How Do You Anchor In Deep Ocean?

[Kenomac]

Heave to if you need a break out in the ocean, or our depth limit for anchoring with 100 meters of 1/2 inch chain is about 75ft. More than that and it's a real strain on us and the windlass to bring up the anchor and chain off the bottom.

[sailingfarmer]

A drogue is the obvious answer if you REALLY want to anchor... a "sea anchor" will reduce your drift and typically point you into the wind. With auto pilots and proximity alarms (radar, etc.) not so common anymore... Plus a hassle to get back on board again if the weather is bad when you wake up... But a sea anchor (water parachute) is the only way to "anchor" in the middle of a deep ocean.

[akprb]

Quite a question

[sailingfarmer]

Sea anchor

[markpierce]

If one is adrift, a sea anchor ("under-water parachute") can be deployed to favorably orient the boat in relation to waves and reduce drift.

[MerlinBrasil]

The high-tech solution would be Dynamic Positioning, which is used by oil platforms and service vehicles to safely "stay on station".

Designed for the Oil industry, expensive. But as it's essentially a software solution, combined with thrusters and engine control, feasible.

This might be a decent open-source project.

[liveaboard60]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

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.
[snipage]

I stood watch alone at the helm of a an 82' CG patrol boat off the coast of Cali and I can say with full certainty, no automate system is "capable of keeping a much better watch".. Neither RADAR nor AIS is capable of spotting mostly submerged shipping containers, unlike a good pair of eyes.. flk k

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by liveaboard60

I stood watch alone at the helm of a an 82' CG patrol boat off the coast of Cali and I can say with full certainty, no automate system is "capable of keeping a much better watch".. Neither RADAR nor AIS is capable of spotting mostly submerged shipping containers, unlike a good pair of eyes.. flk k

Yup.. nor logs or ditched commercial freezers.. but let the pleasure boaters have their fantasies.. keeps them happy and feeling safe...

[Seighlor]

It had been my strategy to take a nap at dawn and sleep as much as possible during daylight hours. Better enabled me to maintain a watch during hours of darkness.

[boatman61]

If your gonna get hit.. hours of darkness or daylight make no odds..

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by markpierce

If one is adrift, a sea anchor ("under-water parachute") can be deployed to favorably orient the boat in relation to waves and reduce drift.

And by the time you've hauled it back in the next day, it will be time to go to sleep again, no?

I've never heard of anyone deploying a sea anchor just to go to sleep (as opposed to dealing with heavy weather).

[OldBlueBear]

Hi, One or even two LARGE sea anchors with bags of fish oil to smother the swell will work, as you cannot anchor in water deeper than about 50% or so of the anchor chain on-board.

The alternative is to reduce sail and keep going, cat-nap useing whatever electronic aids you have.

MOST IMPORTANT You should have the largest radar reflector you can find, permanantly up as high as you can rig it to help commercal freighter and tankers to see you on their radar.

Standing on the bridge of a large tanker about 120 feet above the sea level it is difficult for a lookout to see a small sailboat even under clear visability in a near flat carm. While in theory 120 ft asl should give the lookouts about 12.5 nautical miles to the horizon. However a ULCC or Carcarrier is going to be traveling a lot faster than 12 knots, more like 18.75 knots (for a typical run of 450 nautical miles per day in the deep ocean (Atlantic/Pacific) so a figure of 40 minutes to close the "target on the horizon" looks about right.

Yet I think it is uncommon for such collisions to take place in the deep ocean and probably down to bad luck if it was to happen (your at a higher risk from crossing the street in NY.)

Hope this helps. best of Luck, and happy landfall, (dja.)

[roverhi]

Has anyone actually sailed for more than a few days using a 20 minute wake up device??? You need REM sleep to stay lucid over time. Going for more than a couple of days with a 20 minute sleep routine seems like it would be suicide after a very few days at sea.

Personally, stay awake when coastal sailing. Haven't made a passage longer than 3 nights/4 days. After 3 nights without sleep you don't need a television for entertainment. Have hove to a couple of times when I didn't want to arrive at a destination during the night.

More than 50 miles offshore things get very lonely. Unless you are near a choke point like the Panama Canal or major ports it's a mostly empty ocean. Even with AIS, haven't encountered more than a couple of ships on a several thousand mile passage. I sleep when I feel like it when more than 50 miles offshore. Normally wake up several times during the night no matter where I'm at. On a passage, get up and look around, make any changes to the heading or sails and go back to sleep. When conditions permit will usually sleep on the bridge deck next to the companionway in the cockpit. Most of my passages have been made in trade wind conditions with steady winds so don't reduce sail at night. Can't remember ever having to get up to reef or reduce sail. Have had a few instances where wind has died sailing into the
Doldrums and such.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by liveaboard60

I stood watch alone at the helm of a an 82' CG patrol boat off the coast of Cali and I can say with full certainty, no automate system is "capable of keeping a much better watch".. Neither RADAR nor AIS is capable of spotting mostly submerged shipping containers, unlike a good pair of eyes.. flk k

Except we're talking about a cruising boat with someone reading a kindle who hasn't seen a thing for the past 2 weeks. Very different and quite possible that an automated system is actually keeping a better watch than the average crewed yacht on an ocean crossing.

And I couldn't say with any certainty that i could spot a mostly submerged contained mid ocean on a choppy moonless night even paying attention.

[SV DestinyAscen]

My bias is that unless you have three watches in rotation (however it is implemented) -youre not going to beat AIS and modern radar once you're three days in and people are settled and relaxed. Unless you have military discipline, you can't really count on most people to be diligently scanning horizon wlardbinoculars everydfifteen minutes if they haven't seen a thing for days or even weeks.