Anchoring in Opposing Wind and Current

[ralay]

The anchorage we've used all summer often has wind against current for half the day.  Rather than lying to the wind alone or the current alone, our boat does a weird combination of the two.  The boat usually drifts downwind of the ground tackle, but with its stern to the wind (bow to the current).  This doesn't cause us too many problems at anchor because we use a long nylon snubber, which, among other things, keeps the chain off the hull. 

It blows my mind a little when anchoring though.  If I point into the wind and drop the anchor, we spin 180 degrees as the chain feeds out.  If I start pointed into the current, we'll run over the ground tackle and wind up in the same position, with the anchor astern.  Our boat doesn't steer worth a darn in reverse, so there's no coaxing it around a point when you could back down on the anchor.  If anything, it makes more sense to power forward, though it's a little hard to power forward in a straight line when you have a giant spring line on your bow.  Either way, it's pretty disorienting, and I'm often unsure whether the anchor has really set until the wind picks up or the current reverses.  We're in 30' of water at high tide, so I do a lot of nail biting as the boat wanders around its 300' leash. 

When we're on a mooring, the bow runs up on the ball, twangs our bobstay, and drives us crazy.  How am I supposed to make sure an anchor is set that's behind me?  Any black magic to get her head to the wind?  Will a riding sail spin it around?  How the heck does a boat wind up stable in that configuration anyways?

[CharlieJ]

Lol. Ralay. Welcome to my world. Sometime when we see each other again i 'll you about a night in Annapolis. Grin

Other wise. Just do what you are doing. Mona is a special vessel !!

[ralay]

It's also funny when the wind and tide are perfectly balanced.  The winds blowing, we've got a little wake behind the boat, but there we are with totally limp snubber and chain.  We'd probably stick there whether we had an anchor or not.