Techniques for Setting Anchor
Preparation tips and techniques to anchor safely and reliably.
Over the decades, my wife Terrie and I have anchored literally thousands of times in about every conceivable type of bottom. Early on in our cruising career, and following various screwups— sometimes hilarious and sometimes scary—we learned the importance of combining correctly sized ground tackle (“Hold Fast,” Passage Maker, November/ December 2017) with a reliable anchoring routine.
Anchorage Determination
An anchoring routine should begin with an investigation of potential anchorages. The primary requirement for an anchorage is that it provides protection from the waves, and to a lesser extent, the wind. Given that everyone in our family suffers from seasickness, I spend a good deal of time poring over charts looking for appropriate protection. The chart or a local cruising guide can be checked for bays in the lee of a headland or on the leeward side of an island. In tropical waters, a section of reef to windward may be all that is needed. It should be noted, however, that the nature of a coastline will often cause waves to hook around islands and headlands and enter what looks to be a protected anchorage broadside to the wind or even dead against it.
Once a potential anchorage has been located, you should consider a number of other questions, such as: How good is the holding? What will happen if we were to drag anchor?
We have been in lovely anchorages with excellent protection; but with lousy holding and rocks or reefs all around us, it is simply not possible to relax, go ashore, or sleep with any peace of mind. Additional questions you need to ask yourself: • What will be the effect of tidal streams or other currents? You may end up broadside to the waves, in which case even a slight swell can set a boat to rolling uncomfortably.
• How deep is the water? It may be that an inordinate amount of scope is needed.
• How does the depth change in any given direction? If you will be anchoring on the edge of a shelf and the anchor gets dragged off the shelf, you may find you have inadequate scope.
• If there are other boats in the anchorage, is there adequate swinging room to lay out an appropriate amount of scope?
• If the wind shifts, will the necessary scope put you at risk of fouling hazards or other boats? All too often in crowded anchorages everyone anchors on short scope, which is all well