Ideas for an anchor alarm?

[boom23]

My vote is for Vesper XB8000, combination AIS, WiFi and anchor alarm.

[fatherchronica]

I once tried that cast iron frying pan alarm, once. It hit me in the head and I thought for a second or two that I was still married to Marlene.

[Tkeeth]

Originally Posted by conachair

Anchor pro on an android phone, worked perfectly so far. Though never dragged, just keep forgetting to switch it off when raising moving the boat..

Anchor pro works well for us, drag queen didnt work as well on my phone.

[Bay Breeze]

Thanks for the input. We have an Ultra on chain that replaced our CQR - and the best advice is a good set and regular checking overnight. We tried a hand held and for very erratic readings at our dock, so back to the Garmin 640 - guess we will wire in a 12v supply and cover the screen to turn off the light. Thanks again, Bay Breeze

[Training Wheels]

Bay Breeze, interesting boat you have. Looks like great fun! How do you like it?

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

I actually was up on anchor watch one stormy evening with my "Howitzer"...12 gauge pump shotgun loaded with slugs.

Just at dusk someone came in an anchored an old derilict boat and abandonded it. Later, wind shifted with the weather and it was to windward of me. If it started to drag, my plan was to put a few well placed slugs just below the water line.

Instant karma would have it sink on top of your anchor lol.

[seasick]

+1 for Don CL's technique. We have used this for decades on sketchy holding ground. I drop the weight right next to the anchor so it won't trigger if we swing. I lead this alarm line below and tie it to a skillet on a counter top. This KISS approach is failsafe.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Training Wheels

Fisherman's alarm clock. Drink lots of water before you go to bed!

That's an old man's alarm clock. I cheap depth finder with an alarm may be useful?

[LTDsailing]

I have been using the "Anchor Alert" app on my Android phone for a couple of years now. It works well as long as I set it correctly and the phone doesn't loose it's GPS signal. The big advantage of this one and several others that are based on a cell phone is that they can text another phone if the alarm goes off. When I leave the boat, I leave the phone on board running the app and carry another cheap boat phone with me so I will know if there are any problems while I am ashore.

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by Bay Breeze

We cruise a few months each year and spend a good bit of it at anchor. Like most, we have had our share of anchorage adventures. But last year's near disaster in a tiny, crowded anchorage shook us up and led to new ground tackle and a little less sound sleep.

We now use an old Garmin 640 GPS for an anchor alarm. Seems to work pretty well, but it stays lit all night and drains out the internal battery in a few hours unless plugged in to the boat system. We have a Drag Queen iPhone ap, but with less confidence.
Anybody use something that works well in the V-berth to monitor the anchor? Thanks!

I used a garmin GPS 60 with great success. However, I had a RAM mount and 12v cable, so it was always on. I would have one of my kids mark the spot when I dropped the anchor. Then I could see the distance to the anchor at any time, regardless of direction. I liked that if I woke during the night, I could just glance up and see my distance from the anchor. If the distance was greater than the amount of chain/rode I had let out...I knew I was in trouble. But mostly, the number was smaller and I could just go back to sleep.

[Jd1]

I am surprised that OpenCPN isn't mentioned more. An excellent anchor alarm that lets you set a guard circle wherever you want and whatever size you want it to be. It is very rare to ever loose GPS signal with a dedicated receiver compared to anything built-in in your phone (although I have never had a high end phone). You get an alarm when you go outside the guard circle or if you loose the GPS fix.
I should also mention that this solution was less than reliable on a windows laptop but is pretty much bullet proof on a Linux box (for reasons unknown, Windoze and I do not get along, ymmv).
I never check anything outside unless I am in a crowded anchorage and I sleep like a babe!.

[sparrowhawk1]

There are many free anchoring apps. My last phone had its battery die and the connector to charge would take forever but if I kept it plugged in I could still use the apps. Many people don't realize many of their apps will work without phone service.
Also I can keep the old phone in the cockpit and my new phone in the cabin. Or when using the navonics app I can have them set for different scales.

[chris95040]

Fella I was talking to this summer told me he'd throw a weight overboard tied to his big toe. If it started getting uncomfortable, he knew it was time to do something.

I think I like the cast iron skillet idea better.

Me, I set the GPS drag alarm, plus a backup on my phone.

[patprice]

Originally Posted by Training Wheels

Fisherman's alarm clock. Drink lots of water before you go to bed!

Yep and do not use a rope "spronger" if you think you might drag. Nice to hear that chain and anchor rattling over itself or the sea bed before you hear the keel doing similar!

[Wanderlust]

I can't say I'm too fond of the systems where you toss a weight over the side. With wind shifts overnight and reversing tidal currents I would expect to have to do some untangling too often.

To me that's not KISS. KISS is pressing a button.