Do you ever anchor, backwards!?

[valhalla360]

Daytime anchoring in shallow water to swim and play but only in calm conditions and we are right there to take action immediately if conditions change.

[nortonscove]

My boat has a roller for such on the port side but I've never used it.

[Greg K]

Going bow to with a stern anchor is fairly common in Greek island harbours where no mooring line is provided.

We did it regularly in the southern Aegean on our Cape Dory 36 for years.

All serious cruising boats should have a dedicated stern anchor ready to drop at a moments notice.

[Flod]

In Scandinavia the bow to a dock or an island with a stern anchor is like 95% of the totals. Normally the depth at the dock or the rock is not enough to reverse into. The rudder will be to deep. So everyone has a fairly large stern anchor (the primary for most boats) on a “ankarolina” or a windlass. If you plan to cruise Scandinavia or the baltics you should get one.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by martin b

Almost all the time on the inside passage to alaska you will "sternto"
The depths and rate of rate of descent will not let you get the scope of even 3 to one and big tidal variants 10 or 12 feet often tie to a tree or a boulder

Originally Posted by Flod

In Scandinavia the bow to a dock or an island with a stern anchor is like 95% of the totals. Normally the depth at the dock or the rock is not enough to reverse into. The rudder will be to deep. So everyone has a fairly large stern anchor (the primary for most boats) on a “ankarolina” or a windlass. If you plan to cruise Scandinavia or the baltics you should get one.

This is quite common.

It is not the same as anchoring from the stern and free swinging, with no other attachments.

Surprisingly this latter option is very rarely used, but I think it is what Atcowboy is referring too.

[Oeanda]

After rereading the title, I suppose I should have voted ‘yes’. Our previous sailboat only had a stern anchor. I would generally run the line around to a cleat at the bow, to avoid the ‘cold wind up the bum’ effect. So yeah- we’d usually anchor backwards.

[ChrisseH]

The conditions in the Finnish and Swedish archipelagos are of course rather special: The waters are typically shallow, we have no tide and we have plenty of small islands and bays offering sheltered anchorages, but we are on the hook from the stern only. When the yacht was new I anchored several times from the bow, but in windy conditions the yacht swinged from side to side so much that it became unpleasant onboard. Tried to resolve this by extending or shortening the chain, changing the position of the snubber, used double snubbers, locked the rudder in different positions and by using an anchor sail, but the improvements were just marginal. There is some swinging also when anchoring from the rear, but dramatically less than when anchoring from the bow. In addition to the ventilation aspect there are also other advantages with anchoring from the rear. Because of the smaller swing motion it is easier to swim from the aft platform. As the wind here is commonly from SW or W we can often enjoy the sunset in the cockpit. If we anchor on the lee side of an island near a fairway the bow will be pointing towards the wakes. The main disadvantage is that the sprayhood does not provide any shelter when it is raining. Due to the stern anchoring many outsiders regard us as newbies, but the fact is that we have been úactive sailors for more than fifty years. And yes, of course I understand that rear anchoring might not be suitable in other regions and conditions.

[rslifkin]

Suitability depends on the boat too. In boats with a wide stern (particularly those with a flat transom) it can produce some pretty awful slapping if there's any wave action or boat wakes.

[Atcowboy]

Originally Posted by ChrisseH

The conditions in the Finnish and Swedish archipelagos are of course rather special: The waters are typically shallow, we have no tide and we have plenty of small islands and bays offering sheltered anchorages, but we are on the hook from the stern only. When the yacht was new I anchored several times from the bow, but in windy conditions the yacht swinged from side to side so much that it became unpleasant onboard. Tried to resolve this by extending or shortening the chain, changing the position of the snubber, used double snubbers, locked the rudder in different positions and by using an anchor sail, but the improvements were just marginal. There is some swinging also when anchoring from the rear, but dramatically less than when anchoring from the bow. In addition to the ventilation aspect there are also other advantages with anchoring from the rear. Because of the smaller swing motion it is easier to swim from the aft platform. As the wind here is commonly from SW or W we can often enjoy the sunset in the cockpit. If we anchor on the lee side of an island near a fairway the bow will be pointing towards the wakes. The main disadvantage is that the sprayhood does not provide any shelter when it is raining. Due to the stern anchoring many outsiders regard us as newbies, but the fact is that we have been úactive sailors for more than fifty years. And yes, of course I understand that rear anchoring might not be suitable in other regions and conditions.

When I was at my home marina a neighbor asked me why I was backwards and when I answered (sun, wind, or both) he was pleasantly surprised. Then he told me about some boat of his that was much better on the hook stern anchored.

My boat is basically a big folk boat (27' cape dory) and she definitely swings less stern anchored. The way the line leads off the aft quarter leads me to believe that the whole boat acts as a riding sail. Usually I interpret my boat hunting on the hook as having not done a good enough job finding a safe nook as I'm pretty fanatic about that.

As annoying as hunting on the hook or mooring is, I find it endearing that my boat wants to sail that badly.

- AT

[Atcowboy]

Originally Posted by Flod

In Scandinavia the bow to a dock or an island with a stern anchor is like 95% of the totals. Normally the depth at the dock or the rock is not enough to reverse into. The rudder will be to deep. So everyone has a fairly large stern anchor (the primary for most boats) on a “ankarolina” or a windlass. If you plan to cruise Scandinavia or the baltics you should get one.Attachment 257820

Writing a different response made me think that I have done something like this before. There was a very nasty cold front forecast with very heavy winds. Where I was, there was no way to get land between me and the wind so I left, and pushed myself as far up a river as I could. When I found a suitable spot I dropped the anchor and tied the stern off to a tree, keeping myself out of the main part of the river which was about 50' across. When the forecasted 40kt blow came, it didn't even wake me up. Just some seed pods on deck were the only evidence. I heard it was hell at the docks.

- AT

[Rumrace]

I’m selective on things I do backwards.
I have tied the stern to land with a bow anchor out front.
I’ve dropped a stern anchor on a power boat hunting bass on the river. The current drives the anchor.
I anchor with twin anchors whips I don’t ride over my anchor or have a pile of chain on it. Walking over a stern anchor could damage rudders shaft props.

[hugosalt]

Originally Posted by Atcowboy

Ultra anchor has a reel available for sale. Interesting inspiration, at the very least! It has me mulling over different storage methods myself.

- AT

Thank you Atcowboy, very nice piece of kit but not inspired to the tune of
$800 + so its to the drawing board for me. Will share if come up with anything
presentable. (which is not always the case with me!)

[contrail]

Almost everyone in Puerto Rico, and there are a lot of experienced, competent boaters there, anchors off the stern. This applies to both power and sailboats. They are very good at it, and sometimes do this in strong winds. They also raft up a lot. Since I am not keen on either, I was very dismissive at first, but watched how well the Puerto Ricans did their anchoring and changed my opinion. Never too late to learn something new!

[Flod]

Originally Posted by hugosalt

Thank you Atcowboy, very nice piece of kit but not inspired to the tune of

$800 + so its to the drawing board for me. Will share if come up with anything

presentable. (which is not always the case with me!)

https://www.seasea.se/ankarolina-56m-3-0ton

This is the one I got. Very easy typ use

[Hasbeen]

Not exactly, but I have often anchored my yacht, with a stern line to another yacht anchored near by.


In the Pacific Islands many do not have much shallow water, often with several hundred to a thousand feet of water right up to the fringing reef. You can often find a narrow strip of water perhaps 100 to 150Ft deep, so close to the reef & so narrow that you would swing onto it if anchored. By anchoring close to another yacht & running a line between the sterns the boats could hold a safe spot parallel to the fringing reef.


As these islands were rarely visited you usually got a warm welcome. I sometimes sailed in company with a mate to allow this practice.