T&T: Anchor watch

[Milt Baker]

Ken,

Using two anchors is something I rarely do--mainly in the Bahamas where
there's current as the tide
flows onto and off the banks.  I'm not a big fan of anchoring bow and
stern.  There are times when it's
called for, but all things being equal I find it's best to choose one's
anchorage carefully and use only a
bow anchor because you'll usually lie with your bow into either wind or
current, whichever has most
influence on the boat.  That means there's less pressure on the anchor
than if you how both bow and
stern anchors down and, say, wind or current on the beam.

If you're anchoring in a place where you believe the anchor is likely to
be fouled, it's easy to rig an
anchor tripline, usually at from the bottom of the anchor to a small buoy
(say a small fender) floating
above the anchor.  That way, if the anchor becomes fouled you can usually
pull it out "in reverse" by
hauling in on the trip line.

Anchoring is a learned art and it takes lots of practice.  Whenever you
can, dive on the anchor and
see how it sets--that'll teach you a lot.  Of course, that's much better
done in the warm waters of
Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.  I don't dive on my anchor when
we're in Maine!

Good luck,

--Milt Baker, Nordhavn 47 Bluewater, Fort Lauderdale

  -----Original Message-----
  From: Ken MTBDEMON
  Sent: Apr 28, 2009 11:06 AM
  To: Milt Baker , Trawlers and Trawlering List
  Cc: Jeffrey Siegel
  Subject: Re: Anchor watch

  I'm relatively new to big boat boating so I'm curious how many use a
  stern anchor as well? I had to cut an anchor loose last year and lost
  about 60 feet of chain (As well as the anchor) when I got tangled up
  with something. If I were to have set a stern anchor I don't think I
  would have wrapped around whatever I wrapped around. Thanks for
  helping a newbie. KenGB 36-267

    ----- Original Message ----- From: Milt BakerTo: Trawlers and
    Trawlering ListCc: Jeffrey SiegelSent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009
    8:01 AMSubject: T&T: Anchor watch
    Jeff,

    You're right that I'm missing an alarm.  In a dicey anchoring
    situation, I can
    also turn on the Furuno NavNet right beside my bunk, showing the
    MOB location
    of the anchor.  I can also put a circle around the anchor
    position and set an
    alarm to go off if we go outside the circle.  Truth be told, I
    rarely do that
    because we typically anchor in the afternoon, and we have given
    the boat at
    least six hours of saoking the hook before we turn in, so I
    usually have high
    confidence in the anchor's ability to hold its ground.  If we're
    expecting a
    serious blow or bad front to pass over, I'll usually set the
    alarm clock to
    get up for the frontal passage.  I did that in Croatia last
    summer when a front
    brought a 65-knot thunderstorm and was happy to be sitting in the
    pilot house
    watching everything.  We didn't drag, but I was awake and ready
    just in case.

    Without a serious blow the risk of dragging after six hours with
    good ground tackle
    well dug in a good bottom seems very, very low.  It's one I'm
    willing to accept.

    Different strokes, eh?

    --Milt 

    Jeffrey wrote:

    You're missing an alarm.

    The MOB way of checking on an anchor is fine.  And maybe 40ft of
    error 
    is something you're willing to accept.  For me, at 3:00 am, I
    want to 
    know the moment there is any dragging at all.  I want the
    maximum 
    amount of time needed to start the engines, get my bearings, and
    make 
    adjustments in a safe way.  And I want the alarm to go off right
    in my 
    stateroom where it will wake me up.
    _______________________________________________
    http
    ://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawlers-and-trawlering

    To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options (get password,
    change email address, etc) go to: http:
    //lists.samurai.com/mailman/options/trawlers-and-trawlering

    Trawle rs & Trawlering and T&T are trademarks of Water World
    Productions. Unauthorized use is prohibited.