sometimes wrong. Myself, I have used all of these methods at some time. But this all amounts to thread drift.

The common thread is that 2 long chain rodes from the bow is trouble when the boat spins; they cannot be untangled if there is any wind load unless one is taken loose. I suggest trying all of the other methods instead.

[Bash]

I was in a situation once where three boats rafted up, two of the boats putting out all-chain rodes. The entire raft spun during the night, and the rodes were so hopelessly fouled with each other that we finally had drop one of them (with a buoy at the end) and let the other one pull it up.

The best reason to avoid multiple anchors might be that you don't usually want to put yourself in a situation where it takes more than an hour to retrieve the anchors.

[captden]

I'm glad to hear not many do set two anchors with two seperate rodes, I can just imagine the mess it could create when the boat spins. So I guess the only time it pays to set two would be in a spot where you have a changeing current and then set one up current and one down current which would put the anchors 180* apart right?

captden

[Pelagic]

I have used two sets of ground tackle quite often on super yachts, primarily to minimize swinging room in a crowded or small bay.

I set them about 180 degrees apart laying out the prevailing wind anchor first to the last shackle, drop the 2nd then pull back on the first while paying out the 2nd to the desired spot and scope on the primary.

Keeping just enough slack between the Two so that the catenaries can easily clear the keel …. the yacht tends to pivot on the thermals and tides without crossing the chain.

But if it does… no big deal to spin and unwrap because you can easily see the leads 180 degrees apart

[captainKJ]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

I have used two sets of ground tackle quite often on super yachts, primarily to minimize swinging room in a crowded or small bay.

I set them about 180 degrees apart laying out the prevailing wind anchor first to the last shackle, drop the 2nd then pull back on the first while paying out the 2nd to the desired spot and scope on the primary.

Keeping just enough slack between the Two so that the catenaries can easily clear the keel …. the yacht tends to pivot on the thermals and tides without crossing the chain.

But if it does… no big deal to spin and unwrap because you can easily see the leads 180 degrees apart

Cn you elaborate a little more please,,,, If your bow was facing North and you put out one anchor at 90 degrees to starboard and the other on one out at 270 degrees port how would this hold you,,, would it not be better to put both anchors out at a 45 degree angle from the bow??

[Pelagic]

http://www.boattraining.com/waterway...ue_anchor.html

This link explains it better and shows some photos 1, 2, 3, which is suitable for relativelysettled weather and again I am only riding on one anchor where the expected wind directions will be 180 degrees apart and you set your anchors in line with the winds.

The other thing is you can do all the work from the bow by backing down to your 2nd “let go” position

[captainKJ]

thanks much,,,, bow and stern anchors my bad for not thinking that

[skipmac]

In the Bahamas where I did a lot of my cruising, a lot of anchoring is done in cuts along the edge of the banks where you will see a reversing current every 6 hours. Two anchors are usually the best option, both to minimize swinging room in a crowded anchorage but also to avoid changing the pull on a single anchor by 180 degrees every six hours.

The Bahamian technique is as Pelagic describes, both anchors off the bow but 180 degrees apart ie. one in front, one behind and enough slack in the lines to allow a catenary in the rodes to allow the chain to pass under the keel when you swing.

So after a couple of days it is pretty much inevitable that you will have a twist or two in the rodes. What I usually did was to slack one rode to make a loop that you can pull aft over the other rode so that rode is free. Drape the loop over the bow, bow pulpit, sprit or whatever is convenient. Then bring in the rode that is free and when the anchor is in the roller push the loop of the first rode back over the bow and hoist the second anchor. Two things, make sure you have enough slack so you don't tighten the loops and jam or break something. Then you have to make sure you get the loops back into the water before the boat falls back on that rode.

Two other options, drive the boat in circles around the rodes to unwrap or free one rode and either buoy or pull it back on board.

[AnchorageGuy]

We have dealt with this for years in places like the Bahamas. When the current and or wind goes slack, take the dinghy and push the boat from the aft side near the stern and untwist the rode. The first time we did this in Georgetown, everyone look at us like we were crazy. Two days later, everyone in the anchorage was doing the anchor push.