Things that go bump in the night.

[simonpickard]

I'm referring to anchor noises.

Five months into our trip they are still scaring the hell out of me. The dragging of the chain sounds, the banging off the bow roller, the other 100 sounds that wake me up at night.

Just wondering what I can do to reduce these? I put a line on the chain to reduce the tension on the roller. Anything else anyone's come up with? Or are the sounds a good thing I should live with.

Regards,
Simon

[knottybuoyz]

Anchor chain snubber.

Anchor Snubber for the DIYers | Bosun Supplies

[hlev00]

Now that you have snubber, assuming that isn't over the roller, what other noises are you picking up?


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[sailorboy1]

maybe you should think of having an anchor alarm, there are free to cheap ones available for smart phones

[Vasco]

After a year you'll get used to all the different noises. Then only the strange ones will wake you up.

[JPA Cate]

Simon Pickard,

I think you're onto something with learning what those sounds mean. However, we have had a noisy roller, when there was too much space between the cheeks of the roller, itself being a wee bit small. Jim cured that with a couple of spacers he made up from teflon sheet material he had on a roll. No idea where he bought it, but it did eliminate the loud clunk, softened it, and I learned to live with it.

Personally, I'd bet the wind noise wakes you before you start to drag in any event. The motion of the boat changes from peaceful to antsy, and so does one's mood. Might not wake you after taking alcohol or sleeping pills.

If you let it, your body learns to wake up for anomalies, changes it what's normal at the time. Like you start telling yourself it's going to happen and it does. Sounds pretty offscale, but it does happen. New noise = alert. Noise suddenly lessens = alert (may be dragging).

Ann

[IdoraKeeper]

I know what you mean....when Idora swings on the hook the chain rubs on the bobstay due to the roller placement and the bowsprit. It sounds like a great iron monster chewing on the rode. But it is a clue to look at my tablet to see if anything is amiss. Since I don't have a Rocna I often need to get up and have a look around. Still I sleep great onboard.

[s/v Beth]

Hey, those noises don't stop with a new anchor! The other day we were in our slip going off to sleep when Bamm! Don't know what it was, but something human size ran into the side of our boat! The sea is alive down there.

[JRM]

Dad always said that if you wake up, always get up and check. There's a reason you woke up.

After two years with our current boat I find myself waking up less. Except when my kid leaves a metal water bottle in the sink. Took me a few times to figure that one out...

JRM

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[crazyoldboatguy]

As the PIC, it is your job to be alert to changes in the environment - it's what'll keep your boat afloat and you alive. After decades of sailing, I know many sounds and can tune them out, by virtue of experience with the one boat. When I complete the current project (Man plans, God laughs) I will have an entirely new repertoire of noises to get used to.

Time, my friend. Time. That's all it takes. The joys of boat ownership and living aboard. Anyone who believes it is a life of leisure ain't never spent enough time on a boat. For me, tho, it is not the same as life on shore. You are focused on basic things, not the nebulous crap about office politics (which require a focus on the office "noise", no?).

You'll get used to it. Fair winds.

[Dsanduril]

+1 what CrazyOldBoatGuy said.

My wife (who is much newer to sailing than I) still says she doesn't understand why with one noise I'll wake up, get out of the bunk, and take a turn around the deck, but with 9 other noises she wakes up for I sleep through and don't even notice. All about having spent a lot of time and having become familiar with the noises that mean nothing vs. the noises that cause concern (and the accompanying boat motion, which is a big factor in my comfort/evaluation).

[onestepcsy37]

After reading these posts I suddenly understand why I wake up to some noises and not others. Its true that you grow accustomed to noises you've checked out and eventually dismiss as normal.

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[Dsanduril]

It's all in the subconscious, amazing what our brains process while we sleep.

I frequently have a hard time the first night or two in a hotel, mostly because I'm not used to the sound of AC, or heat, or fan, or running water, or whatever that if I heard basically the same sound at home I'd sleep right through.

[zboss]

I suffer from night terrors - the boat noises don't help at all. Sometimes I'll hear a funny noise and bolt straight up to grab the machete... my wife has to calm me down! I didn't get to keep the gun when we moved aboard

With that said, you do get used to the motion and sounds of the boat with time! The anchor alarm helps tremendously. I find setting it on at least two devices helps me get to sleep that much better. We also keep the boat key very accessible, just in case.

[SimonV]

I wake up regularly to the normal warning sounds when at anchor. I sleep deeper on a mooring. But when the wife elbows me a wake with the same statement "what was that noise"? It's time for a look and listen. Most times it will be a passing fishing dinghy outboard she swares blind it was the bilge pump. Or there is someone on deck that turns out to be a bird. But always once awake have a look.

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