Anchoring and Dragging

[zeehag]

anchor buoys do a great job of uplifting anchors when others and yourself become caught in them --seen that happen so much--very very few cruising boats i have seen use those markers....causes dragging of anchor.
with 68-72 boats anchored in la cruz anchorage for banderas bay regatta, there were no boats anchored over someone else's anchor-- came close, but didnt do it.

[Andrew Troup]

Anchor marker buoys can be a good idea, particularly if you're struggling to visualise where your anchor is.
It also helps others do this. For their benefit, it pays to paint a big anchor symbol on it to differentiate it from a mooring or net buoy.

You wouldn't be the first person to wake up to some idiot trying to moor to your tripping line!

It helps to avoid snagging on props if you do two things:
1) Don't use a floating line (eg nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene incl Spectra)
2) Do use either a length of light chain or fit a sinker maybe 3m down so the first (and potentially slack) section hangs vertically down. In areas with very large tides, fit another sinker or two further down to minimise the probabiliy that nearby anchorings will entangle your line.

Pays to make sure the line is strong enough (and is strongly attached to the crown) so you get the extra benefit of being able to use it as a tripping line if the anchor should nuzzle under something immovable.

A useful layout for an anchor buoy if you frequent deeper anchorages is a line reel (eg welding wire reel) with added foam for buoyancy. This makes it easy to allocate a suitable length of line in any situation.

[chef2sail]

We have fixed a trip line with an orange buoy in cases where we had anchored and had difficulty removing it or thought we might. We keep a float as well as a line with shackle to put on our Rocnas roll bar. The line must be adjusted to fit the depth of the water where the anchor is when we drop it at the ( have to take into account tide change). When raising the a nchor on the windlass you have to be carefully it doesn't twist, but because of where it is placed on our Rocnas roll bar, that usually doesn't interact with the shank. Good idea to paint an anchor symbol on the float. I will do that. Never thought about someone mistaking it for a mooring a picking it up but Murphy's Law wil always intervene.

Dave

[stevensuf]

About four days ago, we were sitting in san antonio ibiza, i was telling my other half what to expect from charter boats and anchoring, when right on schedule a charter boat appears, drops anchor in a very tight space, does not point into the wind drops the whole chain in one big pile, does not back upon it at all.

The crew on a large antique yacht watched in terror, the crew of the charter boat the proceed to climb on the 3-4 m dinghy, all 9 of them! 3 children only one with a life jacket, the dinghy was a bout an inch from going under, i watched them all the way to the shore, by sheer luck it was calm an none of the usual mad high speed -large wake boats were about.

The next morning the charter company brought them a second dinghy and the first dinghy took them some time to bail out.

[ty.gregory]

Originally Posted by stevensuf

About four days ago, we were sitting in san antonio ibiza, i was telling my other half what to expect from charter boats and anchoring, when right on schedule a charter boat appears, drops anchor in a very tight space, does not point into the wind drops the whole chain in one big pile, does not back upon it at all.

The crew on a large antique yacht watched in terror, the crew of the charter boat the proceed to climb on the 3-4 m dinghy, all 9 of them! 3 children only one with a life jacket, the dinghy was a bout an inch from going under, i watched them all the way to the shore, by sheer luck it was calm an none of the usual mad high speed -large wake boats were about.

The next morning the charter company brought them a second dinghy and the first dinghy took them some time to bail out.

I know you were not intending this to be a "funny" story. And it wasn't! When children are involved all the laughter ends abruptly. This could and maybe shoud be a thread all its own. What should one do when witnessing something like this?

[stevensuf]

I watched them all the way and the rib was ready to go, tried to warn them but language barriers abound and they were hell bent on going where they were going.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by zeehag

anchor buoys do a great job of uplifting anchors when others and yourself become caught in them --seen that happen so much--very very few cruising boats i have seen use those markers....causes dragging of anchor.
t.

Very true if you use an anchor buoy (and try not too in a crowded anchorage) always use a weaklink ( I use a thin cable tie) 6 feet below the surface. This also stops someone mooring to your anchor float.
If you arrange it correctly ithe rope will be long enough that you can still reach below the weaklink and therefore have a strong rope that can be used to pull the anchor out backwards.

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by stevensuf

I watched them all the way and the rib was ready to go, tried to warn them but language barriers abound and they were hell bent on going where they were going.

Have witnessed similar, and agree re the language barriers and the attitude from them results in abuse.
Same story we watched like hawks....

[SkiprJohn]

"Wow, seems a very popular topic this that I started, over 100 posts already! Still, I guess anchoring is one of those 'black arts' that all cruisers have got many tails about."

Great stories! Before electronic alarms and in "iffy" anchorages and an inexperienced crew I used to take my foam cushion to the bow and sleep with my hand on the anchor chain. It was the only way I could get any rest while in an anchorage where my proper scope would still pull my anchor across pahoehoe lava in a wind change. Still dragged to and fro on the west end of Molokai most of one evening.

This thread could rival "what is the best anchor/ground tackle?" for varied opinions.

kind regards,

[simonmd]

Originally Posted by stevensuf

About four days ago, we were sitting in san antonio ibiza, i was telling my other half what to expect from charter boats and anchoring.......

Hey, I was there 4 days ago, i'm now in Cala Tarida, come round and have a drink if you're still local.

Right on que, here's another anchor misshap for you, and yes, a Charter Boat!

Earlier this evening, I was enjoying the start of the sunset when low and behold, a charter boat tried to park inbetween me and another boat like hes parking his car! Now, this anchorage is large with only about half a dozen boats in it so there was plenty of room but no, after I called over that he was too close, he shrugged and dropped it right there.

He eventually moved when the wind shifted a bit and he was LESS than a meter from the other boat!!

[Lagoon4us]

How do you post pic's onto these threads, ive got some dumb anchoring pictures.....

[simonmd]

On the full reply screen (not the quick reply), youll see a paperclip symbol on the top of the window you type in, click that.
To prove it works, heres two pics of that dumb charter boat i refered to above....

[redsky49]

While more room to swing is always preferred, there are situations where you will have little choice but to get elbow to elbow with your neighbors.

In the pic the OP included, you could all be happy campers if the stars are all aligned - if you are all using chain, all about the same scope, all similar vessels, good holding, etc.

What would worry me would be the cat lying so close to the monohulls, especially if he has a long rode/swinging circle, but more importantly the care taken to properly anchor his vessel.

I would agree that charter boats are worrisome. I would also agree that long term cruisers generally have anchoring down pat, save for the rare weather or gear mishap.

I can find no excuse for not illuminating your vessel at night, even if contrary to COLREGS, in crowded anchorages or passage routes.

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by simonmd

On the full reply screen (not the quick reply), youll see a paperclip symbol on the top of the window you type in, click that.
To prove it works, heres two pics of that dumb charter boat i refered to above....

Cheers done it now thanks and started a rogues gallery of bad anchoring....

[Capt Phil]

The most hilarious anchoring event I ever witnessed occurred in Snug Cove on Bowen Island in the PNW. Late in the day about 40 years ago before it was the jammed packed anchorage it is now, there were about half a dozen boats with their hook down in the quiet, peaceful little cove. A large powerboat appeared just at dusk with a three story tuna tower on it where the skipper was piloting from.
As he barked orders to his tiny wife who was manning the electric windlass, a novelty in those days, the whole anchorage sat up and watched the performance. After several attempts to set the anchor according to her skippers increasingly louder and billigerent direction over the loudhailer, he hollered, 'get that G.. D... anchor up and do what I tell you!'
As sweet as could be, she turned on her heel, hollered up at him for the whole anchorage to hear, ' F... Y..!' and walked into the wheelhouse out of sight leaving the blowhard skipper at the top of his tuna tower and his anchor rode handing straight down off his bow.
The whole anchorage stood up and gave her a standing ovation as he climbed down from the tower, raised his rode and disappeared at full throttle.
Truly, one of the funniest things I've ever saw! Capt Phil