Coastal - Anchoring

Anchoring Gear for Coastal / Overnight

One of the big challenges for new coastal cruisers is learning how to anchor properly. Few things are more important than the ability to secure your boat at anchor. Your boat and your life may depend on it.

It's smart to carry more than one anchor. Losing an anchor, or having to drop it during harbor mix-ups and recover it later on, are not uncommon. Some anchoring situations will require more than one anchor, such as anchorages with strong tidal currents.

This section contains checklists for the anchoring gear you should have on board, and has checklists for the anchoring procedure.

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The Three Most Common Anchoring Mistakes

Talk with the other sailors at your dock and you'll find that everyone has at least one anchoring story. Stories of 2:00 AM wake-up calls to reset a dragging anchor are common. What's not common are stories of anchoring gear failure. Most of the time it's a case of operator error or choosing the wrong gear in the first place.

The three most common anchoring problems are:

Choosing an anchor that's too small - You'll find people who will argue about the type of anchor to use as passionately as some people argue about religion. The basic truth is that most any type of anchor will work on the sand/mud bottoms found in most anchorages. Most people drag anchors that are too small for their boat. Talk with people who have boats like yours and who anchor in the places you want to go. Ask if they drag anchor. If the don't, then you should have gear at least as big as theirs. Consider increasing the anchor by one size if you'll anchor out often and risk being caught in bad weather.
Not using enough scope - Scope is the ratio of the amount of anchor line (rode) you pay out to the vertical drop from your anchor roller to the bottom. For example, a boat with a bow roller 4' off the water in 6' of water with 70 feet of anchor line out has a scope of 70 / (6+4) = 7:1. Don't forget that a rising tide can reduce this ratio considerably. Use a scope of at least 5:1. If space permits, increase the scope to 7:1
Not properly setting the anchor - Very few boaters take the time to allow the anchor to slowly dig its way into the bottom. They hit reverse gear for 30 seconds, pronounce the anchor as "set" and reach for another beer. It takes several minutes to properly set an anchor. Start in reverse gear with minimum throttle and slowly increase RPM's. After about 5 minutes, you should be at 1/2 to 2/3 throttle. If the anchor holds under this condition, it will hold in strong winds.

There are other mistakes you can make while anchoring (forgetting about tidal currents, anchoring too close to other boats, anchoring next to a boat that will swing differently from yours...) but if you take care of the above 3 problems, you'll avoid 90% of the problems that others encounter.

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Anchoring Gear for Coastal / Overnight Use

	Item	Link to Detail
Primary Anchor
	Anchor - Appropriately sized for the boat; consider one to two sizes larger than recommended, depending on where you cruise - Heavy enough to be used as the storm anchor - Stows on bow roller and is "self launching" - Secured to bow roller with a stout locking pin
	Anchor chain and rode - Appropriately sized for the boat - Long enough to provide at least 7:1 scope for the maximum depth you'll be anchoring in - Bitter end tied off to a stout part of the boat with a 7/16" line that can be easily cut if you need to slip your anchor line. - Rode markers to indicate length - Shackle pins are seized with monel wire
Secondary Anchor
	Anchor - Different type than the primary anchor
	Anchor chain and rode - Appropriately sized for the boat - Long enough to provide at least 7:1 scope for the maximum depth you'[ll be anchoring in - Bitter end tied off to a stout part of the boat with a 7/16" line that can be easily cut if you need to slip your anchor line. - Rode markers to indicate length - Shackle pins are seized with monel wire
Kedging Anchor
	Anchor - Light enough to be easily handled from the dinghy (e.g. lightweight "Fortress" style of aluminum Danforth)
	Anchor chain and rode - Appropriately sized for the boat - Rode markers to indicate length - Shackle pins are seized with monel wire
Misc. Anchoring Gear
	Anchor light
	Anchor bridle or snubber for use on an all-chain rode
	Empty milk jug to use as a buoy for marking your anchor's position
Windlass
	Spare windlass handle (if using a manual windlass)

Links to Outside Resources

The following links provide links to further reading, manufacturers websites and more information on "how to"

	Item	Link to Detail
	Tide and current calculator from NOAA	Link
	Guide to anchoring and anchoring gear, from US Sailing	Link
	Article on anchoring with two anchors ("Bahamian moor")	Link

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