Properly Setting an Anchor

[Seevee]

This has probably been beat up a bit, but would like to explore anchor options for overnighting.

I use two anchors. I'll set the first one and then back away from it, letting line out tracking crosswind for perhaps 50 feet, then drop the second one, I'll back downwind, slightly into the wind 50 feet and end up with the boat 50 feet from both anchors and downwind from both when lines are tight. The angle of the lines is approx 45deg. One line is the windlass, and the other is tied to a cleat about 3 ft away on the port side.

Depth in this case is about 7 feet, so distance would depend on depth.

What happens is I get a swinging of the boat, side to side turning about 150 degrees. It's not objectionable, but it messes up my setting up sun shades. I even get this swing on one anchor, but not quite as bad.

I'm swinging as I type this.... any ideas on how to minimize the swinging? Winds is less than 5 kts.

 

[HUMPH]

You need to set a stern anchor. Skip the second bow anchor and set a stern to hold your position. A dinghy makes it easier but if you don't have one, back down on your bow anchor until you can drop your stern allowing for enough scope. Then simply pull in on your windless (setting the stern anchor as you do) until you are pretty much centered between the anchors. Kill the engines, open a beer and start chillin'!

 

[rae of sunshine]

Definitely use a stern anchor or tie to shore, if you go to shore to use a tree use enough rode that you can go around the tree and back to the boat, this will allow you to let the one end go and pull out the rest. this allows you to get moving in the dark if need be or in a case or emergency..

 

[bbwhitejr]

Tell me I am doing wrong, but I have never set a stern anchor. We trailer our boat and stay exclusively on the hook 4-6 nights/months. I have never had an issue doing so. I have heard, when running a gen, the boat needs to swing with the breeze/wind. I typically run the gen all night, do not run the blowers, and use my built in CO detector and a portable with a digital display.

Bennett

 

[JimG]

Tell me I am doing wrong, but I have never set a stern anchor. We trailer our boat and stay exclusively on the hook 4-6 nights/months. I have never had an issue doing so. I have heard, when running a gen, the boat needs to swing with the breeze/wind. I typically run the gen all night, do not run the blowers, and use my built in CO detector and a portable with a digital display.

Bennett

We boat on our fresh water lakes... big difference from the guys that anchor offshore.

 

[Stee6043]

My swing was all but uncontrollable last year when I was only anchoring off the bow. This year I've been using a stern anchor just about every time and the difference is night and day (as you would expect).

The only trick in "properly" setting a stern anchor is that you either need to use a floating device of some sort to get proper scope or you need to be in water shallow enough you can walk in. You can't toss a stern anchor off the swim platform and expect it to provide any meaningful hold....

 

[mwph]

You can't toss a stern anchor off the swim platform and expect it to provide any meaningful hold....

My normal swing is tolerable, but I have given thought to some type of stern anchor. My thought was that even a mushroom dropped off of a stern cleat would provide enough drag to eliminate or at less minimize swing. Bad thinking?
(10' of water, no current)

 

[Boater420]

Having a good amount of chain on your stern anchor allows for anchoring with less scope. I use HUMPH's technique to set anchor. Set the bow, back down and then toss the stern. Reel yourself in with the windlass. I find that the chain really holds the anchor in place well when using less scope.

I remove my stern anchor before going to bed and just let it swing on the hook. I also run my blowers whenever the generator is running to evacuate heat from the EC as well as any fumes that might build up in the event of an exhaust leak.

 

[trflgrl]

Tell me I am doing wrong, but I have never set a stern anchor. We trailer our boat and stay exclusively on the hook 4-6 nights/months. I have never had an issue doing so. I have heard, when running a gen, the boat needs to swing with the breeze/wind. I typically run the gen all night, do not run the blowers, and use my built in CO detector and a portable with a digital display.

Bennett

You're not wrong, you're different. You don't mind the boat swinging, but the OP does, and anchoring from the stern is the easiest solution.

We're closed lake boaters, with tons of protected coves, many of which are only 10 - 50' deep, and typically have mud, rock, or combination bottom. When we're solo in reasonable weather and without a lot of other boats nearby, we use bow anchor only and allow the swing, day and night. If questionable weather approaches, we may reset the anchor/let out more line to be more secure. If it's slightly windy or we have neighbors and want to reduce the swing factor for comfort or courtesy, we add a stern anchor--ours happens to be a slip ring fluke style.

MWPH: IMO, not bad thinking for the shallow/calm conditions you describe. Several friends with 20 - 25' boats have success that way; we have a lot of mud bottom. For us in a slightly larger boat and deeper cove, FM can get a good throw from the transom/swim platform and we don't really budge once it's in. If we want a bigger grab, we don flippers and put the anchor on a float to get more line out.



When we're rafted, we use both bow and stern anchors on the largest/center boats, as well as several along the line, to keep them oriented in one direction--again, swimming out the stern anchors if needed. In the 9 years I've been with this crew, the line has drifted a couple of times but hasn't broken loose even through some big storms, although once it spun 180 degrees (that was interesting!).

And even though I expect to get flamed, I'll admit in public that folks use their generators while rafted, and sometimes when solo and anchored bow and stern. Many on this forum are much more conservative in how they manage generator usage, but there are ways to minimize the risk in different situations.

 

[Fly'n Family]

I feel the OP's pain. We boat on a mountain lake, with constantly changing wind direction. We'd swing so bad it would pull the OEM set-up out and off the boat would go. Fortunately the boating gods took care of that last year as the rope broke and we lost our anchor. Bigger anchor and all chain stopped the hook from getting pulled, now we just have the swing to deal with.

If I anchor overnight, I set the hook and then rope a tree or rock for the stern. Seems to work fine, but I've yet to have a peaceful night of rest due to previous issues with swinging.....maybe next season will provide the time to allow that. I despise the swing...

 

[JVM225]

Using a stern anchor is the way to go if you want to hold a position. The only thing you need to watch out for is being the only one using a stern anchor in a crowded anchorage or cove. You don't want to be the only guy in a fixed position while everyone else is shifting with the wind or current. If you are, there is a good chance that someone will swing in to you.
Most places we anchor around here on the weekends are too crowded to use a stern anchor.