A Guess at how Quick you can Drop your Anchor in an Emergency?

[Fuss]

By that I mean, having the anchor on the bottom, not dragging and the chain running out. The emergency starts with you in the cockpit and not prepared for this emergency.

This is how it goes for me.
Out of the cockpit and up to the bow and open the anchor winch locker - 12 seconds max
Get the anchor winch handle and release the brake - 10 seconds max
Remove the anchor chain short snubber hook - 3 seconds
Use the winch handle to release the anchor chain channel cover - 10 seconds
Step forward to the bow roller and push with my foot on the 60kg Bugel/Wasi anchor roll bar until the anchor plummets to the seabed - 10 seconds maybe
Total time around 45 seconds
Return to the anchor winch locker and watch the yellow cable tie marks every 20 meters fly by until I decide to put the brake on and hook on the chain short snubber.

The chain short snubber takes the strain off the gypsy, however it is not a real snubber.
Then normal anchoring procedures apply.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Fuss

By that I mean, having the anchor on the bottom, not dragging and the chain running out. The emergency starts with you in the cockpit and not prepared for this emergency.

This is how it goes for me.
Out of the cockpit and up to the bow and open the anchor winch locker - 12 seconds max
Get the anchor winch handle and release the brake - 10 seconds max
Remove the anchor chain short snubber hook - 3 seconds
Use the winch handle to release the anchor chain channel cover - 10 seconds
Step forward to the bow roller and push with my foot on the 60kg Bugel/Wasi anchor roll bar until the anchor plummets to the seabed - 10 seconds maybe
Total time around 45 seconds
Return to the anchor winch locker and watch the yellow cable tie marks every 20 meters fly by until I decide to put the brake on and hook on the chain short snubber.

The chain short snubber takes the strain off the gypsy, however it is not a real snubber.
Then normal anchoring procedures apply.

Leap down below and grab the windlass remote - 8 seconds.
Push button , anchor bites depending on depth.

Having an unreliable engine does sharpen your mind in certain areas-

[ohdrinkboy]

I have a small boat, keep my anchors in my lazerette and deploy from the cockpit (singlehanding). I can probably hook down in ten seconds. Another fifteen to get the line situated on the bow as the rode is paying out. My wife calls me speedy

[valhalla360]

Assuming the emergency doesn't include heavy wave action (which could slow the progress a bit):
10-12 sec to get to the bow.
5 sec and the anchor is uncleated and dropping.
Then it's just a question how long before it bites but with no engine, you can't really control that.
If it's not biting, another 5-10 seconds and I can release the anchor on the second bow roller.

[S/V Illusion]

Push button - immediately
Anchored at 32feet/second menus friction losses

Problem recognition - therein lies the problem. Some don't do we'll in that exercise.

[RainDog]

Turn to my right and pull the stern anchor out of the holder - 2 seconds.
Throw it overboard (Danforth style, light enought to toss) - 1 second.
Feed rode out as needed until set - ??

This is exactly why I always have a stern anchor rigged and ready to run free. It is my emergency plan in case of close quarters engine/steering failure.

[Hudson Force]

An anchor emergency assumes you're in shallow water in shore an approaching some obstruction with current. I guess that if you have way on from your recent engine activity, then you still have some steerage to point up into the current to save you some time or influence your future position. No wind? ...I can deploy my genoa faster than anchoring. Maybe I would need to add a few seconds for the decision that anchoring is best. It's worth the discussion here, but I think it would be a rare scenario.

[Suijin]

Interesting question. I have all chain and a power windlass that gets grumpy when paying out chain. Easier for me to dump it hand under hand. Probably in a pinch could have the anchor on the bottom in 20-30' of water in under 30 seconds.

And in an emergency situation, I would hardly consider rigging the snubber as part of the process.

[zeehag]

i turn on engine before anything else, and begin forward mobility then raise damnfouled anchor--have yet to experience this with my awesome 30 kg original bruce, however.

oh yes and i had to telephone someone to help me as the cruisers were sleeping in boats near me and didnt have a clue. wind was too noisey to call anyone out--and they were distant from me...lol love cellular, and local friends with pangas.

[SailPenelope]

Anchor and chain fly out at terrifying speed. Husband usually hand over hands it out, but in an emergency we might let fly.....I guess.....I worry about it all ending up in a heap.

Did anchor under sail once......engine wouldn't start. Light wind, thank God. Payed it out as we continued forward, then snubbed the chain once we had enough out for the depth. Waited....and yes, all of a sudden, the boat turned sharply, bow to wind, and we knew we were set. Dropped sails.

[barnakiel]

I think in the cruising mod it will be some 30 seconds, maybe a minute.

But when on a passage, it might take more.

I think the quicker one can, the better.

b.

[Hudson Force]

I notice that I didn't give an answer to the question in my earlier post. Once the decision is made, say in about 20' depth, I could have the anchor in the bottom in ten seconds. The nature of the bottom will determine more. If I'm on a scoured hard pan things will be dicey!

[boatman61]

I'll be realistic and say 3 minutes to get the hook down and 15metres out... and paying out more till a satisfactory hold.. to many variables to guesstimate less...

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I'll be realistic and say 3 minutes to get the hook down and 15metres out... and paying out more till a satisfactory hold.. to many variables to guesstimate less...

'sounds right, - my ten seconds was to have the anchor hit the bottom, not to pay out, secure, add a snubber, etc...... Still, I must say again, an emergency anchoring scenario would be a rare event. More commonly, I find a need in a sudden blow, when I need to get underway quickly as I've lost my grip on the earth! This is followed by plently of time to reset once I've pulled everything up. I can think of half a dozen times (blown oil cooler, impeller failure, fuel pressure loss, kingston valve blocked...) when my engine stopped, but in every case I had time to drift, put out a sail or casually anchor. I still agree that it's a possibility, but I've been waiting for it over forty years of cruising. I'll admit that there are certain times, usually breaking an inlet by the big rock jetties, that I think, "what if I lose power now!", but fortunately that's a small percentage of my cruising time. Even so, the strong currents in these places are almost universally running parallel to the line of rocks.

[onestepcsy37]

how timely! i did just that a few days ago.

my anchor is always ready to go. all i needed to do was go forward, pull back on the chain to release it from the claw hook, let the chain go, and over it went, taking all the chain with it. i slow or stop the chain with my foot on the chainwheel, or, if i have a few seconds, put the handle in place and use that to slow/stop the chainwheel. being an emergency, i didn't use the snubber line that time, knowing i'd be upping anchor and moving out within the hour.