Anchoring When You Have Engine Failure

[klem]

Yes, good point on hauling anchor. We typically anchor in ~25-30' at low tide so we are often in up to 40' when hauling anchor and I am not fast enough to get it all the way up before the bow falls off. If I am alone, I get it a few feet off the bottom, get the boat falling off the correct direction and let it lay ahull while I haul the anchor the rest of the way. If my wife is with me, the one at the helm starts falling off as soon as the anchor is off the bottom but doesn't actually try to gain any speed until it is secured on the roller. The only trick around here is you need to watch the pot buoys to make sure you don't foul one with the anchor or keel while drifting sideways.

[Cheechako]

I pick a spot away for the crowd. Let the anchor dangle off the bow and have the crew release it after I swim up front to grab the anchor. Then I go down with it snorkeling making sure it sets well. Once that is done the crew throws me a stern line and I swim rapidly astern to dig the anchor in. Once that's accomplished and I'm back aboard I hit the Navy Rum and stir the burgoo on the stove after lighting the oil anchor lamp.
Best Regards,
Tristan Jones

[gjordan]

Cheechako, you scared me. I started reading your post and thought you had lost your marbles. This cant be the guy that writes lots of sensible stuff. Then I saw the name on the bottom and realized all of that insanity/BS was written by the king of BS. I guess that Tristan Jones made a lot of money from his books, but he sure fed a lot of crap to the uninitiated dreamers._____Grant.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Bijimini

I'm curious about the "new generation" anchors. Spade? Rocna?

Same as the others. Drop the anchor, backwind the main.

Even with the engine on, we don't always back down on our Rocna to set it because it often sets so deeply that we have trouble retrieving it the following day. If i'm in a big anchorage with plenty of dragging room, sometimes I just drop it and leave it, figuring that if the wind comes up, it will set itself.

[Jammer Six]

I'd be interested in an answer from someone about a straight-up sloop. (Not a cutter, no mizzen.)

[daddle]

Originally Posted by Jammer Six

I'd be interested in an answer from someone about a straight-up sloop. (Not a cutter, no mizzen.)

Furl the headsail. Sail to a point a few boat lengths downwind of where you want the anchor. Release the mainsheet completely. Coast upwind and cleverly come to a stop or very low speed at the spot. Drop the anchor. The boat may fall off and sail around a bit. When you can, when somewhat pointed into the wind, drop the main.

It is possible to drop so much chain so fast that in a good breeze the boat might turn and sail off downwind. Use some judgement and of course steer her back to head to wind before the situation becomes funny (from other boats).

[gjordan]

I agree with most of what has been said, and must emphasize to stay as far away from other boats as you can. I cruised for 2 years in a 26 foot engineless boat, and I was usually the smallest boat in the anchorage and the farthest one out. It was not always the easiest place to row from, but it kept me from scaring other boats (and myself) on my way out. In light air I would sometimes drop down wind, but usually would round up and drop the jib before I lost momentum and let the chain out when the boat stopped moving forward. Be very careful not to pile up your chain. Let it out slowly as the boat drifts back. Unless it was strong winds, I never worried about getting sideways, since it would give you a little more force to pull your chain straight and snub the chain to try to get the anchor to set. Many times I would snorkel the next morning and find the chain still looking like a snake and the 25 lb plow laying on its side without digging in. Since we are talking about the sometime occasion of a dead engine, I dont think it matters much if it is a sloop , cutter or ketch. The main thing is to leave yourself a LARGE MARGIN FOR ERROR. As has been said in this thread, leaving an anchorage under sail can take more skill than coming in to it. In Moorea, I often anchored in 50 to 60 foot of water with the reef only 100 feet behind me. Leaving on a windy day could be scary. I dont think I could have done it single handed. Good Luck_____Grant.

[Andrew Troup]

Originally Posted by Jammer Six

I'd be interested in an answer from someone about a straight-up sloop. (Not a cutter, no mizzen.)

Ummm ... like, say post #12 ?

This addresses perhaps the most tricky aspect on a sloop: applying a strong enough pull to firmly set a decent sized anchor (backing the headsail alone is sometimes insufficient: however it can be used in conjunction with backing the main, using a vang preventer as suggested)

Or, say, post #15? (addressing the other potentially tricky aspect for a sloop: paying off on the correct tack when raising anchor short handed)

Was there some other sloop-specific issue you had in mind?

[Andrew Troup]

No-one's mentioned what to do if you can't run the windlass, either, and the gear's too big to pull up against the windage of the boat.

This used to be a standard manoeuvre, often called "sailing the anchor out", and if anyone's interested, a Google search on that phrase might bring something up.

Essentially (if single handed) it means setting the mainsail and helm up so that the boat will sail closehauled, then go up to the foredeck and start hauling in. When the boat's about to retighten the chain because it's heading off to the side from where the anchor bears, snatch a turn around the bitts. This will yank the head around onto the other tack. As soon as the chain slackens, throw off the turn and haul again until the same happens on the other tack.

You'll tack up to the anchor, making successively smaller boards each time. This is quite easy, as long as you're used to handling chain (industrial grippy gloves help) and your bitts are big and ugly in relation to the chain and the load.

Ideally the anchor will be snatched effortlessly out as you sail gloriously past it.

The fun is what to do when this doesn't happen.

But it would be a shame to spoil that fun....

[Andrew Troup]

A trickier situation for the engineless cruiser is when they get boxed in by other people coming into a bay after them.

Remember if you're really snookered, you can cheat by slipping the anchor to a buoy, going somewhere less crowded, lying to your second-best anchor, and coming back in a smaller boat for your gear.

(or see if you can talk some kind person into collecting it on your behalf: people are often pretty kind to those who are genuinely engineless but resourceful.

When you slip, this means you can adopt another sneaky manoeuvre, sometimes called the 'slingshot', to get the boat sailing super-soon, with minimum distance lost to leeward:

Before you slip, move the attachment to the anchor buoy back to the chainplates on the side you want to be upwind. Now, if you act decisively, you can get both sails drawing as you slip, so that your keel can start working while the anchor's still helping it resist the force to leeward.

You can exit this way on any course from close hauled down to a beam reach. If the first gap you need to shoot is further aft, so that you need to get down to a broad reach sooner than soon, you can bear away immediately if you keep the headsail nicely trimmed (and nice and big, if a furler) and dump the main. (And the vang, if pushed) In this situation, it may be worth leaving the main out of the picture until you're clear.

If you might have to do anything fancy in a swing keeler in close quarters, first make ABSOLUTELY sure it's fully down, fully forward. You'll have real trouble doing tight turns otherwise, even (somewhat counter-intuitively) slow speed gybes.

[barnakiel]

In the West Indies the trick is that some anchorages can be pretty wind-less. Not a good choice if you want to anchor ex-power.

Anyways (re: pure sloop), we drop the main and approach under big jib (we have a furler). We approach close-hauled and then the last couple of yards we point into the wind, the sheet free, and she will lose all way. Then I drop the hook and very slowly pay out the chain (no pile, just the hook flat on the bottom and then the chain in line downwind from the hook). When I am happy with the amt of chain out, I will snub it and trim in the sail and the boat will start its dance digging the hook in.

And that's that.

Choose an easy anchorage and it is easy, chose a bad one and it can be a nightmare.

Cheers,
b.

[RabidRabbit]

Sounds like engine less cruising is a real pain and really can border on dangerous in certain conditions. In todays crowded harbors being under sail and expecting those with engines to maneuver around you is only reasonable to some extent. I will admite though its not the cruisers as much, but mainly the racers who abuse the sailboat right of way. Many performance minded sailors have contempt for motor boats, and it really grinds my gears.

[daddle]

Originally Posted by RabidRabbit

Sounds like engine less cruising is a real pain ... Many performance minded sailors have contempt for motor boats, and it really grinds my gears.

Not a pain at all. Very pleasant and rewarding sailing without motoring. Do it as much as possible.

If you want to motor around maybe you should have bought a truck. The rules are the rules. If you don't like them get them changed or don't play the game.

[gjordan]

Engine less anchoring and cruising simply requires more forthought , and realizing that there are some limitations. Sometimes I had to wait for wind, but I never had to sit in port and wait for engine parts or reefer parts or auto pilot parts etc. There were some passes that I didnt want to try, but I went to many places and always anchored (never docked) and loved it. Practicing anchoring by leaving your engine out of gear and not depending on it will sharpen up your skills, and it is fun. Give it a go._____Grant.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by RabidRabbit

Sounds like engine less cruising is a real pain and really can border on dangerous in certain conditions. In todays crowded harbors being under sail and expecting those with engines to maneuver around you is only reasonable to some extent. I will admite though its not the cruisers as much, but mainly the racers who abuse the sailboat right of way. Many performance minded sailors have contempt for motor boats, and it really grinds my gears.

It may sound so but it does not have to be so. Engine-less cruising has its pitfalls and engine- cruising has it own set of challenges too.

As re 'abusing the right of way' then the right either is there and then one should use it or else it is not there and then one should give way. Racing or not, 99% of skippers ARE aware of the consequences of paper meeting with scissors.

As re contempt then I think it is not serious. There are jokes, there are anecdotes but otherwise great many racers are boat lovers and will appreciate a lovely power boat as much as they appreciate a lovely sailing boat.

b.