Dropping vs lowering anchor

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Palarran

...Again though, I doubt many who freefalls the anchor and chain doesn't have some reverse movement to their boat.

You are assuming obvious competence. I wouldn't do that. I've seen plenty of anchors lower by boats that were still coasting forward, very slowly. Impatient, I guess.


Where I sail 4-8 feet the normal range. I often anchor quite shallow specifically to get away from the crowd of monohulls; I can use nice spots they cannot. Nice for swimming/wading too, where there is a sand bottom.

[Manateeman]

I’ve never seen anyone in the oil field let it rip on an anchor handeling boat.
They cannot lower it down. These anchors are huge. They do try to control it by laying our the chain on deck but it’s frightening to see the dump. One poster commented on burning the band if you try to control the drop. Must work on big boats because it’s Very true.
What technique works in very deep water might not be needed in shallow.
Sometimes you have room to power down or slow clutch down, sometimes not.
You might have a way other than the windlass to slow the dump. I’ve seen a nifty home built lever brake in Kodiak and strangely enough, the same principle used in Norway. So I copied it. I put a bolt rather than the flipper/ toggle / cam thing in my chain controller. I have a long lever arm for me and a short arm for the chain. The bolt is the fulcrum. The short arm end is rubber and the chain rides on Delrin so I can slow the chain runout or stop it gently.
Sounding leads....yes it takes time but you get info about the bottom that NO sonar can give you. I designed and operated one of the most technically sophisticated littoral research vessels ever built with active searchlight and scan sonars and passive listening arrays. Bottom sampling cannot be compared to sonar anything. Period. A sounding lead can confirm what bottom is on the chart but you might find the bottom has changed. Feeling the sounding line is like feeling the chain...gives you great information. Then, you can pick the correct anchor. I’m just not that impressed that “modern “ design anchors are better than choosing what to use based on the bottom. I don’t think any one design is perfect. I have two sounding leads and in a strange harbor I always use them. Good enough for Cook, good enough for me.
Happy trails to you.
Captain Mark and his friendly... we ain’t orcas... manatees

[Panope]

I lower the anchor while moving forward when convenient. Specifically, when approaching the drop spot from upwind.

Saves time.

Steve

[ProjectManaia]

Drop the anchor when stopped. If the break is in the "sweetspot" it will stop dropping ones the hook is touching down.
At the same time the Mrs. is on the helm goig in revers and I pay out chain as we head backwards... works well for us, never had any piling issues on the chain end of things.
Plus it makes it easier to aim for that sand spot in a seagrass meadow

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by Greg K

Nothing sweeter than the sound of anchor chain free falling.

The only thing sweeter IMO is looking around while it's spinning out and seeing the shocked look on your neighbors faces.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by Panope

I lower the anchor while moving forward when convenient. Specifically, when approaching the drop spot from upwind.

Saves time.

Yeah, nothing wrong with doing it that way.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by ProjectManaia

Drop the anchor when stopped. If the break is in the "sweetspot" it will stop dropping ones the hook is touching down.
At the same time the Mrs. is on the helm going in reverse and I pay out chain as we head backwards... works well for us, never had any piling issues on the chain end of things.
Plus it makes it easier to aim for that sand spot in a seagrass meadow

Exactly how I typically do it - using the brake/clutch to control how it pays out. I'm amazed by peeps who do it all from the cockpit - how do they know they're not dropping the anchor on a coral head, or into the weeds?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Chotu

And I choose not to. Because of my experience 30 years ago with an old CQR. It taught me that using an engine to set one of those was useless.

I guess we'll agree to disagree. Like Jim, I have definitely been in locations where, had I followed your approach, I'd be on the rocks once the wind starts to blow. But maybe I'm just not as good at picking my initial spots.

I think your technique leaves a lot more to chance than I am comfortable with. But your success speaks for itself.

You've probably done this already, but could you outline your anchor system? And where do you anchor?

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by Chotu

“Power test”

What is the point? How about weather testing? I guarantee a good thunderstorm can set/test an anchor a lot better than any engine can.

Further, what if you are pulling it in the wrong direction when you do your engine set? Then what? It has to break out and reset again. What’s the difference between that situation and dumping it and letting it set on its own?

There’s pretty much no point in that power setting. Once the wind changes direction, it pops out and resets again on its own. It all takes care of itself. Even when you use the engine.

There's a LOT of point in the reverse power test. It tells you how secure your set is, in the local bottom conditions. Yes, the wind may swing you around, and the anchor will have to re-set itself. But if you got a good quick set the first time, and checked it with power, then you know the bottom has good holding.

I wouldn't trust the bottom to have decent holding if a moderate reverse power test at normal scope and after allowing time for anchor to dig in, causes any drifting (plowing, in my case :-). I'd find a better holding bottom if possible.

I may misinterpret your post, but are you saying that you would wait for the wind and waves to come up before you will know if your anchor is holding? How do you sleep at night?


The CQR and perhaps most anchors, take a little time to get fully buried - it's not moving much, just digging into the bottom. During that time you can't just jerk the rode and hope it will hold. We let wind and current move us to final position before the power test. That may take 10 minutes or more, and this is when the anchor is actually digging in. Then the reverse test as a check.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by waterman46

There's a LOT of point in the reverse power test. It tells you how secure your first set is, in the local bottom conditions. Yes, the wind may swing you around, and the anchor will have to re-set itself. But if you got a good quick set the first time, and checked it with power, then you know the bottom has good holding.

I wouldn't trust the bottom to have decent holding if a moderate reverse power test at full scope causes any drifting (plowing, in my case :-). I'd find a better holding bottom if possible.

I may misinterpret your post, but are you saying that you would wait for the wind and waves to come up before you will know if your anchor is holding? How do you sleep at night?

You have interpreted correctly in the case of anchoring on a dead calm day and having wind come up later. The later weather sets the anchor.

In 95% if the cases, the already existing wind pushes the boat back and the momentum from the boat moving at a knot or two, then coming to a complete stop when the anchor bites, sets the anchor just fine.

I sleep at night because an anchor does this when a force is applied to the chain:

https://youtu.be/bhjdlKwTdv8?t=5m3s

[Greg K]

Originally Posted by Palarran

The only thing sweeter IMO is looking around while it's spinning out and seeing the shocked look on your neighbors faces.

Yes, it is rare to hear anchors dropped the old fashioned way these days. Rarer still to see a boat sail off one. Last time we did that, a few of the onlookers actually clapped.

But, nothing beats the skill and nerve of the inter-island ferry skippers in the Aegean. It's an incredible site to watch one of them drop the hook on the approach to the wharf and then spin on it with just enough room to drop the stern landing platform, all in one, seamless move. It's jaw dropping. These guys are absolute masters.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by Chotu

You have interpreted correctly in the case of anchoring on a dead calm day and having wind come up later. The later weather sets the anchor.

In 95% if the cases, the already existing wind pushes the boat back and the momentum from the boat moving at a knot or two, then coming to a complete stop when the anchor bites, sets the anchor just fine.

I sleep at night because an anchor does this when a force is applied to the chain:

https://youtu.be/bhjdlKwTdv8?t=5m3s

You've obviously had success with your system, so who am I?

I will say though, that we have seen a number of boats drag that have simply dropped the hook and not applied power to ensure it sets deeply

We seen boats where the anchor (CQR) dragged even though the boat had reversed at 1500 rpm.

May be overkill, but we always reverse to full power (2500 rpm) when setting the anchor. Now we know it is set hard.

We can't match Chotu's 6000 nights but we have anchored over 1000 nights in every type of subsurface imaginable.

Full disclosure: We have dragged once - on Fatu Hiva where the bottom is a sloping sheer rock overlaid with a layer of sand and some pebbles. The katabatic winds roar down through the mountains and hit the anchorage with gust over 40 knots. We dragged there, but as one NZ boat skipper told us - "Don't fret - virtually everyone drags here - Fatu Hiva is world famous for everyone dragging."

[tarian]

We are all experts , it is just are more expert than others , it seems strange that the real experts those that right books have done anchor testing as a living KNox for example and the RYA advise on dropping an anchor and letting the boat drift backwards or slow engine until required scope
Then stress test for hold.
As I have said all those proclaiming I surved a tropical storm by this and that, great you were lucky.
I will follow the real experts and anchor as I have done with my correctly sized anchor for my boat.
In all substrates in high swell and winds and turning around , because my anchor is set ,
Ofc those know better because it works for them. But it is not good seamanship and should not be taught or told to beginners

[barnakiel]

Always lowering. Never dropping.


I can imagine dropping in emergency though.


b.

[johnn33]

Hi
Tom Cunliffe's interesting article
https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/sail...der-sail-38438
John