Styles of anchoring

BandB said:

So you're saying that if one uses bow and stern in an area of 10' tidal changes, they would need to allow much greater slack? If they allowed enough for the boat to rise and lower the 10', then wouldn't seem to be an issue. Much like tying a boat at a fixed dock or in a fixed slip.

On a single anchor, the issue with such a tidal change would simply be the amount of rode and having enough at low tide so that at high tide you'd still have adequate. Plus I guess in reverse when having enough at high tide, not then swinging into something at low tide.

On the east coast, much of Georgia has 8' tidal changes and it catches South Florida boaters by surprise. In South Florida we're just dealing with rising tides, projected based on recent history to rise another 2' by 2060.

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Paul M said:

When the wind picks up and the boat starts aggressively hunting there is yet another option for anchor deployment. I drop my second anchor (previously a Bruce) out with a very short scope, perhaps 2 to 1. The purpose is to create drag or resistance to swinging. You are not trying to get the anchor to set, but only to develop sufficient drag. I have found that it generally reduces the swing arc by more than half and the rate of swing and the snap as the boat reaches its maximum fetch are then not a concern. It sometimes takes a bit of trial and error to get the best scope on the second anchor. I am sure that after a full night of swinging and hunting a small curved trench has been dug in front of the bow. I have only done this in areas of mud and sand, but it should work on other bottoms also. This works best when the wind is quite gusty and from variable directions. If the wind is consistent perhaps a "Y" deployment would be better. Anyway, this is something just to add to one's bag of anchoring techniques.

Paul

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psneeld said:

The major downside to stern anchoring in my experience is where that anchor needs to be placed for what you want it to do and will it hold and can it be retrieved.

Once in Tangier Island. The wind and tide combo brought me unconfortably close to a shallows and crab structure. So I rowed out a stern anchor. IT WAS A REALLY undersized bruce, but held the boat in a good position overnight.

In the morning when time to leave, I dang near couldn't get that anchor up with the dingy and it was in too shallow water at low tide to retrieve from the big boa I did finally work it loose.

The forces pulling on that stern anchor can be substantially more than one rigged to the bow. So pulling it intentionally or dragging it could be an issue that is hard to estimate due to a newer set of variable for you.

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cardude01 said:

The only time I used a stern anchor was when I anchored in the wrong spot and the wind switched and started pushing me into the shallows like your experience.

I had a cheap Danforth knockoff I bought at Wal Mart so I threw it out thinking I would not care if I couldn't retrieve it. The next morning that anchor was hopelessly dug in and the wind was so high I couldn't retrieve it, so I left it (and the rode as well). I was single handing at the time so that made it harder.

So obviously I don't know how to use a stern anchor very well. ?

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Nomad Willy said:

Dude you bought a boat anchor at WALMART???

I never go into Wall Mart so being surprised is not surprising.

Do they have Deltas? I need a15 to 22lb Delta for an experiment. I assume everything at Wall Mart is dirt cheap.

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twistedtree said:

With all these anchoring techniques, it seems we are trying to juggle 3 fundamental variables:

1) Swing space

2) Boat's attitude to the seas and weather

3) Ease of deployment and retrieval

A single anchor consumes the most swing space, but naturally aligns with the seas and weather, and is the easiest to deploy and retrieve. So unless you are space-limited, this is the best choice, and unsurprisingly the most popular.

Bahamian mooring provides tight control on swing space, yet still allows the boat to self-align to the seas and weather. But this comes with significantly more complicated deployment and retrieval, and more complicated rigging to ensure the lines don't hang up on the more aft parts of the boat.

The various forms of bow and stern anchoring (med moored, bow and stern anchors, stern tied to a shore line, etc.) tightly control swing space, but provide no self-alignment of the boat to seas and weather. Whatever attitude the boat takes when anchored is what you get regardless of what the seas and weather do. And they too are significantly more complicated to deploy and retrieve than a single anchor.

So it seems to all come down to whether or not you need to control your swing space, and what you are willing and able to do to accomplish that.

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BruceK said:

FWIW, I should see Rex of Anchor Right at the Sydney Boat Show tomorrow. Any messages?

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