How often you dive to see your anchor after anchoring?

[SteveSadler]

When I bought my current boat, a Jeanneau 49DS, 6 yrs ago it came with a 25Kilo delta. We had a difficult time setting it in the Meds hard sand, weeds, soft mud, rocks etc. I dove the anchor every time we set it to better understand what it's hooked on. Often the tip wouldn't penetrate the hard bottom until I dove down and shoved it in while my wife backed on it. Soft sand or mud is hard to find there and conditions change often. I had a welder fill the anchors tip with 5ks of zinc and made a huge difference. Leaving the Med, the anchorages were mostly sand, easy to st in, but still I dove every time. Snorkelling the anchorages, I saw that many anchors were just dumped with a pile of chain, waiting for a squall to send them skipping across the bottom.
6 years and a few hundred anchorages later, I single handed into a tight Tongan lagoon barely big enough to swing in. Dropped the hook in 10ft of sand, backed hard, thought it was set but no landmarks to judge by. It was cold, the sun setting, I drove the dingy over the anchor, looked set and went ashore. That night, the alarm went off, I woke uo, looked around and saw surf breaking 30' away. Long story short, the chain was wrapped over the anchor flukes, pulling it backwards till I was hard aground. I spent the night at 45degrees, grinding coral, setting anchors to kedge off. At high tide I managed to get free, but lots of hull damage.
Yes I think diving the anchor is absolutely necessary if you expect it to hold EVERY time

[chrisr]

personally, we have great faith in our anchor and technique, and almost never dive to look at the anchor

exception is if it's coral and / or the swimming is just too enticing

cheers,

[Cliffhanger]

My previous boat had a CQR and a windlass that would only lift the anchor. So dropping was always by hand. I would literally pay it out by hand, not use the clutch. (OK in up to 10m of water, after that it was just too heavy) This was good because you could always feel when it hit bottom, feel when it lay over and pay the chain out straight as the boat fell back. Full revs in reverse (35 hp in a 6 tonne boat) and it was always solid. Current boat has a windlass that lowers the anchor as well, so no I am lazy and often have to set the anchor a couple of times.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Cliffhanger

My previous boat had a CQR and a windlass that would only lift the anchor. So dropping was always by hand. I would literally pay it out by hand, not use the clutch. (OK in up to 10m of water, after that it was just too heavy) This was good because you could always feel when it hit bottom, feel when it lay over and pay the chain out straight as the boat fell back. Full revs in reverse (35 hp in a 6 tonne boat) and it was always solid. Current boat has a windlass that lowers the anchor as well, so no I am lazy and often have to set the anchor a couple of times.

Interesting comment cliff. I have a manual windlass, so anchoring is always a tactile activity. I can always feel when the anchor is down, and how the rode is paying out. When setting and digging-in I'm constantly using touch (hand and foot) to read what is going on down below.

I believe this is one of the advantages of a manual windlass.

[Gaia]

Originally Posted by SteveSadler

When I bought my current boat, a Jeanneau 49DS, 6 yrs ago it came with a 25Kilo delta. We had a difficult time setting it in the Meds hard sand, weeds, soft mud, rocks etc. I dove the anchor every time we set it to better understand what it's hooked on. Often the tip wouldn't penetrate the hard bottom until I dove down and shoved it in while my wife backed on it. Soft sand or mud is hard to find there and conditions change often. I had a welder fill the anchors tip with 5ks of zinc and made a huge difference. Leaving the Med, the anchorages were mostly sand, easy to st in, but still I dove every time. Snorkelling the anchorages, I saw that many anchors were just dumped with a pile of chain, waiting for a squall to send them skipping across the bottom.
6 years and a few hundred anchorages later, I single handed into a tight Tongan lagoon barely big enough to swing in. Dropped the hook in 10ft of sand, backed hard, thought it was set but no landmarks to judge by. It was cold, the sun setting, I drove the dingy over the anchor, looked set and went ashore. That night, the alarm went off, I woke uo, looked around and saw surf breaking 30' away. Long story short, the chain was wrapped over the anchor flukes, pulling it backwards till I was hard aground. I spent the night at 45degrees, grinding coral, setting anchors to kedge off. At high tide I managed to get free, but lots of hull damage.
Yes I think diving the anchor is absolutely necessary if you expect it to hold EVERY time

Interesting range of opinions from surprisingly (to me) never, to always if possible. I wonder what those who adamantly say never (assuming that it is possible re cold, depth and visibility) think about Steve's post above? Surely a good argument for lessening the odds if conditions allow?

Jim

[noelex 77]

Diving and observing your anchor will teach you a great deal about how well your anchor works. There is an obvious difference between good and bad anchor designs. The marks in the substrate are like the tyre marks on a road after an accident and they provide an insight into the history of how the anchor moved while setting etc.

You will also be better able to understand the cues that are generated when dropping and setting the anchor.

Even an occasional observation is helpful. For example, diving will help show how well your ancho works in weed. If it is not performing well, the next time you encounter a similar substrate you can be suitably cautious. Even when diving is impractical you will have a better idea how your anchor is likely to perform.

For security it is more helpful to dive on your neighbour’s anchor. You will know where their anchor is located, if they have set the anchor, its model and size (at least approximately), as well as how much rode they have deployed. This will also give some insight into the strength and weakness of different anchor models. Please share this information with other forum users on Cruisers Forum.

The feasibility of this is very dependent on location and local conditions. In water that is cold, deep and murky, diving is not practical or at least not very appealing. There can be other hazards such as salt water crocodiles that make diving unsafe. However, even in these locations the knowledge built up from previous dives will help predict what is likely to be happening on the seabed.

Finally in the right conditions diving on your anchor can be enjoyable. There is always lots to see underwater and it is good exercise. Without an interest in anchors I would never see this little guy:

[RickG]

We dive where we can. In two Grenada South Bay anchorages the water was not clear enough to find the anchor without dive gear. In the third, no problem. In Carriacou diving the anchor was easy, but I needed a float to keep the fast boats from running over me; I need a longer line for that float! I wanted to dive the anchor at Carriacou because the first spot the anchor did not set. We do 5:1 chain, including the freeboard, and back down 2300 RPM on a 12-ton boat. The Admiral loves her Rocna.

Cheers, RickG

[Nani Kai]

Originally Posted by Izikalvo

..... 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?

I always snorkel the anchor whenever I can (water temp and visibility, strength of the current, weather conditions, time of day, etc. being mitigating factors). Just an added bit of insurance and you can never have too much information about the condition of your boat in a given situation. Besides, I enjoy it. If big wind is coming and I have any doubts at all about the anchor set I might even SCUBA dive the anchor in less than ideal circumstances. I also will check the sets of nearby boats in a crowded anchorage, as you have, with weather approaching. I like to know where the problems are most likely to originate if things get dicey. Plus most captains appreciate any information you might have as to the status of their anchor set.

[Izikalvo]

Originally Posted by SteveSadler

When I bought my current boat, a Jeanneau 49DS, 6 yrs ago it came with a 25Kilo delta. We had a difficult time setting it in the Meds hard sand, weeds, soft mud, rocks etc. I dove the anchor every time we set it to better understand what it's hooked on. Often the tip wouldn't penetrate the hard bottom until I dove down and shoved it in while my wife backed on it. Soft sand or mud is hard to find there and conditions change often. I had a welder fill the anchors tip with 5ks of zinc and made a huge difference. Leaving the Med, the anchorages were mostly sand, easy to st in, but still I dove every time. Snorkelling the anchorages, I saw that many anchors were just dumped with a pile of chain, waiting for a squall to send them skipping across the bottom.
6 years and a few hundred anchorages later, I single handed into a tight Tongan lagoon barely big enough to swing in. Dropped the hook in 10ft of sand, backed hard, thought it was set but no landmarks to judge by. It was cold, the sun setting, I drove the dingy over the anchor, looked set and went ashore. That night, the alarm went off, I woke uo, looked around and saw surf breaking 30' away. Long story short, the chain was wrapped over the anchor flukes, pulling it backwards till I was hard aground. I spent the night at 45degrees, grinding coral, setting anchors to kedge off. At high tide I managed to get free, but lots of hull damage.
Yes I think diving the anchor is absolutely necessary if you expect it to hold EVERY time

And this brings again the issue that bigger is not always better.
With new design anchors you want to let them dig, if you are using an anchor too big to your size of boat it will not completely dive in the seabed leaving parts of it sticking out that might tangle with the chain, letting it dig properly is also important for protecting the shank from lateral forces.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Izikalvo

And this brings again the issue that bigger is not always better.
With new design anchors you want to let them dig, if you are using an anchor too big to your size of boat it will not completely dive in the seabed leaving parts of it sticking out that might tangle with the chain, letting it dig properly is also important for protecting the shank from lateral forces.

I don't see anything in this thread which supports this claim, nor in the other thread (https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...18#post3250018). And neither does the message you've quoted. Most anecdotes, and actual anchor tests, suggest just the opposite.

[rslifkin]

It's theoretically possible to have an anchor so big you can't set it properly, but that's a heck of a lot more than 1 or 2 sizes up. And probably bigger than most of us could ever put on the bow without major surgery. So in the real world, it's not a concern in my mind. Especially outside of designs like a Danforth where tripping is a bigger concern if it's only partly buried.

[dfelsent]

If an anchor is so big you can not set it doesn’t that mean it won’t drag?

https://www-marineinsight-com.cdn.am...ce-Anchor.jpeg
I couldn’t begin to set this thing.

Yes maybe there is a size too small to be huge and too big to set. But I’m not sure.

[Mark Johnson]

Originally Posted by Izikalvo

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.

I do it every time, in water clear enough to see. I suggest you read:
"Anchoring and Mooring the Cruising Multihull". (Amazon) in E book or paperback. Yes... I wrote it, based on thousands of nights on the hook, in over 20 countries.

It is not just useful for multihulls, and covers a lot of ground, including emergency Hurricane anchoring techniques.

[ELC]

Originally Posted by Allied39

It was pointed out to me lately on a classifieds advert that CQR's do not work and are worthless....literally.
So , with that logic your question would be moot.
I however use a CQR, and dive pretty much any time I am in water clear enough to see.
Excellent practice with no downside....except perhaps for the lack of excitememnt when we don't drag.

Just voicing my opinion ( which is great for the novices I am informed) but do not wish to engage those who disagree and obviously I dont feel like dealing with the trolls.

Used and trusted my CQR for many years. It was oversized. Most problems I have seen with older style anchors was using too small a hook and not enough chain. Next was not backing it in well. I was also known to set two hooks in areas where there where strong tidal currents.

Our 37' cutter survived 140 knots on a 60 pound CQR on 3/8 chain after a 35 pound plow and a Danforth drug.

Loved that anchor! On a few occasions watched folks dragging all over in storms while we stayed put.

Our new boat does have a big Mantus but that old 60 is on board in reserve.

As for diving I will when it's not too deep and the visibility is good. Cheap insurance. That kind of insurance you can't buy.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by ELC

Used and trusted my CQR for many years. It was oversized. Most problems I have seen with older style anchors was using too small a hook and not enough chain. Next was not backing it in well. I was also known to set two hooks in areas where there where strong tidal currents.

Our 37' cutter survived 140 knots on a 60 pound CQR on 3/8 chain after a 35 pound plow and a Danforth drug.

Loved that anchor! On a few occasions watched folks dragging all over in storms while we stayed put.

Our new boat does have a big Mantus but that old 60 is on board in reserve.

As for diving I will when it's not too deep and the visibility is good. Cheap insurance. That kind of insurance you can't buy.

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 .