Getting comfortable with anchoring is really liberating

[charliehows]

this ones for the guys who moan about slapping halyards - thats my anchor alarm - when i'm sleeping i get used to the rhythm of the halyards slapping, if it changes i wake up and go have a looksee. (although - i've never had an anchor drag while i was onboard in 40 years (lucky, i guess) - but i have woken up adrift on 'borrowed' moorings)

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by AFKASAP

...

How about you guys? Are there some nervous sleepers out there? Or are you all completely relaxed?

Had a friend who quit cruising because he never got comfortable hanging on the hook at night. Same guy got hit by a water spout while at anchor once...maybe the PTSD from that kept him awake.

[barnakiel]

15 years down the road, and possibly in excess of hundreds of anchorages, I still do not sleep like a baby. But I do sleep very well. Can't remember any progression in my case. Always loved sleeping at anchor and always slept with 'one ear (not eye!) open'.

If marinas were the only option, I would have stopped cruising long ago.

Sleep well,
b.

[SailFastTri]

Use the compass in your smart phone to check bearing when you turn in, and at 0-dark-hundred. No external light needed. Telltale compasses are VERY expensive. I also use a Plastimo IRIS 100. If you shop online you can pick one up under $200.


Also many apps for anchor alarm, and for bearings I like an app called "Spyglass".





Plastimo Iris 100 Hand Bearing Compass at AhoyCaptain.com - Always your best source.

[Don C L]

I sleep really well unless the wind pipes up. Sometimes it's because I am worried about someone else dragging into me! Haven't dragged though, in my boat. Did once in another but it was pretty rough so we were ready for it. Once you know your anchor, know the bottom and have really pulled hard on it to be sure it is set, it is a lot easier to sleep well. Oh, I was getting more of those pee checks at night too, but doc took care of those for me!

[RTB]

We dragged once in Nassau Harbor when a cold front blew in, but was no big deal since it was afternoon. Another time in Green Turtle Cay at midnight. That was a big deal. Very crowded at the time. Yes...even a Manson Supreme, all chain, and 10:1 scope will drag in turtle grass in 30 knot winds. Fortunately, I already head the engine running before the drag alarm went off.

We've survived much worse conditions than those where we dragged, but I still have trouble relaxing when the wind kicks up...and we have a few anchorages under our belt.



Ralph

[smj]

Nothing like the feeling of being at anchor. But better than that, nothing like the feeling of being at anchor without relying on all those damn electronic devices! For us, any change in wind speed or motion will wake us from a deep sleep and make us aware of the change in conditions.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by faa50

p.s. to prior post. Depending on electronic devices to solely alert you to a dragging anchor is a fool's errand. Too often I've seen nearly new electronics fail, battery power drained to the point of not powering, etc....

If your or your family's life is at stake there may be no second chances. Don't leave it to someone else or a device to solely protect the family and expensive assets. As a redundant device or back-up great.

I depend on plenty of 1/2 inch chain along with a 45kg (100 pound) Ultra anchor along with doing a visual check by diving on the anchor (see avitar).

The "electronic device" is just an additional check on the system.

[AFKASAP]

Well I just woke up since starting the thread last night. I only checked once in the night. It was very calm. We seem to be in the same place as last night which is great. Thanks for all your replies. It's interesting to hear how you all sleep at anchor.

Beneteau Oceanis 40 - 2008
Mallorca

[UNCIVILIZED]

Sleeping on the hook, curled up with the girlfriend, under a thick comforter, with a light rain on deck 3' above our heads... that's living.
It's one of my all time favorite things in life! That & fresh salmon/seafood for breakfast, on top of things - YUM.


BTW, for me it's normal & reassuring to wake up several times a night. The only time that it makes for less, or poor sleep quality is when it's really blowing, or it's a poor anchorage, & the boat's moving a lot.
Then you just switch into cat nap mode, like when you're underway.

I've always been a fan of boats with cockpit seats long enough to sleep on; needs be.
Plus, it's sometimes good to bunk topsides, if you have a newby with a weak stomach onboard. Helps them "acclimatize". And it's nice to stargaze, while telling stories, from your "bunk".

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

Makes me anxious. But, you avoid anchoring on a near lee shore, you set your anchor well before you are going to bed, you record your lat-lon, you set any of the anchor alarms you have - chart plotter, radar, AIS, etc. and you check for movement before you sleep. Actually, not anchoring on a lee shore killed thousands of European sailors in in the West Indies in the 17th and 18th centuries - it meant that the yellow fever mosquitoes were blown to them......

If you're into being prepared, as above. Don't forget to plot both, your danger & escape bearings. They're key, when you can't see much, but need to leave, if things turn into a lee shore situation. Or your hook's dragging.

As to alarms on the cheap/KISS. In mild - moderate weather/shallow'ish anchorages. Fill a tin can with some silverware, & attach it to a long, light line. Who's other end is on the bottom, via a large sinker. And tune the line's length as appropriate for swing.
Sometimes there's a clothes pin involved too, to clip the line to the lifelines or such, to avoid false tripping.

And a cheap replacement to the Telltale compass is to just get a Suunto hiking compass or similar, with a luminescent needle & markings. And tuck it into your pocket or a shelf by your bunk as needed.
They even make ones that you can strap onto your wrist, like a watch. $20!

[noelex 77]

Glad you are getting comfortable AFKASAP.

There is no need to stay awake 99% of the time. With good gear and technique anchoring is very safe.

As others have said, an anchor alarm is a good back up and most will also keep track of where your anchor is located relative to the boat which is more useful information than the direction you are facing.

For example , my anchor alarm right now, tells me my anchor is on a bearing of 85° and is 0.01nm away. So I know my boat is about 20m to the west of where I dropped the anchor.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

Sleeping on the hook, curled up with the girlfriend, under a thick comforter, with a light rain on deck 3' above our heads... that's living.
It's one of my all time favorite things in life! That & fresh salmon/seafood for breakfast, on top of things - YUM.


BTW, for me it's normal & reassuring to wake up several times a night. The only time that it makes for less, or poor sleep quality is when it's really blowing, or it's a poor anchorage, & the boat's moving a lot.
Then you just switch into cat nap mode, like when you're underway.

I've always been a fan of boats with cockpit seats long enough to sleep on; needs be.
Plus, it's sometimes good to bunk topsides, if you have a newby with a weak stomach onboard. Helps them "acclimatize". And it's nice to stargaze, while telling stories, from your "bunk".



If you're into being prepared, as above. Don't forget to plot both, your danger & escape bearings. They're key, when you can't see much, but need to leave, if things turn into a lee shore situation. Or your hook's dragging.

As to alarms on the cheap/KISS. In mild - moderate weather/shallow'ish anchorages. Fill a tin can with some silverware, & attach it to a long, light line. Who's other end is on the bottom, via a large sinker. And tune the line's length as appropriate for swing.
Sometimes there's a clothes pin involved too, to clip the line to the lifelines or such, to avoid false tripping.

And a cheap replacement to the Telltale compass is to just get a Suunto hiking compass or similar, with a luminescent needle & markings. And tuck it into your pocket or a shelf by your bunk as needed.
They even make ones that you can strap onto your wrist, like a watch. $20!

Regarding Your KISS idea...

In calm to mild weather with a perfect sandy bottom, there's almost no need for an anchor alarm even with a substandard anchor. But when the wind picks up just a little, and the bottom is littered with crap and/or rocks (which is most of the time), your KISS idea won't work.

Just set an electronic anchor alarm or two.

[AFKASAP]

Thanks guys

Beneteau Oceanis 40 - 2008
Mallorca

[Kenomac]

The bigger problem we encounter is when some knucklehead decides to lay out 1:15 scope in a small anchorage with light to no wind. Like last night, then I wake up this morning nose to tail with his 60ft catamaran.

Wondering what I did wrong?

[gts1544]

UNCIVIZED, Speaking of compasses, before I got too old to be trusted with a spoon, according to FAA, I flew long range DC-8 freighters in the overnight express business. The DC-8 originally had a navigator's station, facing sideways, behind the captain's position with a fluid compass suspended from the overhead for him to use. The pilot's had fluxgate compasses as their primary directional instruments, but for them to view the only installed "whiskey" compass, Douglas Aircraft had installed folding, swiveling mirrors on the glareshield in front of each pilot. Trying to focus the mirrors in on that compass to check the fluxgates was not an easy task. George