Anchor set-On sail, Solo

[newt]

I must admit the more I get out on my own the more I get into "different" situations. Coming into a deserted bay in the middle of the night heading for a sandbar to anchor out in- what technique do you guys use?
1. get on a reach on auto pilot, wait until the dept is right, throw the anchor, then cleat it at the right play out and hope the momentum sets the anchor.
2. Heave to, play out some line and take the rode back to the cockpit. Play out enough line, put it on a winch, then run downwind till the line draws tight, down go the sails and anchor through the bow....
Any other suggestions with sail power and solo?

[AdriftAtSea]

A good technique is to drop the anchor from the stern after running the rode outside the stanchions and shrouds.  You have to have the line fairly well flaked to do this, so that it doesn't get caught as the anchor is being lowered.  You can then either set the anchor by going forward or letting the anchor turn the boat around and use the momentum of the boat to set the anchor. 

[newt]

What I did was have the line flaked out and cleated at the end- but do people ever loose a digit with the line flaked in front of them? And does the cleat take too much stress stopping a 2 ton boat and turning it on a dime? My anchor set pretty fast in the sand. (CQR type)
BTW- I did get it out under sail the next day, but it took about 45 minutes of working it.

[Godot]

What I did was have the line flaked out and cleated at the end- but do people ever loose a digit with the line flaked in front of them? And does the cleat take too much stress stopping a 2 ton boat and turning it on a dime? My anchor set pretty fast in the sand. (CQR type)
BTW- I did get it out under sail the next day, but it took about 45 minutes of working it.

Amazingly, at least if you use line (as opposed to chain), it is really anti climatic when the rode comes taught.  Maybe it is the stretch in the line.  It acts like a huge shock absorber.

[CharlieJ]

I'll claim here that if that cleat CAN'T take stopping your boat, you need to rebuild the cleat. Cause any anchor cleat MUST be able to take that kind of strain without even blinking. If it can't you are in trouble before you start.

Now, we usually anchor with all chain, but we flake chain along the side deck or across the fore deck and cleat it. Then enter the anchorage, come head to wind and drop, then veer chain as we fall off, snubbing as we go.

But there are almost always two of us aboard.

I just asked Laura how she did it when she single handed our boat. Same thing- flaked the chain across the foredeck, cleated it off. sailed in, came head to wind, dropped the anchor and fed it scope, snubbing as she deemed necessary. Set the chain hook and snubber and was anchored.

Probably because that's how I taught her to anchor ;D

[Lynx]

It does appears that this is a "Light" set. When the winds picks up or changes direction, you should have on an anchor watch incase of drag. Either you or ?????

I have been in too many poor holding situtations.

[Godot]

When the wind picks up or changes direction I always get paranoid, regardless of how I set my anchor.

I used to set my anchor from the stern (much smaller boat, 16 feet 500-600 lbs).  I'd sail (usually downwind, but if the current was the largest factor affecting boat set, in whatever point of sail was appropriate to be the same as everyone else), usually under just jib unless the wind was really light, up to my anchoring spot, tie the anchor to a stern cleat and feed it off the stern when I was over my chosen spot.  Once it grabbed with an appropriate amount of scope I'd just keep sailing in place for five or six minutes, putting a more or less constant pull on the anchor.  Drop jib, move rode to the bow, and set in for the night.  I was pretty much always single handed and I had no self steering, and for awhile no motor.  With my small Fortress anchor in the muddy bottom of Narragansett Bay (and surrounding waters) I never dragged.

The boat was a Stevenson Weekender.  Very small.  Very light.  I think the technique would work with larger boats and I will try it on my Seafarer this year.

[Auspicious]

enter the anchorage, come head to wind and drop, then veer chain as we fall off, snubbing as we go.

I anchor just as Charlie does, and have done on boats from 22' to 52', monos and cats, under sail and power, and with and without windlass.

Under sail in light air I sheet the jib to one side and push the main boom out the other way in increase drift back.

sail fast, dave

[newt]

You guys are describing something very different than I am doing. I am maintaining speed and direction on auto, throwing the anchor out and setting it while going 3-4 knots. I figured my boat had to be going that fast to set it under sail. I noticed you are going to the wind, then setting it as it back sails. Does this work as well?(apparently so duhh!) What is your way of setting it deeper should you want to sleep at night? I guess you could let a lot of line out, then stretch it on a close reach.

[Captain Smollett]

I noticed you are going to the wind, then setting it as it back sails. Does this work as well?(apparently so duhh!)

Yes, that does work.  That's the way I've always done, under sail or power.

Where possible, here's how I have done it: close reach in to a spot just ddw of your desired 'drop' point, head up, drift to a stop, drop the hook, drift back.

It was my understanding that in general you want the boat to be stationary when you drop the anchor, then pay out the rode while backing so that the rode/boat/anchor are all lying in the 'proper' direction.

[Joe Pyrat]

If the anchorage is occupied, I motor in and check how things lay, observing which direction the boats already there are heading.  I then come head to the wind and/or current and stop, drop the anchor and let her drift back paying out  as necessary.  When she starts to set, I give her a good shot of reverse to make sure I have a good set.   If the anchorage is unoccupied I'll sail in and do basically the same thing.  I do like to use the engine to insure I have a good set either way.

[Auspicious]

What is your way of setting it deeper should you want to sleep at night?

Time. Even when anchoring under power, I don't back down on the anchor until it has had a few minutes to settle on it's own.

In most cases (most, not all), wind comes up over time, even if only a few minutes, and the anchor will dig in deeper and deeper as the wind comes up.

Anchor type makes a difference. I sit up and fret on a CQR. I sleep restlessly on a Bruce. On a Rocna or Spade I sleep well. YMMV.

[AdriftAtSea]

Auspicious-

What do you use as your primary anchor??

[Auspicious]

Auspicious-

What do you use as your primary anchor??

I currently have a Rocna 25 that I am very happy with. I had a 44# Delta on Auspicious before that was pretty good.

I'm shopping for a Spade for a secondary. I think the performance of Spade and Rocna are darn close and I like the idea of taking the Spade apart to stow.

I have a Breeze for a stern anchor (in a dedicated stern roller). The Breeze is a Bruce knock-off. I don't have much confidence in it, but a replacement is way down low on my priority list. In fact, I ran aground (real hard) a few weeks ago and took the Rocna out in my dink to kedge off rather than the Breeze. You ever dumped a 55# anchor out of a dinghy? Twice? Ugh. That's how much I distrust the Breeze. <grin>

[AdriftAtSea]

How big a boat do you have??? A 55 lb. Rocna is a huge anchor, especially on a site like Sailfar. :) The Spade and Delta are both good choices. Sail magazine did a test a while back, and the Rocna was the top dog, and the Spade and Delta were second and third IIRC. 

This is the graph from the article:



The whole article can be found here.

[s/v Faith]

Sail magazine did a test a while back, and the Rocna was the top dog,...........

  Yes, but the same magazine would have it's readers believe you ought not to leave the harbor with less then 50' of waterline under you...  ::)

  Many have taken issue with that test, Roca and their marketing engine love it, and use it in their aggressive marketing whenever they can.  I personally prefer the Manson Supreme, of course that is probably because I just spent several months sleeping while anchored on one, and NEVER had it drag... not once. 

  I looked at both before I bought, and determined that I was not going to pay the overhead for the marketing, and went with the Manson (at the time the other was nearly $200 more.)

  Realistically they are very similar, on all points but price.  The Manson also has the rock slot, but I have not used that so really don't have a comment other then to say the added area probably makes the shank stronger.

[Auspicious]

How big a boat do you have???

Auspicious is 22000 lb and just over 40'. Yes, she is big for SailFar, but I have a special place in my heart for smaller boats, and still sail small boats with some regularity. I also like you guys. <grin>

I live aboard. When boat shopping with that in mind I just couldn't see squeezing myself into a smaller boat. I don't have the fortitude some of you guys do. <grin>

sail fast, dave

[AdriftAtSea]

A 55 lb. Rocna would make a lot of the boats here very bow heavy. :)

[Needle]

 Plowing the mud under sail I try not to do...
Makes for a challenging retrieval. I tried it near City Island in L.I. Sound. Not good....
Generally, I do a few circles around the spot I want to anchor, drop the jib and head into the wind with main, cleated in tight. That way there is less chance of boat going sailing with me at the bow, fiddling with the anchor.. Ariel would just kind swing from one tack to the other, not picking up much speed...
I try to get the hook dropped as quickly as I can, so I can watch the boat drift back and let out the rode. If I feel that I need to set the anchor, I bear off, with most of the rope out and let the anchor bring the bow back into the wind. Usually, works quite well. Once, I had to set two anchors, but that's another story...
Happy anchoring!

[newt]

I know this is an old thread, but did anyone see the article P. Sailor did on extreme anchoring? It seems we have some new anchors that are pretty good.