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Old 09-10-2020, 08:38   #61
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Re: How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

We dive on our Rocna, but only when it feels questionable. It's amazing how well you can "feel" whats going on as you back down the anchor with your bare foot on the clamped chain rode. We always drop the pick, drift or back slowly as we lay out at least a 3:1 chain rode, and then back down incrementally up to about 2500rpm (w/a self-feathering Autoprop). But what amazes me is the number of cats we see come into an often crowded anchorage, drop the pick and hook up their short "Y" snubber, ...and call it good. A short rode, no backing, and short snubber! As we've been run into twice at anchor and had nearby boats(usually cats) get really close as the wind and swells change, I'm now always on deck and paying very close attention when new neighbors show up. And I'm not the least bit bashful at challenging their anchor set when I need to...my boat has enough dings already!
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Old 09-10-2020, 08:54   #62
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Re: How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

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Originally Posted by Mike OReilly View Post
Indeed. Bigger is always better when it comes to holding power. Just think how much better you'd be with a 60-pound Rocna or Mantus or one of the others that have even more holding power for their size .
Notice I do have a Mantus! Am happy with it so far. But or 46' ketch also has a 44 Delta, a 60 CQR and a 35 H Danforth. The Mantus is the 65.

Years of crusing leaves me convinced there is no 1 perfect anchor for all situations. Spares are insurance as well. I'm also known to set two hooks. It's meant on a few occasions we were the only ones not aground.

I'm also convinced those "old outdated" designs can work very well when used properly.
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Old 09-10-2020, 09:02   #63
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Re: How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

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Notice I do have a Mantus! Am happy with it so far. But or 46' ketch also has a 44 Delta, a 60 CQR and a 35 H Danforth. The Mantus is the 65.

Years of crusing leaves me convinced there is no 1 perfect anchor for all situations. Spares are insurance as well. I'm also known to set two hooks. It's meant on a few occasions we were the only ones not aground.

I'm also convinced those "old outdated" designs can work very well when used properly.
Agree. I carry four anchors, including a Rocna, a Danforth, a Bruce and a Fortress. No anchor is perfect for everything.

I've said (on this thread and others) that older anchor designs can and do work just fine. It's just that they don't work as well as the newer designs (outside of a Danforth-type). That doesn't mean they don't work. It's just that they have been improved upon.
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Old 09-10-2020, 09:24   #64
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Re: How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

Never.
If the water is clear enough, I'll go over and take a look at the anchor when out for a swim, or when heading ashore in the dinghy. This gives me confidence in my technique for those times when the anchor is not visible.
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Old 09-10-2020, 10:53   #65
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Re: How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

When possible I like to dive to check the setting of my anchor for piece of mine. If I see it we’ll set I KNOW I have nothing to worry about. We spent a total of several years at anchor and on some rare occasions I saw that after having done all the right things, including testing in reverse at 2,000 RPM with a 160 hp engine my anchor only appears to be set but on visual inspection it only holds because it’s tip is barely under a rock or some other hard bottom feature. I also check if I am not near a chain or some other obstacle that could make retrieving difficult. Most of the time I will go for a swim anyway so it gives me something to do. If we arrive late in the day or we anchor deep water then I will rely on my Spade to do it’s job and the normal anchoring techniques.
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Old 09-10-2020, 11:04   #66
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Re: How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

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Originally Posted by sailcrazy View Post
We dive on our Rocna, but only when it feels questionable. It's amazing how well you can "feel" whats going on as you back down the anchor with your bare foot on the clamped chain rode. We always drop the pick, drift or back slowly as we lay out at least a 3:1 chain rode, and then back down incrementally up to about 2500rpm (w/a self-feathering Autoprop). But what amazes me is the number of cats we see come into an often crowded anchorage, drop the pick and hook up their short "Y" snubber, ...and call it good. A short rode, no backing, and short snubber! As we've been run into twice at anchor and had nearby boats(usually cats) get really close as the wind and swells change, I'm now always on deck and paying very close attention when new neighbors show up. And I'm not the least bit bashful at challenging their anchor set when I need to...my boat has enough dings already!


Can’t tell you how many monohulls I’ve seen dump a bunch of chain on top of their anchor then shut the motor down, no effort put into setting the anchor. Of course I don’t blame the fact they don’t know how to anchor just because they are on a monohull..........
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Old 09-10-2020, 11:45   #67
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Re: How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

As posted, I always jump in and take a look when the water is conducive. But then this tragic story got posted in another thread today.

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But tragedy struck when their 14-year-old son Eddie was struck by a jetboat and killed while checking the anchor.
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Old 09-10-2020, 11:56   #68
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Re: How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

I'd love to be able to swim-check my anchor. Where I cruise, it's generally not possible -- not without gearing up in a serious wetsuit/drysuit.
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Old 09-10-2020, 12:32   #69
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Re: How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

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As posted, I always jump in and take a look when the water is conducive. But then this tragic story got posted in another thread today.
A sad story. Condolences to the family.

This is a serious hazzard. People worry about sharks, but jet skis and high speed boats are scarier.

Towing a buoy, or diving in pairs are sometimes wise precautions.
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Old 09-10-2020, 12:58   #70
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Re: How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

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A sad story. Condolences to the family.

This is a serious hazzard. People worry about sharks, but jet skis and high speed boats are scarier.

Towing a buoy, or diving in pairs are sometimes wise precautions.
Yep, in Grenada this is very important. Boats routinely go faster enough to plane in the anchorages. There was a lady killed in Antigua this year. I tow a fender when I check the anchor.

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Old 09-10-2020, 15:45   #71
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Re: How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

I dove on a C QR in the BVIs. It was on its side. we were in a steep basin and for once the overnight forecast was for no wind. Still disconcerting. Agree if buying a new anchor get a new anchor not an ancient cast off piece of agriculture equipment. Mud is an interesting situation. If there is a few feet of mud on top o f a rock shelf then you have a problem. On the other hand, if there is no rock shelf you have an area of consolidating sediment. Here the water is squeezed out of the mud over time. The deeper the anchor goes the stiffer the sediment becomes. A small Dan forth will hold the Queen Mary!,
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Old 10-10-2020, 00:18   #72
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Re: How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

The OP specified the Greek Dodecanese … I had to giggle. When I cruised there, far from finding anchors hardly dug in and worrying about them holding, I found considerable detritus scattered around the bottom that added additional holding.

Two cases in point.
  1. In Rhodes marina, we pulled up a large roll of carpet when we up-anchored to leave.
  1. In a small harbour (can't remember which island) we pulled up a tractor tyre. The local harbourmaster happened to be passing when we lifted it off the anchor, onto the wharf (with considerable difficulty … a tractor tyre full of sand and water weighs … a LOT). He wanted to know why we had brought a tractor tyre and dumped it in his harbour. He had difficulty believing that we hand't brought it with us but that we didn't want to take it away with us.
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Old 11-10-2020, 16:52   #73
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Re: How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

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When possible I like to dive to check the setting of my anchor for piece of mine. If I see it we’ll set I KNOW I have nothing to worry about. We spent a total of several years at anchor and on some rare occasions I saw that after having done all the right things, including testing in reverse at 2,000 RPM with a 160 hp engine my anchor only appears to be set but on visual inspection it only holds because it’s tip is barely under a rock or some other hard bottom feature. I also check if I am not near a chain or some other obstacle that could make retrieving difficult. Most of the time I will go for a swim anyway so it gives me something to do. If we arrive late in the day or we anchor deep water then I will rely on my Spade to do it’s job and the normal anchoring techniques.
We are exactly the same.
I love a swim after a day's sail, so as long as the water is suitable I have a bit of a gander at the set. As someone else posted, observing the path the anchor takes during set is also educational and has enhanced our anchoring process of the years.

Obviously a good set procedure is the most important thing, but why not check it out if you are in warm clear waters...???

Set, swim/check, beer
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Old 20-10-2020, 01:23   #74
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Re: How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

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Sailing the last month and a half in the Dodecanese Greece we have been anchored in many places, since I have an anchors mania I dived in many places to see how my neighbors are anchored and to my surprise, most of the anchors were just laying there, only a few were half-buried. Not only in calm days but also with 20 or 30 knots of wind. So my question to you is: do you ever check your anchor setting depth? does it matter to you? does dropping your anchor, pulling it using 3,000 RPM is good enough?

Jeanneau 43DS Viking 10 anchor 70 m long 10 mm chain.
Yep good enough, so far never had any major dramas over the last 30 odd years cruising.
Only checked maybe a dozent times while I wdnt for a dive.
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Old 07-11-2020, 13:32   #75
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Re: How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

We do check our Mantus when possible. Here in French Polynesia we have been motoring forward after setting the anchor and can usually see it from the bow. We were anchored in Martinique when a buddy boat arrived and anchored. After setting the anchor they dinghied over the anchor and something didn't look right. After inspection with snorkel gear he popped up and said the anchor tip was hooked on the eyelet of an old cement mooring. Now that was different!
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