Anchoring off the stern with a double ender?

[dustman]

Anything wrong with anchoring off the stern of a double ender?

[Benz]

You still have a rudder facing the weather--if anything comes drifting down, it could be the first place of impact. Also if in an estuary or place with current, it could do funny things with the rudder.
There'd have to be a good reason to do it, and the right conditions.

[bergius]

We have a double ender, and use the stern anchor a lot in the Baltic. You just need to be careful to keep the rode tensioned so there isn’t a risk of it ending up between the hull and the rudder.

We tie the anchor rode off to one of our aft mooring cleats, so it’s always a bit on the side. It is possible to set up a bridle using a rolling hitch if we need to move the pull to the middle of the boat.



We typically hoist the anchor from midships where we can get it onboard more easily through the gate in the lifelines.

[GILow]

Just take care that your anchor line doesn’t tangle in the rudder.

Don’t ask me how I know this is a problem.

[dustman]

Thanks all for your replies. I will have easily retractable rudders so shouldn't be a problem there. This will be a catamaran by the way. I'm thinking really strong cleats off the back of each hull for anchoring and drogue deployment. Might even be an advantage to be able to change your angle to the wind and swell by anchoring from one side or the other.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by dustman

... This will be a catamaran by the way...
... Might even be an advantage to be able to change your angle to the wind and swell by anchoring from one side or the other.

So, a "quadruple ender"?

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by dustman

Thanks all for your replies. I will have easily retractable rudders so shouldn't be a problem there. This will be a catamaran by the way. I'm thinking really strong cleats off the back of each hull for anchoring and drogue deployment. Might even be an advantage to be able to change your angle to the wind and swell by anchoring from one side or the other.

sheesh! You might have mentioned the fact that you were talking about a cat. It does change the game a bit! You seem to have an alternative idea about what "double ender" means than the main stream yottie might have.

I have no comment about your situation.

Jim

[Kettlewell]

I used to own a cat with kick up rudders and very narrow sterns. Sure, it was possible to anchor off the stern, but we almost never did so because rightly on most boats the main anchor handling gear is on the bow: rollers, windlass, heavy anchor, chain, etc. In any kind of weather it is much better to be pointed bow into the wind, rain, swells, etc. Yes, heavy cleats at the stern are an advantage when using a drogue, but you also want to make sure the back door/hatches are extremely strong in case you are taking breaking seas across the boat. I would be very wary of using a drogue if I had sliding glass patio doors back there. So, when stern anchoring is needed for some reason, it is good to be able to do so, but it is not the preferred way of anchoring in most situations.