January 2007 The Shoreline Page 7
At Ease At Anchor
By Samuel S. Sanford, Fort Macon Sail & Power Squadron
PART V
Last month we examined
bottom characteristics and began
the discussion about selecting
anchorages. In this issue, we
will finish looking at selecting
anchorages and begin the fun
part—anchoring techniques. These
are tips that will help you feel
secure when at anchor. We left the
previous installment as Joyce and I
closely avoided being caught on a
dangerous lee shore in a gale.
The first and most important rule
in selecting an anchorage is not to
anchor off a lee shore. A lee shore
is one where the wind and waves
can set you ashore. The preferred
anchorage is one where the wind
blows from the land, and you are in
the lee, on the sheltered downwind
side, of the land. This protects
you from wave action, and if you
should drag, the wind will move
you into deeper water rather than
shallower.
One little understood fact is that
waves can and do bend around
islands and headlands. Anchoring
in the lee of an island may not
protect you from beam swells that
can make your boat roll. There is no
more miserable motion on a boat
than rolling.
Perfect anchorages are rare, but if
you find one, it will have most or all
of the following characteristics: not
off a lee shore; protection from wave
action, especially rolling; excellent
holding ground; no underwater
hazards; no obstructions to foul
your anchor; water deep enough to
make the tidal range immaterial, but
shallow enough that an excessive
amount of rode is not required; little
or no current, and plenty of swinging
room. To make it absolutely perfect,
you would have a balmy breeze,
considerate neighbors and could
catch your fish dinner right from
the boat.
ANCHORING
TECHNIQUES
One sign of competent seamanship
is the ability to enter a harbor
and anchor without disturbing
or providing an entertaining
(or frightening) spectacle to the
crews of other boats sharing the
anchorage. To illustrate poor
anchoring practices, let me relate
two incidents Joyce and I observed
while we were anchored in the small
harbor at Annapolis, Maryland.
In the first instance, a gusty wind
was blowing, and we were on
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the upwind side of the crowded
anchorage. A sailboat motored to
a point just upwind from us. The
captain stood on the bow beside
a heap of nylon line from which
protruded parts of an anchor. He
showed signs of wanting to anchor
just to weather of us. Having a
bad feeling about what was about
to happen, I went to the bow and
asked him not to anchor there. With
a muttered reply he moved to the
middle of the anchorage. When he
found his spot, he kicked the line
and anchor overboard and went aft.
Predictably, the anchor did not set,
and within ten minutes his rudder
was fouled on another boat's anchor
rode. They had to call for a tow and
send a diver down to free the two
boats.
A while later, a chartered sailboat
anchored a few yards to starboard.
The two couples aboard immediately
dinghied ashore. Within minutes,
Joyce noticed that the newly
anchored boat was drifting stern
first. I jumped into the dinghy and
boarded the untended vessel. I
found the last few feet of rode were
feeding out of the foredeck locker
as the wind moved the boat astern.
The bitter end of the rode was not
„, ^ ™ ,. „. , cleated.
During
the years
we were
preparing
to live
aboard
and cruise,
Joyce and I
worked out
a system
of hand
signals we
used when
anchoring.
After dark
we used the
spreader
lights so
she could
see me on
the bow.
NOTHtNKil KNMANCCS VOU«
coMtFORT umcm Wk
TWiNK YOWi.c.
GOOO Aaout TMC AS
WE't-U.''- .
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Small headset radios with boom
microphones would have worked,
but Murphy's Law would surely
have dictated that they would fail
at the most inopportune time. Our
system, which served us well, had
Joyce manning the helm while I
handled the ground tackle.
We learned quickly that it pays
to take a few extra minutes to
make a reconnaissance of the
anchorage before choosing a spot
to anchor. While motoring through
the anchorage, we checked depths,
observed how other boats were
anchored, estimated the effect of
current and wind, chose a spot
that gave us and our neighbors
plenty of room, and decided how
many anchors to use and how they
would be arranged. Unless there
was plenty of room, we used the
same number of anchors deployed
in the same pattern as the other
boats. Otherwise, a change in wind
or current could have caused a
problem. I calculated the length of
rode needed and faked it on deck
while we motored slowly toward
our spot heading into the wind
or current, whichever had the
greater effect on the boat. Faking is
arranging the rode on deck so that
it feeds free without tangling. A
randomly arranged pile of rode with
the overboard end on top worked
well for us.
When we reached our spot, Joyce
stopped the boat and I lowered the
anchor to the bottom, making sure
the chain did not fall on top of the
anchor. If the wind or current did
not move the boat, Joyce would
apply power in reverse while I paid
out the rode. When the calculated
amount of the rode paid out and
the anchor caught I would cleat the
rode and Joyce would apply full
reverse power. If that did not move
the anchor, I was satisfied.
The foregoing should give you
some practical ideas about how to
anchor your boat. In next month's
issue we will talk about scope and
setting multiple anchors.