Anchoring techniques at sea
If you want to learn to sail like a pro, you’ll need to be able to use your sailboat’s anchor smoothly and easily. In fact, sailboats report spending more than 80% of their time at anchor.
That’s because they sail to the destination and then spend time ashore shopping, sightseeing, traveling, and mingling with the local people. Follow these five sailing tips to ensure you can drop anchor deep to the seabed with engine power, anywhere in the world you choose to sail!
Think slow, smooth and easy. Bring those three actions into play anytime you want to go down and set your navigation anchor. Realize that this will be one of the few times you will have to do something “blind.” As soon as you lower the anchor below the surface of the water, it will no longer be in your sight.
So you will need to slow down this sailing skill to ensure that the anchor and anchor (rope or chain) reach the bottom without knots, twists or snarls. And that once your anchor comes to rest on the bottom, it will line up to dig deep below the seabed and settle down safe and secure. Follow these five steps to anchor your small sailboat with engine power. And remember: slow, smooth and easy!
1. Point out items and get sidetracked
Align your bow so that it points towards the stronger of the two elements: wind or current. Stop all momentum (forward motion). Lower your anchor until it hangs up and down (called a “short stay”), but has not yet hit bottom. Allow the boat to roll astern with the elements or put your engine in reverse thrust at the slowest possible speed. Lower the anchor enough so that it makes contact with the seabed. You will know this is happening when the anchor (line or chain) becomes loose. Go to the next step.
2. Lower anchor run equal to twice the water depth.
Continue to skid or accelerate at the slowest speed possible. Tack (drop) approximately twice the water depth at the anchor. Your anchor fins should dig into the sea floor and “take a bite.”
3. Turn off the Rode so your anchor “takes a bite.”
Pull on a rigged rope anchor several times so that the anchor sits and holds. Engage the anchor windlass brake to allow the anchor to sit and hold if using a full chain anchor line. Go to the next step.
4. Tack the rest of your anchor range.
See the rest of your calculated anchor range. Use a range of 7 feet of rigged rope for every foot of water depth (7:1 range) with rope or rope and chain anchor. Use at least 5 feet of chain for every foot of water depth (5:1 range) with an anchor chain.
There will be circumstances where this amount of range is not possible (ie crowded ship anchorages). Use the longest reach possible to avoid the possibility of anchor drag (anchor leaves the seabed). Dismount your anchor or set the windlass brake (all chain). Go to the next step.
5. Check that your anchor will hold.
Place the back of one hand or the bottom of your foot on top of the anchor. Vibration means you are dragging. Turn (let out) more scope and retest. Continue this sequence until you no longer feel the vibration. If necessary, weigh anchor (take it out and bring it on board) and move to a better place or to a different anchorage.
When you are satisfied that your anchor has sunk deep into the seabed, check its position with drag bearings. Drag bearings are used as a quick way to tell you if you are starting to drag the anchor.
Pick an object off the starboard beam port. This could be a pier, the corner of a house or a roof, a building, a tower or a prominent tree, a hill or a mountain peak. Take a bearing to the object with a hand compass. Record the heading and object description in your vessel log. Please share this information with your crew or boating buddy so everyone on board is involved in boating safety.
Check heading three or four times the first hour at anchor, then at least once an hour thereafter. If the heading changes by more than a degree or two, you’re dragging. Turn scope or move to a safer location.
If the wind or current changes, the course of your ship will also change. When that happens, pick a different object off the port or starboard beam. Make a new entry in the ship’s log and pass the information on to your crew.
Learn to sail with confidence when you know the sailing skills you need for safe motor anchoring. Practice these sailing tips to give yourself peace of mind when you drop anchor on your sailboat, wherever you choose to sail in the world!