How Do You Anchor In Deep Ocean?

[a64pilot]

Now to explain a little, I don't think many if any go below and turn in for eight hours of sleep.
I set AIS alarms and the Radar guard zone, and nap a little at a time in the cockpit. I have learned that a large enough cockpit to stretch out in is more important than I first thought
It's not like running down the highway at 70 MPH, in 30 min on a very good sailing night, I may cover 3 NM, truth is 2 NM is more like it.
Cause I learned the hard way to reef at night

[edmundsteele]

Under clear conditions you can see the navigation lights of a container ship at 12 NM. Assume a commercial vessel is heading directly at you and you are heading directly at it at 6 knots, you could be closing at a relative speed of 30 knots. This means you could cease to exist in 24 minutes from “possible first sighting”, if you were super unlucky in a head-on. If the ship approached from directly astern, the relative closing speed drops to, say 18 knots and collision occurs 40 minutes after you could have spotted the other vessel.

This is why many long distance sailors use a 20 minute watch timer so they can “cat-nap” in the cockpit. Every 20 minutes, you scan the horizon for lights – check the radar if you have one – and then lie back and snooze again. Fishing boats and other yachts are harder to spot with their crummy navigation lights but then, they aren’t travelling as fast as the big boys and you have a significantly longer time window in which to spot them. A sailing vessel will typically travel about two miles in twenty minutes.

Of course in dirty weather, all bets are off and you will need to rely upon all of the electronic wonders of AIS and radar. AIS is great – if it is working – but many vessels such as inter-island ferries, trawlers and other yachts, simply don’t use it. Radar is still the best option for that dark and stormy night but radar has its limitations in rain and big seas. It’s also not good at painting plastic boats.

[weavis]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Now to explain a little, I don't think many if any go below and turn in for eight hours of sleep.

Four is enough...

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Mind.. having said that I have been T-boned by a yacht motorsailing with 4 crew on board in broad daylight.. they were All below eating.
So as you can see.. The righteous are as bad as they claim we are..

So you weren't keeping watch either !
Who is at fault ?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by conachair

Most I've met have AIS and radar alarms on when dozing (what I do) . Midocean that gets close to crewed yachts with no radar on and someone with a head deep in a kindle on watch. Not fullproof but the odds are much better stacked.. .

In my opinion, a solo sailor with effective AIS and radar guard zones, is capable of keeping a much better watch than the typical fully crewed yacht midocean.

It's still a clear violation of COLREGS to sleep with no one keeping a human, visual watch, but the COLREGS don't really take account of the practicalities of sailing single handed, so this doesn't bother me overly much.

Effective watchkeeping offshore is really hard, just from a psychological perspective. Who can stare out at the horizon for 4 hours at a time, when there's nothing out there for days at a time? No one, which means that the best watchkeepers are able to keep up a regular horizon scan, but 90% just bury their heads in the Kindle, as you said, or even sleep. I really don't think that the average fully crewed yacht keeps a better watch than the average solo crewed yacht, offshore.

Effective radar guard zones ENORMOUSLY enhance watchkeeping offshore.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

So you weren't keeping watch either !
Who is at fault ?

Its a 50/50 outcome..

[Don1500]

Originally Posted by capngeo

All I ever worry about in the waters I regularly transit is the errant shrimp boat that has the autopilot set and is merrily steaming along at 8kts with nobody on watch.

In other words....doing the same thing you're doing.

[seidulas]

Slight stray from the main topic...

But how deep is too deep to anchor?? Suppose I found a seemingly nice deep water dive spot by a cliff side and the nearest anchorage would be too far to dinghy ride over. Could I anchor from a safe distance from the cliff in those deep water??

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by seidulas

Slight stray from the main topic...

But how deep is too deep to anchor?? Suppose I found a seemingly nice deep water dive spot by a cliff side and the nearest anchorage would be too far to dinghy ride over. Could I anchor from a safe distance from the cliff in those deep water??

If its deeper than the amount of chain and rode your boat can safely manage.. its to deep.
There's an alternative however.. subject to prevailing winds and currents.. and that is to throw a weighted sea anchor over the bow to limit drift to a minimum and then time your dives accordingly.

[John_Trusty]

I'm surprised that no one has brought up the bible of solo sailing yet: Singlehanded Sailing: Thoughts, Tips, Techniques & Tactics by Andrew Evans, posts as and sails Foolish Muse. This will answer all your questions, and ones that you never would have thought of. It's also an enjoyable read.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N9ICA12...ng=UTF8&btkr=1

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by seidulas

Slight stray from the main topic...

But how deep is too deep to anchor?? Suppose I found a seemingly nice deep water dive spot by a cliff side and the nearest anchorage would be too far to dinghy ride over. Could I anchor from a safe distance from the cliff in those deep water??

Depends on how much rode you have and if your willing to do it, as well as of course your ability to lift it, and if your willing to risk losing it all.
I have a Windlass with 1500 lbs lifting capacity so that is one limit. I have a half barrel of 5/16' chain and 600' of nylon rode, so with an approx 3 to 1 scope I could in theory anchor in 300' of water.
But that's a tri-mix dive isn't it?


Normal recreational dive on air, away from a chamber maybe you ought to limit yourself to 100' for safety. I'm not as young or as fit as I used to be and dive tables do not take that into account, then 300' of chain alone would do it.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by John_Trusty

I'm surprised that no one has brought up the bible of solo sailing yet: Singlehanded Sailing: Thoughts, Tips, Techniques & Tactics by Andrew Evans, posts as and sails Foolish Muse. This will answer all your questions, and ones that you never would have thought of. It's also an enjoyable read.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N9ICA12...ng=UTF8&btkr=1

Never heard of it.. but I wish him well with his sales..

[dannc]

Originally Posted by conachair

We've no one to argue with on the boat so have to look elsewhere....

Originally Posted by weavis

Its not the solo sailors that argue... too busy sleeping..

Even when alone, me, myself and I are always present. We often have very interesting conversations but the arguments can be a b...h. :b iggrin:

Later,
Dan

[tuffr2]

To be clear we all live with risk. Sailing at night in the open ocean with reduced sails while you catch some shut eye adds slightly to the everyday risk.

There are no other ways for a solo sailor to make a passage.

Unless you can carry and use 18,000 feet of anchor line just plan on sailing thru the night.



Sent from my SM-G360V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

Unless you can carry and use 18,000 feet of anchor line just plan on sailing thru the night.



Sent from my SM-G360V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

If you think anchoring will stop you being hit.. dream on..
Its harder to hit a moving target..