the security of a dock or mooring buoy because after a wonderfully exhausting day of sailing, hiking, swimming and beachcombing they don’t want to spend the night worried and unable to sleep. So, we would like to pass on what we’ve learned to help others relax and enjoy their time at anchor. Let’s start with the basics:
Good equipment
Have an anchor and chain one size larger than recommended for your size/weight boat. We have all chain rode on our boat since we travel to areas where coral would cut through line and we’ve found having all chain for our anchor rode adds a sense of security and we highly recommend it if at all possible.
Have enough rode to anchor properly in deep depths – you can’t always find a good spot in 20 to 30 feet of water.
With all chain you must have a “snubber” to take the load off of the windlass and bow roller. This is usually a length of rope that is either attached with a hook or a rolling hitch to the anchor chain right about water line, then attached to a cleat on deck near the bow roller.
Check your chain and shackles every time you let the anchor out or pull it in to make sure everything is secure and in good shape. There should be seizing wire through all shackle pins to keep them from coming open at an inopportune time.
The bow roller should be sized for the anchor you’re using – sometimes the bow roller that comes on the boat isn’t adequate for an oversized anchor and will need to be replaced or beefed up to properly hold the anchor in place and for ease of retrieval.
Good Anchoring Practices
Choose a spot that affords plenty of swinging room in all directions and won’t keep you trapped in if things should require you to leave in the dead of night.
Put out plenty of scope. With all chain, we find that 5:1 is adequate scope, so if we anchor in 20 feet of water we would put out 100 feet of chain. This sometimes has to be modified a bit to allow for swinging room in a crowded or tight anchorage.
When setting the anchor, head into the wind (or if there’s no wind at the time, head in the direction of the anticipated wind). Once it’s down and you’ve backed up to set it, put the engine in full reverse for several minutes to make sure it holds tight.
If possible, float an anchor buoy. This can be any small float attached to a line that is attached to the anchor. This shows other boats that come in to anchor where yours is set, so they won’t make the mistake of dropping on your anchor or chain and fouling it.
Stay with your boat for a reasonable length of time to ensure it is staying put. We’ve too often seen someone drop an anchor and immediately hop in the dinghy and go to shore,
only to see the boat dragging with no one on board.
Naturally, the more you anchor the
more confidence you’ll gain in your technique. Going beyond the basics, here are a few things we’ve added to our anchoring routine that help to keep us comfortable all night long, even when the wind increases or changes direction.
1. Nylon strap for snubber Instead of a length of line (used with a hook or a rolling hitch) we use a 2”x10’ nylon strap with a breaking strength of 6000 lbs. We know of two incidences where fellow cruisers suffered damage to their windlass and bow roller when their nylon line snubber snapped during heavy pounding and we feel much more secure with the strap.
2. Wind speed indicator near berth This is the item that really has added peace of mind. We installed a “repeater” for our wind instrument next to our berth, so if we sense a change in the wind, a quick glance
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48° NORTH, APRIL 2011 PAGE 51
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