When would you set a second anchor

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timjet

timjet

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Apr 9, 2009
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1. Forecast wind is 15-20 all night. Direction and intensity to remain the same. Would you set a second anchor in 15' of water knowing if your anchor drags more than 200 yrds you will be aground?
Why or why not would you set a second anchor? Your age?

2 Same scenario except the wind is forecast to shift from the North to the East sometime in the night.
Why or why not would you set a second anchor? Your age?
 
Neither of these scenarios seems to warrant a second anchor, IMO using only the information given...

What's the question behind your question?

-Chris
 
These wind forecasts should not be a big deal if you have made sure your in a well protected spot and you anchor is suitable for the size of boat. At least been my experience the past 50+ years of boating.
 
timjet said:
1. Forecast wind is 15-20 all night. Direction and intensity to remain the same. Would you set a second anchor in 15' of water knowing if your anchor drags more than 200 yrds you will be aground?
Why or why not would you set a second anchor? Your age?

Definately not. 15-20 is very common in the northeast where I boat. I have confidence in my ground tackle and anchoring ability. 62

2 Same scenario except the wind is forecast to shift from the North to the East sometime in the night.
Why or why not would you set a second anchor? Your age?
Click to expand...
Still a single anchor situation for me. That is assuming I knew about the shift (and I do listen to the weather) and gave myself enough room to swing. Plus the vast majority of boats in my area use only one anchor and you really want everyone swinging the same. Still 62
 
1. Depends on the bottom holding characteristics and your ground tackle. If either, or both are suspect, set more than 1 anchor, or increase scope. Reason? Weather forecasts are not exactly notorious for their reliability. Besides, you'll sleep better. Age 66

2. Ditto above.
 
No, not us, and anchored in much worse predicted conditions than that (25-30 sustained, gusts to 40) with a 180 degree shift due to current and wind clocking. We held (admittedly in excellent thick mud) on much worse actual than that. I had the big Danforth that came with the boat rigged and ready to drop at a moments notice. Almost did once or twice, but we weren't moving so didn't; plus the next landfall if we dragged was Cuba a 100 miles or so away in one case. Have set a Bahamian moor or simply a stern anchor a couple times in a narrow channel with tidal shift, kind of a PITA to do on my boat.

It certainly is a good idea to practice setting two anchors in the various formations, in calm weather and with no time pressure or boats nearby that are swinging on one.
 
Captain K said:
1. Depends on the bottom holding characteristics and your ground tackle. If either, or both are suspect, set more than 1 anchor, or increase scope. Reason? Weather forecasts are not exactly notorious for their reliability. Besides, you'll sleep better. Age 66
Click to expand...

Yes very good point.

Thanks all for your response. I'm a bit surprised at the confidence in single anchoring.

I have a 35lb delta anchor and it has worked well in all conditions except mud. The few time I've set my fortress as a second anchor it did no good the delta held fast.
 
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caltexflanc said:
It certainly is a good idea to practice setting two anchors in the various formations, in calm weather and with no time pressure or boats nearby that are swinging on one.
Click to expand...

My un-assembled fortress 2nd anchor is stored in the swim platform dockbox along with 10 ft of chain and 200 ft of rope. To set it I have to lower the dinghy, attach the motor, assemble the fortress, play out the 200 ft of rope, put it in the dinghy, then the anchor, motor to the bow and attach the rope to a bow cleat and them motor out to set the anchor. A real PIA. About 30-45 minutes in ideal conditions.
 
Usally when I set a second anchor its so I don't have to walk very far to get a beer!
img_220351_0_de01385a531991beccc38d1030a51229.jpg
 
Only time we use a second anchor is a stern anchor to hold position fore and aft in a narrow canyon at Lake Powell.

With our original 7.5kg Bruce, our 11K lb 26-foot boat has held perfectly over many hundreds of nights, winds to 45 knots, often over 20, mostly fairly close to the rocky shore of some remote cove in BC or SE Alaska. Our current 10kg Rocna seems to hold even better. We do always pull on it to check the set before calling it done for the night. Very rarely we have increased scope, when wind seems to be piping up more than we had planned for.

Off the top, you might want a bigger more modern anchor.

67, and heading to Alaska again this summer.
 
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Your ground tackle should be such that you do not need to ask this question unless then holding in that area is terrible. When I have set a second anchor there was more risk of the two anchors fowling each other than of dragging.

Agree with knowing how to Bahamain moor but the situation you describe does not call for it.

A stern anchor is another matter.
 
My answer is, I always set my anchor well and know it's going to hold so a swing or increase in wind strength of that amount doesn't worry me.

Like many have said, if I set a second anchor, it's a stern anchor. 69 and mighty fine!!
 
timjet said:
I have a 35lb delta anchor...
Click to expand...

Our 30' 15,000(ish)lb boat came with a single 7.5kg Bruce which is now our stern anchor because it's dinky size did little to inspire confidence.

Our main anchor is now a 10kg Lewmar Claw that we are happy with as an everyday anchor. This year we will be getting a 35lb storm anchor.

Your boat looks heavy with lots of surface area for the wind to push on...might you consider heavier gear?

Age: 53
 
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When would I set two anchors? Probably never (again). Timjet, what's this age thing about?
 
timjet said:
My un-assembled fortress 2nd anchor is stored in the swim platform dockbox along with 10 ft of chain and 200 ft of rope. To set it I have to lower the dinghy, attach the motor, assemble the fortress, play out the 200 ft of rope, put it in the dinghy, then the anchor, motor to the bow and attach the rope to a bow cleat and them motor out to set the anchor. A real PIA. About 30-45 minutes in ideal conditions.
Click to expand...

When, and if you prepare your boat to do serious cruising you may want to consider an arrangement whereby your second ground tackle gear is more accessible and easily deployed/retrieved. That way when it IS time to deploy a second hook, you won't be reluctant to do so because it's a PIA. Stroll about in most any marina and it will become obvious which vessels are thus prepared. Secondly, I humbly suggest you NEVER anchor a vessel by the bow and stern if you're preparing it to survive SERIOUS shifting winds and/or current. Doing so will at some point present the broadest area of the hull and superstructure to the strongest forces. By leading your multiple anchors to the bow and providing them with sufficient chafe guard, your boat will be free to swing head-to-wind, thus presenting the lowest profile area to the forces of wind/and/or current. I vividly remember category 5 Hurricane Ivan in 2004 which we weathered in Bayou Chico, Pensacola, Florida...near ground zero for landfall. Prior to the storm, a 60' sport fisherman steamed into the crowded bayou, dropped a bow anchor, then deployed a second anchor from his stern. The crew then evacuated the vessel. Within hours the winds veered 90 degrees, but had not yet reached 50 knots before he began to drag. His vessel plowed through the bayou broadside, anchors dislodging other vessels more securely moored with disastrous results! I realize this situation is beyond the scope of your original question, but hopefully it will provide some useful lessons. Good luck!
 
We have used a second anchor only a couple of times when in a canal or other tight spot to keep the stern from swinging either too close to the bank or swing out into the channel. Our main anchor is a 45Lb Delta on all chain, we use a Fortress FX16 off and cleated at the stern. We do carry a Fortress 23 dissasembled in the deck box, it has never been used yet.
I hate to use the stern anchor 'cause I feel I might forget it back there in a rush situation and back over the rode or something else crazy.
 
Capthead said:
My answer is, I always set my anchor well and know it's going to hold so a swing or increase in wind strength of that amount doesn't worry me.

Like many have said, if I set a second anchor, it's a stern anchor...
Click to expand...

:thumb::thumb:

We've talked about setting two bow anchors but have never been in the situation that required both.
 
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Moonstruck said:
When would I set two anchors? Probably never (again). Timjet, what's this age thing about?
Click to expand...

Quite honestly I thought there would be as many that would set a second anchor as not and I would have guessed the second anchor guys were younger. Probably a stupid question.:hide:
 
swampu said:
Usally when I set a second anchor its so I don't have to walk very far to get a beer!
img_220415_0_de01385a531991beccc38d1030a51229.jpg
Click to expand...

Yes, that is another excellent use of a stern anchor! Is that two anchors coing off the back?

When at the beach we put out a bow anchor on the Whaler than back down to where there will be just enough water under the stern at low tide and walk a stern anchor up to shore. Keeps bow pointed into waves and stern from swinging into deep water. Plus at the busier beaches and sand bars, allows more boats to come in to the beach.

Back to the OP, once you have ground tackle appropriate to your boat, 90% of anchoring is technique and patience. We used a Delta up and down the entire east coast of the US, anchoring as much as possible (anchoring out being the main reason we like to go cruising), the only times we had set issues is when we weren't patient enough and took shortcuts. I am sure you can lower that technique and patience % with something like a Rocna or Manson or Ultra, but from what I have seen not al that much. ... maybe 10%?
 
I think a lot of the "two anchor" thing may have come from the late, great Skipper Bob, who was a big believer in using two anchors. If you are going to carry a second anchor, it's nice to have it be a different design than the primary, which may be better in certain bottoms. The Fortress/Danforth types are nice because they don't take up much room, and do well in the softer bottoms like many places on the Chessie. I always lusted after a a two anchor pulpit set up, but am glad I never invested in converting to one. The Hatt does have two rodes and anchor lockers though.
 
timjet said:
I have a 35lb delta anchor and it has worked well in all conditions except mud. The few time I've set my fortress as a second anchor it did no good the delta held fast.
Click to expand...


Judging from your boat pic (avatar), I'd guess both weight and windage would suggest a 35-lb Delta isn't heavy enough anyway?

FWIW, and not at all meaning to bring design/brand/model into the thread... I've had a 35-lb Delta drag in soft mud... although at the time we had 8 boats on a raft, each over about 16K-lbs, one near 38K-lbs.

-Chris
 
Spec'ing an anchor is really simple ....
"The biggest anchor you can physically handle is almost big enough"
 
20K of breeze is basically nothing IF you are in a nice protected spot.

20K across even only 5 miles of water can produce enough wave action to test the anchor.

Esp if the boat bow blows off easily and you dodge back and forth sailing to the end of the anchor line.

Then dropping an anchor under foot , and attempting to become more secure is worth while.

In open water anchoring BIG is better , esp in southern areas where 20K can change to 50K as a thunderstorm goes by.

In open water , rig the black anchor ball , or at least leave the anchor light on in daytime , so others can figure out you are anchored from further away
 
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caltexflanc said:
Yes, that is another excellent use of a stern anchor! Is that two anchors coing off the back?
Click to expand...
I don't know why but I always seem to have the "proper" equipment when on a boat. Friends, not so much. Aw, man.......I forgot _________. Is what I hear a lot. The other line is a friend who didn't even have stern ground tackle.
 
I have it pretty easy here in the Carolinas. Most bottom is sand and a Fortress does just fine. Never had a dragging problem. Fortress is one or two sizes up from recommended size, I'm sure that helps.

Now down in the Keys, it is a different story. Bottom there is often a layer of eel snot of varying depth on top of absolutely flat caprock. I've had a lot of trouble dragging there. And so have others. One night a front was coming through and I chose to rent a slip. It was a good idea. That night was full of folks screaming on the vhf as all sorts of boats were dragging around. What a mess.

I don't know what anchor (or two) would work in that stuff.
 
Ski in NC said:
I have it pretty easy here in the Carolinas. Most bottom is sand and a Fortress does just fine. Never had a dragging problem. Fortress is one or two sizes up from recommended size, I'm sure that helps.

Now down in the Keys, it is a different story. Bottom there is often a layer of eel snot of varying depth on top of absolutely flat caprock. I've had a lot of trouble dragging there. And so have others. One night a front was coming through and I chose to rent a slip. It was a good idea. That night was full of folks screaming on the vhf as all sorts of boats were dragging around. What a mess.

I don't know what anchor (or two) would work in that stuff.
Click to expand...

Actually Ski, it was anchored off the west side of Boot Key for two days in sustained 20-25 from the ENE that I was thinking of when I wrote this in Post #6, the closest I ever came to dropping the Danforth :

I had the big Danforth that came with the boat rigged and ready to drop at a moments notice. Almost did once or twice, but we weren't moving so didn't; plus the next landfall if we dragged was Cuba a 100 miles or so away in one case.
Click to expand...

Another place down there we did fine in bad conditions was in Newfound Harbor on the north side. As we were coming around to drop, a guy radioed us a said "get a good set, we had a catamaran come whizzing by here this morning".

The only real tricky spot down there, which was also our favorite, was Bahai Honda. The current does rip in and out of there, you have to be real patient. My avatar picture was taken by another boater from the old bridge as we were coming in once, nice story there, they turned out to be in the American Tug shown to the right in this picture. Got a knock on the hull later that day and the guy in his dinghy handed me a print ! Became good friends.

IMGBahiaH.jpg


So what ground tackle did you have? Other places we anchored down there that come immediately to mind, though typically without real bad weather, were off Cape Florida (Key Biscayne), Elliot Key, Pumpkin Key, Tarpon Basin, Rodriguez Key, Islamorada (Lorelei's), Lingnum Vitae Key, Fleming Key, Niles, west side of of Newfound.
 
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