Does constant anchoring wear you down?

[steve.garlick]

This season, after some horrific anchoring experiences, we upgraded all our gear. New Rocna 25kg, new windlass and new chain. The new anchor sets SO much better, ideal for those tiny Greek ports where you drop your anchor on one side between the boats, then lay out chain over to the other side. Even so , we still dive on the anchor and sometimes my wife will be in the water, watching it set. We've learned a lot of anchoring technique by diving and observing what happens as the anchor sets.

I'm usually fine to leave the boat if I've already slept on board for a night, or we've dived on the anchor. My wife is less comfortable, particularly if the wind is up. We've anchored out in 40 knots for several nights in a row, I'm not sure we ever get completely comfortable. I wrote a blog about the experience of 'Life on the end of a piece of string' which is often how anchoring out feels in high winds, just a tenuous connection holding us to the surface of the planet.

We still have trauma's with other people lifting our anchor and the tangle of crossed anchor lines. We carry and frequently use an anchor thief, and experience has taught us how to manage some of the worst snarl ups.

I love the experience of being out at anchor, but sometimes when the wind is howling, nothing beats a snug marina berth.

Steve

[Bestathook]

It is GREAT to know I am not the only one who sleeps uneasy on anchor.

In my area, there are two daily high tides and 2 lows with strong corresponding currents. With varying winds, this is ideal for wrapping a rode around an anchor, like a cowboy taking wraps around his saddle horn. It is not ideal for a peaceful night's repose.

I like anchor overkill, big anchors. I anchor Bahamas style a lot too, midway between 2 anchors set toward the center. With a little slack in this system, I often lie to a V, which stops the boat from "hunting" with the rolls at its ends as it turns. I sleep easier with double anchors and no hunting.

My old Buccaneer 24 had an odd habit. It would hang on the rode to the wind, then lay to the current, like a letter L with the anchor at the top and the boat at the bottom end. The anchor was NOT where the bow was pointing.

I don't totally trust engines either, but that, as Kipling said, is a different story.

Great thread!

[scoobert]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I might add that we spent the better part of month at anchor this past summer on our summer cruise, and I made a lot of progress with my anchor-o-phobia mental disease.

The anchoring went really, really well this year -- not the slightest problem anywhere, perfect spot everytime, anchor set first time every time, smooth as silk. I was able to calm myself down quite a bit and even managed to get some good sleep without chemical aids.

If you work on it hard enough, it seems to gradually go away.

I think anchor-o-phobia is a very common disease among cruisers, so you are not alone!

Good luck!

all the dragging, did you ever use a GPS alarm?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by scoobert

all the dragging, did you ever use a GPS alarm?

o

I always use an anchor alarm, sometimes two (INavX on an IPad next to the bunk is nice backup).

But back in the day, with that horrible CQR, GPS anchor alarms weren't invented yet. The anchor alarm was your own ears (in that boat, I slept in the forepeak and could hear the chain rumble when the CQR inevitably dragged).

[scoobert]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

o

I always use an anchor alarm, sometimes two (INavX on an IPad next to the bunk is nice backup).

But back in the day, with that horrible CQR, GPS anchor alarms weren't invented yet. The anchor alarm was your own ears (in that boat, I slept in the forepeak and could hear the chain rumble when the CQR inevitably dragged).

oh, well i didnt manage to look at the loran long before i chucked it, they didnt have an anchor alarm? lol.

how was the QCR sized to the boat? adequate chain?
just curious as i will use my 45# qcr this year with all chain rode.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by scoobert

oh, well i didnt manage to look at the loran long before i chucked it, they didnt have an anchor alarm? lol.

how was the QCR sized to the boat? adequate chain?
just curious as i will use my 45# qcr this year with all chain rode.

It's been many years, so I don't remember the exact model. Must have been 40 pounds or so. It was a genuine, forged one, and I do remember it cost a fortune. I had 200 feet of 3/8 chain and used a lot of scope - CQR hopeless on less than 6:1, and better more.

Getting rid of that anchor was one of the happiest days in my sailing life. Many sailors have similar stories.

[NahanniV]

Originally Posted by steve.garlick

We carry and frequently use an anchor thief

Haven't heard of "an Anchor thief" ?

[highseas]

Funny how CQR gets bashed so much but at least 50% of boats cruising in Mex. use them.Probably more to do with being undersized or not enough scope,or poorly set to begin with.I wonder if a swivel helps to reset anchor in wind/current shift,to avoid chain wrapping around stock,or breaking free.What I also notice is many drop chain too quickly and back down too quickly.Takes a minute to sink into bottom.I use a 50lb Manson plow on all chain,18000lb boat,never had a problem.I sail singlehand alot with a manual windlass.You can bet I want to drop and set only once.Getting anchor up in high wind is a bigger challenge,as boat drifts fast once anchor breaks free.

[gjordan]

We discovered one of the many joys of constant anchoring on a 2 year cruise of Mexico and Polynesia. NO ROACHES. We didnt know how good we had it until we sailed up to Hawaii, and tied up at the Yacht club. We were inundated with roaches within a few days. I almost always prefer to be on the hook. _______Grant.

[canadianllama]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

I like the concept and practice of using a kellet, but it seems to be best suited for you guys out in the PNW or other places where deep water anchorages are more common. I typically anchor in 12 to 20 foot depths on the US Est Coast and a little more rode is a greater percentage of the depth and does not increase my swing radius significantly. I favor their application in your conditions, but they are not always worthwhile.

Yeah i just about never am able to get a decent scope out when i anchor, its either to deep to fast, or to many boats... And too deep to fast. Its interesting ppl say they don't help in a hard blow, years ago i did research and found a site that did a bunch of tests, but i cant find it now. But imho if it's blowing, your anchor starts to drag, gets a litle slack, then maybe the kellet would help to get it scoped enought to grab again. At any rate, it takes me only about an extra min or 2 for my kellet as i have a nice setup.

[subquanta]

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”


― Frank Herbert, Dune

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by subquanta

“......Fear is the mind-killer....the little-death..... total obliteration ..... turn the inner eye ...... there will be nothing....... ”

Enough! These thoughts scare the crap out of me! I'll need to get away from the dock and anchor out where I can't get this scary wifi signal!

[Reach]

Originally Posted by forsailbyowner

Having lived aboard 8 years now Ive had one terribly scary anchoring episode. I was in a place near Johns pass in 8' of water with about 8 to one scope. It was a gusty night and the tide is strong there. Every gust would blow me past the anchor and the tide would pull me downstream wrapping the chain around the anchor with each pass. Ive never seen it happen before but the 45lb delta fouled. I woke to a strange noise and when I got up to investigate saw marker lights right outside the ports. I got at the helm and fired up the engine and at the same time I put it in gear the mast contacted the bridge. i still count my blessings as the only thing that was lost was one of the sides of the windex that form the v. My lesson was to use 2 anchors in strong tidal areas especially when its windy.

This story reminds me of the time we anchored on the ICW near Ft Pierce Inlet and "slept" through a swirly night of competing wind & currents. The next day upon raising our all chain rode we were surprised to find that there was a knot in it! What the heck?!

[Nostrodamus]

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread.

There have been some amusing stories, a wealth of knowledge and an enjoyable read.

With threads like this we all learn one thing or another even if it is that there are others out there who have the same problem.

Will I sleep any better under anchor... I doubt it but we will have to wait until next year to find out.

The good thing for you people who do sleep soundly and don't get up during the night for a quick check is that there are many people like me looking out, not just for our boats but yours as well.

Once again... thank you for your contributions...

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Ah, this is funny! This is turning into a general thread on Boat Phobias! Probably a very worthy subject.

Docking is of course one of the trickier skills we have to master, and I'm sure everyone has been through a bout of Docking Phobia...

I call it "Post Traumatic Docking Disorder," not entirely tongue-in-cheek.

I know someone going through it, and I gave her the name of a really good teacher.

IMO that is the most sensible way to work it out. With a degree in music, I value practice, practice and more practice, and I think that's exactly what's called for. Then you figure out exactly what works best for you in your situation. As you practice, you gradually practice at different points of the tide and with the wind at different strengths and directions.

When I could dock my boat well in 15 mph winds I was glad, but when it kicked up to 25 I forgot about going home and went to the T-dock at my club, which has a very shletered marina, and a very long T-dock.

I did learn things from other people, such as figure-eighting your bow and stern lines to a cleat, then looping it around a piling and back to the cleat. Makes exiting very easy.

But even great tips like that require ... practice.

I was given the advice to just take my boat out and drive it around in reverse all day. That's much easier if you turn around and face the stern. The wheel now steers like a tiller, but I bet most of us have done that before.

When you turn around on a tiller boat, the tiller now acts like a wheel, in that pushing the tiller to port moves the boat to port instead of starboard. Practicing helps you make that mental shift easily.

Constant anchoring doesn't wear me down. I do get up once in the middle of the night but I set my anchor point on the chart plotter, so if what I spotted on shore is no longer visible - no problem. I've learned to go right back to sleep.