Active Anchoring

[Captain Bill]

While I often start my engines when a squall is approaching, I can only remember actually engaging in "actve anchoring" once. It was last summer in Maine while anchored at Jewell Island. While holding there is usually ok, it's not what I would call great. The anchorage is long and narrow, especially at low tide. That night it was spring low and you couldn't put out too much scope. Drawing 4 feet I probably had less than 75' of swing radius at low tide. Sure nough a severe thunderstorm hit and the winds were blowing about 75 degrees off of the long axis of the anchorage at better than 60 knots. I was really too busy to keep an eye on it. I was using rudder as well as differential thrust to contol the boat, at times even using 100% forward and reverse at the same time. There were three other boats in the anchorage and they were monohulls without nearly the windage my boat has. I used the engines to stop me from dragging and managed to keep the boat from going aground. When it was over, I was the ony boat still floating. The other three were over on their sides on the beach. Fortunately no one went up on any rocks and all they had to do was let the tide come in to float them off. If the tide was not so low they probably would have gone up on some rocks further up the beach. That was certainly the most "active Anchoring" I've ever had to do and I would be extremely happy to never do it again.

[bobconnie]

Connie and I have spent a LOT of time at anchor. And we have relied on our way to heavy Danforth almost always! Never have to worry about dragging (with enough scope) if the bottoms is anything but pure rocks! Now if we get a wind swing of more then 120 Degs, We are both awake, and ready to re-anchor if need be !! I guess we could got to a new age anchor, but our old Danforth has done us well and is paid for ! LOL and Ive seldom had my sleep disturbed with a big wind shift ! Just my 2 cents

[colemj]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Cool.

Yes, there are just a few peculiar things that you can get in Belize that you don't find in the rest of the W Carib. Add to that list Lime Squash and Marie Sharps!

We now have ~3 gallons of Marie Sharps on board. I have become addicted to it. Literally. That stuff must be loaded with cocaine and heroin that never made it all the way up to the US. I can no longer imagine a meal that wasn't swimming in the stuff. I don't think the stash we have will last us more than a couple of weeks. I may convert our water tank to a Marie Sharps holding tank.

I can already feel that monkey on my back…

Mark

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Bash

(Might as well be wearing the foulies anyway if there's a chance you'll have to cut and run?)

Foulies? Last time I wore those was… uh… last time I sailed a monohull!

Mark

[Blue Crab]

Was awakened a bit ago by a gust of ~40 ... yep, two a.m.

[Andrew Troup]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

Was awakened a bit ago by a gust of ~40 ... yep, two a.m.

Did you wake again a couple of hours later, dreaming of Descartes, grope for the timepiece, and pronounce the immortal words

<< I think . . . . . there ! . . . . 4am ! >>

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Bash

My first impulse is to insist that I don't do "active anchoring" because I get it right the first time. However, if it's gusty enough that I'm not sleeping well, I would certainly set up an anchor watch. (Might as well be wearing the foulies anyway if there's a chance you'll have to cut and run?)

Apart from putting out a bit more scope, whenever that's a good idea, my main active activity would be to check the snubber from time to time as a precaution against chaffing. But if the anchor starts to drag I'm outta there. Better to battle the gale in deep water than in the skinny stuff.

..

Besides doing all that when it blows over 30k (and more may be on the way) I reduce the windage of the boat lowering the dodger and taking the bimini away.

Regarding "active anchoring" with over 25k my boat does that for me. I have the wheel blocked at a central position but even so the boat "sails" on the rod using the sailbag as sail, moving from side to side (light boat). I have looked and the tension on the anchor is greatly reduced while the boat moves slightly forward and all movements are very smooth. I had thought of stopping that using a proper sail set up (dedicated small sail aft) but after looking at the movement on the rod I am not sure that is prejudicial. Maybe it is even beneficial since the overall force on it is significantly reduced.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by Andrew Troup

Did you wake again a couple of hours later, dreaming of Descartes, grope for the timepiece, and pronounce the immortal words

<< I think . . . . . there ! . . . . 4am ! >>

Good one! As SWL has commented, CF can bring a smile with the morning sun. Still waiting for the sun tho. Very rough night. Didn't need to start the engine as am fairly secure with 6ix lines holding my cackleshell to Terra Nova Firma.

Actually I wake each morning like Diogenes, grab me lantern, and resume my search.

[JonJo]

We have been caught out by inadequate weather forecasts or my ability to read an incorrect forecast.

I personally find that once the conditions become sufficient that I cannot sleep I am as well being on watch as in bed, being on watch can be quite comfortable in the cockpit of a multihull. I find lying, awake, in bed more worrying that sitting and actually watching the conditions and instrumentation.

But our forecasts are such that major and sustained bad weather would be correct, the timing might be out - but if we have something nasty coming, we are told and we go to somewhere as quiet and settled as we can find. Consequently our exposure to being at anchor in the incorrect place means whatever it is is of short duration - a very few hours, so not onerous. For us to be in an anchorage where the wind on our wind instruments is over 35 knots means really bad luck or stupidity (even if the wind outside is 70 knots).

I have once had the engines running, in neutral - but it was 50 knots with gusts over 55 knots, the forecast was right but not the ferocity. We had a Fortress on the bow, shackled and ready to deploy - I simply did not know what we might need, so we thought we had everything we might need - ready. In the event we needed nothing extra.

So I think we anchor actively - but we hope to be always passively active

Jonathan

[Polux]

Originally Posted by JonJo

..

So I think we anchor actively - but we hope to be always passively active

Jonathan

I like that. That's the spirit

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

Was awakened a bit ago by a gust of ~40 ... yep, two a.m.

I call that 2-3 AM window oh-squall-thirty.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

While I often start my engines when a squall is approaching, I can only remember actually engaging in "actve anchoring" once. It was last summer in Maine while anchored at Jewell Island. While holding there is usually ok, it's not what I would call great. The anchorage is long and narrow, especially at low tide. That night it was spring low and you couldn't put out too much scope. Drawing 4 feet I probably had less than 75' of swing radius at low tide. Sure nough a severe thunderstorm hit and the winds were blowing about 75 degrees off of the long axis of the anchorage at better than 60 knots. I was really too busy to keep an eye on it. I was using rudder as well as differential thrust to contol the boat, at times even using 100% forward and reverse at the same time. There were three other boats in the anchorage and they were monohulls without nearly the windage my boat has. I used the engines to stop me from dragging and managed to keep the boat from going aground. When it was over, I was the ony boat still floating. The other three were over on their sides on the beach. Fortunately no one went up on any rocks and all they had to do was let the tide come in to float them off. If the tide was not so low they probably would have gone up on some rocks further up the beach. That was certainly the most "active Anchoring" I've ever had to do and I would be extremely happy to never do it again.

This is precisely the type of scenario I'm refering too.

A direction/velocity change is often just precursor to more significant weather.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by colemj

We now have ~3 gallons of Marie Sharps on board. I have become addicted to it. Literally. That stuff must be loaded with cocaine and heroin that never made it all the way up to the US. I can no longer imagine a meal that wasn't swimming in the stuff. I don't think the stash we have will last us more than a couple of weeks. I may convert our water tank to a Marie Sharps holding tank.

I can already feel that monkey on my back…

Mark

Wow, 3 gallons! I see hot sauce rehab in your future. Gonna be tough going cold turkey when you run out. Maybe you should cruise Belize for a while.

[sparrowhawk1]

I love my boat but in strong winds the stern almost seems like it gets sucked into the wind and my boat has gone almost completely beam into the wind. . in over 60 knots of wind I find it very helpful to use my engine keep my bow about 20 degrees off the wind. I put the rudder hard over, engine in gear. during gusts I throttle up during the lols I back off keeping my bow approximately 20 degrees from straight into the wind. there is always tension on the chain

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by Andrew Troup

Good to see a misunderstanding cleared up, and kudos for the goodwill and humility involved.

- - -

I wish strong tackle, heavy anchors and good technique were sufficient to anchor safely, but I don't believe that's always true.

It would be a shame to refrain from going to certain wonderful places, which offer no 'good' anchorages, just for lack of the soundly based confidence and painfully acquired techniques to actively make up for the difference between ideal and real.

And even in 'good' anchorages, bad things can happen, perhaps compromising holding unexpectedly, and it's not always desirable to re-anchor or go walkabout: you might have multiple lines ashore, for one thing.

Not sure I am understanding this post.

Almost all of us have had our boats drag when anchored even if we used good technique in setting good ground tackle. As I posted earlier selecting a good location to anchor with good ground tackle and backing down after using good technique to drop the anchor with enough scope and finally setting an anchor alarm will solve almost all our problems.

Still there are times when even all of these acts will not prevent a boat from dragging. Do lines ashore help, of course. Does taking down dodgers and other items that increase windage help, of course. For a complete list of additional things google preparing a boat for a hurricane in the Florida Keys.

However few of us would sail to any location knowing we would have to ride out a tropical cyclone, instead most of us would try and hide from it. If forced to deal with adverse weather of this level conventional advice is the first thing you need to do is select a good location. Kinda like the first item in the list I posted about the first thing you need to do when anchoring is select a good location.

Most cruising guides have detailed information on where to anchor and where not to anchor. Many of us through extensive experience will check charts and look for a white sand circle to drop the anchor in.

Bottom line for me is that selecting a good spot to anchor will cover a multitude of sins (including less than ideal ground tackle and weather) and selecting a poor spot to anchor can overcome any advantage good ground tackle and technique provide.