safe anchoring over night

K

kevinnice

New Member
Aug 17, 2009
220
SPAIN
Boat Info
290 searay sundancer 1996
Engines
dual mercruiser 43 lx
i want to anchor up and sleep in a nearby bay for the first time. my fear is the anchor moving during the night (rocks nearby).

i plan to anchor in 30 feet of water. there are no tides here in the mediterranean

i have what i believe is called a fluke anchor on 150 feet of chain. and i have a grapnel anchor on rope.

i believe i should use a 4x depth on the main anchor. is there any benefit in using the other one, and if so. from which part of the boat?

what are the risks???
 
7x the depth, including the height of your bow above the water, is generally recommended. A grapnel will serve no purpose. The fact that you have an all-chain rode helps, you should *probably* be alright with what you have if there's good holding.

Set the anchor watch alarm on your chartplotter, if so equipped.
 
Do you have a gps? Many of them have alarms you can set so if the boat moves it will alert you. If the sea is calm all your rode should do.
 
thanks guys i have a garmin gps - gonna check the user manual
 
What is the bottom like??? We have mostly sand here... If you have a rocky bottom, and if your hook is in solid, your only problem will be getting anchor out in the morning... Check the weather, if wind direction changes over night, your GPS alarm will go off even if your anchor doesn't move... I found the GPS alarms to be annoying... 5x depth is recommended for light winds, so 150' of chain would be good for about 25' of water on a 290...
 
the bottom is just sand. i can get in to about 7m (23 feet) so i can do at least 5x.

i plan to check the GPS manual in case theres a sensitivity option. i guess if you move more than 70 feet or so then youve slipped anchor.

if youre interested go to google maps and search for "moraira" it shows some boats in the area i am interested in anchoring. when you get to the image, double-click to zoom into the area east side of the headland. loads of boats in there.
 
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With 150' of chain, I really wouldn't be too worried about trying to get to 7:1. Especially if you'll be in a relatively protected area. You could always add some rope to the end of your chain, but I don't think it's necessary. The 7:1 is an excellent rule of thumb, but by no means is it "gospel". If the conditions are "normal" you'll absolutely be more than fine with all that chain.

Heck, if the conditions are light, you won't even need the anchor!:smt001
 
thanks for the suggestion dennis....
maybe i could just get the wife to take the midnight to 10am watch...
 
I know the Chapmans Manual says 7:1 scope, but IMHO that's way overkill, especially with as much chain as you have. I suggest a trial run.....throw out 60' of chain and you're gonna have 30' of chain laying on the bottom. When you back down to set the anchor it will be less, I know. If it slips, add more. I would be surprised it you need more than 75' in sand with no wind.
 
The first couple of times you do it is always nerve-racking. Eventually you'll get a comfort level and it will become second nature. Don't be afraid to be over cautious. Better to take extra pre-cautions than to be worried about it all night and not get a good night's sleep.
 
Southpaw II said:
I know the Chapmans Manual says 7:1 scope, but IMHO that's way overkill, especially with as much chain as you have. I suggest a trial run.....throw out 60' of chain and you're gonna have 30' of chain laying on the bottom. When you back down to set the anchor it will be less, I know. If it slips, add more. I would be surprised it you need more than 75' in sand with no wind.
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'

That really depends on how much staying power you really need. In light conditions, the weight of the chain *without an anchor attached* would be enough to hold the boat. But if you actually *do* need the staying power of the anchor, then the angle of "bite" is critical to making the darn thing work at all. That's where the scope requirement thing comes from.
 
comsnark said:
'

That really depends on how much staying power you really need. In light conditions, the weight of the chain *without an anchor attached* would be enough to hold the boat. .
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I thought the topic was "safe" anchoring over night....Just dump a lot of chain overboard, you'll be fine.....who needs an anchor??Great advice.:smt021 Jeez
 
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comsnark said:
'

............. In light conditions, the weight of the chain *without an anchor attached* would be enough to hold the boat. .....
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Kevin. This is not something to consider.

I agree that with as much chain as you have putting down 60-75' in 30' of water should have a very good bite. For overnighting, you may wish to add another 15-20' you can sleep assured you won't go anywhere if it's held well all day. I anchor in 40-60' of water typically and I have 30' of chain and the Delta plow style anchor. I will drop 125-150' feet and not budge and this is in some decent winds.
 
ImpulseIII said:
I thought the topic was "safe" anchoring over night....Just dump a lot of chain overboard, you'll be fine.....who needs an anchor??Great advice.:smt021 Jeez
Click to expand...

Frank, I think you were reading what I wrote a little too literally. In no way would I advocate not using an anchor. I was merely speaking hypothetically. I'm sure you've anchored out in light conditions with a 3:1 (for example) but noticed that the chain basically stood straight up and down the whole time? Shoot, some days I could tie a piece of twine onto a hand-size rock and that'd hold me!
 
I was, sorry, it's just that we have a few here that jump in to be the first to offer advice which is usually wrong and in some cases just dangerous.......Most on CSR post with valid and responsible advice but some are just out to increase their post count regardless of the validity of the information they present....
 
ImpulseIII said:
I was, sorry, it's just that we have a few here that jump in to be the first to offer advice which is usually wrong and in some cases just dangerous.......Most on CSR post with valid and responsible advice but some are just out to increase their post count regardless of the validity of the information they present....
Click to expand...

No worries. These forums are great tools, but the one down fall is we are only dealing with the written word. What was obviously "just talk" to me, was not to someone else. Can't fault anyone for trying to guess what I meant by only using words. :smt001

I think the important thing to remember (me included) is not to jump down someone's throat - give a guy (or gal!) a chance to explain.

PS: I'm absolutely not saying you jumped down my throat - just making a general comment.
 
Although an all-chain rode will go vertical during calm conditions, wind gusts, sailing on the anchor and wave action can pull the chain tight as a drum and rip it out of the ground if you don't have the proper scope out (7-to-1 at a minimum). I've done it (dragged the anchor)...

There's a lot to write about in anchoring. If your boat has a tendency to sail on the anchor (swing like a pendulum), it'll keep everyone up all night with the line/chain snapping in the pulpit every 3 minutes... and it can pull an anchor out. There have been some discussions on that. I find that to be the biggest problem for my boat.

If you don't have tidal conditions to worry about, you still have to worry about wind changes. Not much you can really do about that other than get a plow anchor with a hinge on it (Dom has a sweeeet one). You can still have the boat rotate and pull the anchor out... and still have to deal with sailing upwind.

I have a stern anchor but rarely use it... pain in the a$$ to pull up... I find a bridal on the front and setting the anchor sideways to the tidal flow (and really backing down on it) solves most of the issues.
 
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you have to see a joke frank... lifes too short
best wishes
 
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