When do you put out two anchors?

[psneeld]

Normal morning for us.

Last day in FL. Heading out of Jacksonville for Cumberland Island, Ga.


Many routines in boating are similar no matter where you boat, but every region has some peculiarities that may require developing special techniques.

 

[LaBomba]

Two anchors are routine in our area, bow and stern. Keeps the stern in about 5ft. of water on the sandy beach regardless of wind direction. I have never used 2 bow anchors although I do have 2 bow rollers. Likely never will, there is always and island to hide behind.

 

[Nomad Willy]

I tried to use a second anchor only once.
That was at the head of Kynoch Inlet in northern Canada. There the bottom drops off to depths not practable to anchor on. Planed to place a stern anchor as close to shore as possible and the main straight out from shore deep. Used a small danforth on the shallows near the beach but the weed was so dense setting was not to be had. The anchor slid along the weed like it was an oiled linoleum floor. Not even a hint of hookup. Anchored deep w a single anchor and used my anchor alarm.

 

[psneeld]

As they say, 90 percent of anchoring is captain and technique.

Region determines peculiar requirements and practice makes perfect.

The tens of thousands that anchored before us and developed these regional preferred techniques weren't idiots...they may have been on to something even though we may have better primary anchors these days.

 

[Pgitug]

When One Just Won't Do. ️

 

[Group9]

When I am expecting more than 100 knots of wind.

Or sometimes when I am leaving my boat for a few weeks (when I am willing to pay the price of untwisting two rodes for piece of mind).

 

[Bay Pelican]

20 years of anchoring out and I have used two bow anchors once. The current in the St. Lawrence was 6 kts and our choice of anchorage was close to shore so I also wanted to limit swing. Used a classic Bahamian moor.

Stern anchor I have used several times to limit swing.

 

[FlyWright]

Stern anchor to limit swing, primarily. Oddly enough, I use one routinely in our Secret Cove which is the most protected anchorage anyone could ask for, but it's confined with multiple boats. The stern hook helps us hold position without swinging side to side.

We used 2 anchors, one on each boat, when Giggitoni and I anchored in tidal waters while rafted. During the night, we made a complete circle that led to a circus when it was time to pull anchors. We both vowed "never again"!

In hindsight, it would have been better to have dropped a stern anchor to prevent the swing or raft stbd to stbd and each use our main anchor to hold position and prevent the swing.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Using two anchors indicates your working anchor isn't good enough or big enough ..or both.

It could be an act of paranoia too.

And if you're hand deploying anchors using two means almost all the time a relatively small anchor will be all that's necessary. A plus.

 

[Benthic2]

when two anchors are on fire ??? bah-dum, bump !

its a twist on the ol' "when do you put the dog out?" joke. ( when he's on fire ! )

 

[Bigsfish]

Eric

Not in all instances. I was anchored in the Ambergris Keys (Berry Islands) in a forty foot trench with prominent sand bars on the side. I used a Bahamian Moore as there was not enough room to swing on one anchor. I could have used a stern anchor but the tide rips through this area but I didn't trust it.

 

[Planobilly]

Back when I had the sail boat I used two anchors a good bit to prevent to much swing. Sometimes two bow but more often one one the bow and one on the stern.

Sometime when I was in a place where the current pushed the boat and made it rock to much I would try to put one off the beam. That never worked very well but some times worked well enough to get a couple of hours sleep.

It is all well and good to say I will find a good place to anchor with good holding ground but sometimes that just does not happen. On my small sail boat (34 foot) I had five anchors, a bruce, a CQR, a danforth, and a huge storm anchor of about 135 lbs. 200 foot of 5/8 chain and about 1000 foot of 5/8 rode.

I have never felt unsafe even in a 80 knot blow in Ft. Jefferson. That was the only hurricane I ever had the occasion to anchor in and the only time I ever used the storm anchor. When everything was set I went to sleep. Woke up the next morning banging my head on the cabinet above the bunk with the boat healed over at about a 40 degree angle and wind gusting to around 85.

Worse part of the whole deal was the stove would not work a that angle and delayed my morning coffee by more than two hours. Jeezzs...that can make a feller plumb irritated!!...lol

Billy

 

[hjorgan]

40 knot winds in the keys, on a houseboat, blowing towards the mangroves. Had 2 anchors out and almost threw out the wife and kids as well. Had to stay on the engine for several hours to stay off the bank.

Good times.

 

[freshalaska]

On our boat in the Philippines we always use two anchors off the bow with each its own poly floating rope rode. Each anchor is a home made fisherman type so maybe not the best anchor around. We don't have an anchor winch and our rodes usually are not tangled or badly after many days and wind sifts in the same spot. I've even used three anchors off the bow twice during typhoons, which was successful. I do have a two man crew so I'm not the one doing all the hauling. I just sleep better with two anchors hooked down.
On our boat in Alaska my main anchor is 73 pounds and I don't have a crew just a good windlass and 330 feet of chain rode and then almost always use just one anchor, although I carry four good anchors. We spend maybe 180 days a year a anchored out and have been doing this for around 10 years.
I think it is good to be flexible in however you anchor. More than on way to get the job done.

 

[Wmiii]

We have used 2 anchors off the bow a few times over the years on the West coast of Florida. Several years ago, before the mooring field, in Ft Myers Beach. At Russell Pass near Everglades City and sitting out weather up Little Shark River. All times, due to shifting tides and limited swing room. And possibly in the Bahamas, but can't remember.
Recently, we've thrown out a stern anchor coming up the Tenn/Tom Waterway, to keep us off the bank and out of the way of passing tows.


Wm Mayberry
OPTIMYSTIQUE
Mariner 40


Watts Bar Lake, Tennessee River, waiting for the Eclipse..

 

[Rufus]

A fellow live aboard marina neighbor and I pull out a second anchor (appropriate to the bottom in the harbor adjoining the marina) under the following circumstances:

1. We spot an unoccupied boat anchored in the harbor.

2. A squall line with embedded thunderstorm cells is approaching on the radar (day or night).

We also prep one of our dinghies to motor out to the idiot's boat (in the downpour) with said spare anchor , and board it when the first large outflow from a thunderstorm jerks the primary loose from the bottom. Dragging anchors is a routine occurrence (three for sure this year). The boats in the marina and the adjacent sailboat mooring field are primary targets for run aways.

One of us boards the idiot's boat with the anchor and very long rode. The dink driver motors to the bow where the "boarding party" ties off the bitter and of the rode and lowers the anchor and coiled rode to the dink. The dink operator motors forward to the end of the rode and throws the safety anchor in the drink. Meanwhile the "boarding party" lets out additional rode on the first anchor, if possible. Two collisions have been averted in the past two years. We don't catch them all.

The problem: cheap skate transients who won't come in to a slip when bad weather is approaching, stupid cheapskate owners who don't check the weather before they head to the beach in their dink, soupy bottom, wrong anchor, insufficient rode at initial setting.

We've suggested that the marina put out the word that owners who anchor out should park at the fuel dock and leave a cell phone number. Most of them refuse as they believe they are intrepid "professional" captains who don't need no stinking advice, help, or particularly oversight.

There was an earlier thread about the value of live aboards to the marina....add this to the list.

 

[Bigsfish]

Rufus

Be careful of helping these guys without their expressed permission. My attorney advised me not to add any extra lines to my tenant boats without expressed permission as after adding the line their boat gets some damage or does damage to others property I may be liable. I personally don't agree with that but that's the law.

 

[Rufus]

We understand that, but it's either risk having our own boats crushed or take action. So far we've accumulated a couple bottles of wine from very embarrassed, but appreciative owners. The marina management quietly says thanks as they stand on the side lines with arms folded. The marinas and the town generally operate under the take no risk, hands off, no fault policy. Meanwhile the high water on the Great Lakes is causing an endless string of tore up hull sides on boats with high free boards (at fixed docks). Anyway, this anchorage business is eventually going to lead to a Port Authority where the (little) town can achieve a modicum of control over the harbor occupants. The sooner the better.

 

[Nomad Willy]

SeeVee,
It seems the answer to your question is to limit swinging.

 

[MurrayM]

I tried to use a second anchor only once.
That was at the head of Kynoch Inlet in northern Canada. There the bottom drops off to depths not practable to anchor on. Planed to place a stern anchor as close to shore as possible and the main straight out from shore deep. Used a small danforth on the shallows near the beach but the weed was so dense setting was not to be had. The anchor slid along the weed like it was an oiled linoleum floor. Not even a hint of hookup. Anchored deep w a single anchor and used my anchor alarm.

We were there last week...wild place. Somebody was already in the one feasible anchoring spot. We didn't want to use the "perfect" looking spot (at slack tide) just outside the entrance to Culpepper Lagoon and don't have the gear to anchor in 100' yet, so we continued on to Poison Cove. Will definitely go back and stay a while!

We used a second anchor while stern tied in McMcking Inlet, Campania Island, on BC's north coast. The tides were around 16' which created tons of slack in the stern line at high tide...not a problem if you were there to attend to it, but we were gone all day hiking. That, and the wind was picking up on the port side causing Badger to drift towards a nearby rock when there was slack in the lines.

I dinghied up wind with our stern anchor and tied it to the midship cleat, which held Badger in place for three days.

 

[NathanNoonan]

From my understanding, you have to be careful when using two anchors, specifically one from the stern. Naturally you risk swamping your boat should you position it in a way that waves might hit the stern. You also have to worry about wind and waves coming from either sides of the boat. You pretty much would only want to use a stern anchor in a situation where you know the boat won't swamp, and the sides are protected from the elements by something like mangroves or some wind breaking objects. Plenty of people get away with it just fine, but the aforementioned is just the safe way to go about it.

Of course, having the properly sized anchor for your boat matters but that's just common sense. If you're worried about storms/hurricanes and such, "When in doubt, Haul out!".

 

[Fletcher500]

Almost Never, and it's fairly rare to see anyone do it in the congested So Cal anchorages.

We were required to do it at a private anchorage at Catalina a few years ago, and it became a cluster.

 

[Shrew]

From my understanding, you have to be careful when using two anchors, specifically one from the stern. Naturally you risk swamping your boat should you position it in a way that waves might hit the stern. You also have to worry about wind and waves coming from either sides of the boat. .

While true, I tend to think this is more of a small boat consideration. The waves would need to be hellacious to start breaking over my transom or gunnels. I doubt I'd be choosing or remaining in an tight anchorage that required two anchors AND had 4+ foot breaking waves.

Also what you're describing would be the case if you used a bow and stern anchor. A Bahama moor should turn you bow to the wind and waves. You could spring the anchor line to change the angle slightly if taking them on the beam as well.