how to set the hook, no engine?

[Juho]

Addition to my previous mail.

One technique that does not require a fixed point is to use the weight of the boat to your advantage. When all the rode is out, try to draw the rode quickly back in with you hands. You should feel the difference between moving the (heavy) boat (slowly) vs. moving the (much lighter) anchor (much faster).

Originally Posted by Juho

With no engine and too light winds to be of any use, I think you need another fixed point. That fixed point could be another anchor, a pier or maybe a tree. You don't need a dinghy for the second anchor if your anchor rode is long enough to cover the additional distance.

I often need a second anchor or a rope to the shore when I anchor in tight places. The quality of the bottom can vary a lot, so I need to make sure that the anchor is definitely well set. Motoring is one way to check the anchor, but also winch is ok, or sometimes just my own muscle power. Quite doable, also without a motor.

[Captain Obvious]

My boat is 28ft. I just drop the main, furl the Jib and coast to a stop then lower the anchor slowly as you drift back so you don't drop the chain on top of the anchor. pay out the rode slowly then cleat. go and do something for a while and keep checking. The main thing is to have the right size anchor, mine is 1 size bigger than recommended for my boat length, and at least 2 boat lengths of chain, go one size up as well. By upsizing you can be more confident it will do the job. When the wind is very light the boat will sit there fine without the anchor dug in, when the wind or current picks up the anchor should set. If overnighting I try and anchor up earlyish (hour before dark at least) so I can be confident we are holding. I always stay on the boat for 30 minutes or so as well if we are going ashore, just to make sure. There are some pretty good anchor alarms on devices these days for peace of mind.

If anchored with hazards downwind then maybe try and bed the anchor, or pick a spot where dragging wont mean ending up on the rocks.

I usually anchor overnight based on what the wind is predicted to do in the middle of the night not at the time I anchor.

Don't over think it.

[Bulawayo]

Originally Posted by svinvictus2

Always anchor into the wind. Once you've dropped the hook using a minimum of four to one back wind the main sail and let the wind do the work.

That is how I was always instructed and what I had to do for my Ocean Masters certificate. Only you and Ernest have picked this up.

[GrahamHO]

A friend I've sailed with does the downwind sailing drop very successfully.
I don't do that on my boat as for sure the warp would catch on my bulb keel. What works for me is sailing into the wind and leaving the main up with the main sheet released. Then slowly paying out the anchor chain and warp as the flapping main blows the boat backwards. Having someone on the tiller to keep it central helps or on your own you can tie it. I always finish off by sliding a small weight 12 kg or so, about 8' down the warp. Then the warp never catches on the bulb and it helps the anchor dig in. Slowly paying out the anchor and chain / warp is the key to success whatever else you do.


Even when motoring to anchor with or without the main still up I don't dig the anchor in until it has had a while to settle in on its own. I use a Bruce and it always holds but I don't want to get into an anchor debate.


A downwind drop looks impressive though I think that it could possibly also result in the chain tangling the anchor.

[Don C L]

I am assuming everyone commenting on downwind anchor setting are referring to dropping the bow anchor from the bow and steering downwind, is that right? This works, but it may drag the anchor line along the hull or keel right? For that reason I have found it less stressful for me to just use the stern line, and move the the bow anchor to the stern if it is bigger if needed and pay it out over the stern roller. I also don't sleep well if I let the line pay out and think it PROBABLY will set alright. I really feel better setting both bow and stern and pulling them against each other. Where I am anchoring (Channel Islands, California) there is a good chance of a kelp mass laying on the bottom, over sand, that can foul an anchor easily and even Bruces, plows and Rocnas won't set well in that case. I dragged a big plow with a Downeast 36 once that way, at 3 in the morning. Fortunately I was already up because it was blowing pretty hard. And I THOUGHT it was already well set. BTW Evening Tide I have ALWAYS wanted to anchor there at San Simeon, it looks like a beautiful anchorage! I just never get up that way. I know my GPS also says I am going 0.4 or 0.3 knots when I could swear I am not moving.

[AlbergSteve]

I have an Alberg 30 and backing down on the anchor just doesn't happen - the boat just backs in circles! If the anchorage is busy, ie. the head of Ganges Harbour on Saltspring Island where it often looks like the Walmart parking lot on any given Saturday afternoon, I do one quick scout through the prospective area I want to anchor in(under power) and make a note of where I want to drop the hook. On the second pass, at about 3-4 kts, I put the boat in neutral(still coasting), drop the anchor, feel it hit bottom, pay out rode under light tension (to prevent piling in the anchor or prop fouling) and at about 5:1 I snub the line and use the momentum of the boat to "back" down on the anchor. If it's a little less busy, I often sail downwind to my intended target, furl the jib(don't want it flogging in my face while I'm trying to set the hook) and set the anchor as above under main only.

[farm sail]

Originally Posted by ryon

Have you tried rigging a mizzen topsail? :-)

yes I've tried several times but without a mizzen mast I have yet to be successful

[Don C L]

So Farm Sail, you'll be going engineless on your southward journey? You'll be sculling? Very good. I am experimenting with engineless options too. In our area it can take a while to get places without an engine, but it is a refreshing and liberating feeling to be without an engine. Hard to explain that one.

[patn44]

run downwind to the anchorage under main, drop the anchor off the stern (line led forward and cleated at the bow with scope on deck), and let the boat round up when the anchor digs in. drop the sails.
to sail off the anchor pull in the scope until just about to break free, haul up the main and sheet it in as the boat sails back and forth take up more line until it is free. sail out of the anchorage and haul the anchor back to the stern.
I've done this many times, single handing and in some crowed areas, though I prefer to anchor in solitude.

[Snowpetrel]

I've done many a downwind drop on my old 26 footer, with a nylon warp. It worked very well, but does have the potential to take fingers off. Or break gear if you aren't careful. I wouldn't do it off the bow with all chain.

What I did on snow petrel 1 (with all chain) was anchor under sail normally, then unroll the headsail and back it to drive the anchor home.

Often to anchor I would heave too, then drop the anchor. If you dump the main at the right time you end up beam on to the wind with a fully backed genoa loading up the anchor. If it bites well you might tack. If you want to be real sure back it on the other side. Otherwise roll up the headsail and call it a day.

In very light airs backing the main and the headsail on the same side can get you sailing backwards pretty well.

Experiment, it's great fun, and a good skill set to have.

Sent from my HTC_0PCV2 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[tager]

I just drop it. Works a charm. Then again i have a big anchor and a small boat.

[El Pinguino]

Zero wind and tide? Most unusual.... however... drop anchor to bottom of sea.... add 10 metres... count to ten... pay out another 10...etc... until you run out of chain.
Go below... make some scones and brew a bit of tea....
If wind and tide stay buggerorf go to bed .
If wind or tide turns up then go on deck and see what is going on...

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by tager

I just drop it. Works a charm. Then again i have a big anchor and a small boat.

Works for me too.

[Schooner Chandlery]

With our 5 ton Rawson 30, often used the sail downwind technique. Big anchor, small boat. Yup it worked. With our present 30 ton boat with motor we just do the straight into the wind, drop the hook method but we don't usually backdown, we let the wind do the work -- the bow falls off and heads downwind fast in a good breeze. Sets the anchor nicely. If I were a bit less timid, we'd set the anchor under sail, too, but we don't have furling sails and there's a lot going on with just getting the sails down if there's much wind. The whole anchor under sail just doesn't appeal so much when you're shoehorning a big boat into a small anchorage. The only large anchorages we've been in have been super deep ones that we're pretty particular about how we're set. We've sailed off anchor many times with the larger boat but not set the hook. Could do it if we had to on this one -- but gotta say it's a lot easier the smaller the boat.

[estarzinger]

Originally Posted by farm sail

when you skull into a ddead calm anchorage 11 o'clock at night the last thing I'm thinking about doing is launching a dink to row out

Well, no wind, no motor and don't want to launch the dinghy . . . . That leaves you with two options . . . . .

(1) just drop a big anchor with lots of scope and call it good.

Or

(2) drop main anchor, keep skulling, let out twice the normal main anchor rode, drop your second hook, pull in main rode to right scope, put second anchor rode on winch and set main rode.