Rachael Sprot gives her guide to making the best of a tricky anchorage to ensure you have peace of mind when you drop the hook When dropping the hook, identifying a good anchorage is half the battle. The better-known spots are in the pilot guides, but you needn\u2019t limit yourself to those. The key things you\u2019ll need to consider when identifying the suitability of an anchorage are:
\nShelter
\nFor open anchorages, an offshore breeze for the duration of your stay is essential, as well as protection from the sea and swell. Check the forecast for wind shifts which could turn a secluded cove into a dangerous lee shore. The character of tidal anchorages can change through the cycle. As well as the change in stream, the shelter varies as things like rocky ledges, which can form natural breakwaters, cover and uncover.
\nChoosing an anchorage: Devon\u2019s Hope Cove with a south-westerly swell coming around Bolt Tail
\nNature of the seabed
\nSand and mud give the best holding as long as they aren\u2019t too soft. Weed and rock should be avoided.
\nThe visible coastline can indicate what\u2019s going on under the surface. Rocky outcrops on shore may extend to seaward, as might the stretch of sand between them, so try to position yourself in that. Sand reflects more light than kelp or rock, so drop the anchor into those paler patches.
\nThe satellite view on Google Maps is also invaluable: save screenshots of likely anchorages to your phone or tablet prior to departure. Smooth contours suggest sand, while rocky bottoms are more irregular.
\nYou\u2019ll lie three different ways in a tidal cycle: to the flood, the ebb and to the wind \u2013 your anchor position needs to take all three into account. Photo: Nic Compton
\nDepth
\nConsider both high and low water. The length of chain and warp you carry limits the depth you can successfully anchor in.
\nA 4:1 ratio gives a decent scope on chain, and you need 6:1 for warp.
\nIt\u2019s imperative to know the height of tide when you arrive so that you can factor the rise and fall of tide into your choice of spot.
\nThe minimum depth to anchor is:
\nDraught + Clearance + Fall Of Tide
\nThe clearance you choose depends on the conditions. In soft mud 0.5m clearance between your keel and the seabed may be adequate, but on a rocky bottom you\u2019ll need more.
\nAs the tide ebbed around Anchor Stone on the Dart, Wimsey swung in the eddies. Photo: Nic Compton
\nSwinging room
\nFinally, you\u2019ll need to consider swinging room. You can\u2019t do this until you know roughly what depth you\u2019ll have, and how much chain to lay out.
\nOur example boat, the Malo 46 Wimsey, has a 2.1m draught and we chose a 1m safety clearance. Using the tidal curve we calculated that the height of tide was 3.9m. We were an hour after high water, and the tide would fall to 0.2m above chart datum giving a fall of tide of 3.7m. So we would need 29m chain.
\nThe boat is held on the edge of the channel, anchored fore and aft. Photo: Nic Compton
\nDepth gain (3.9m to 4.3m) is 0.4m
\n+ Current depth of 6.8m
\n= 7.2m max depth
\nx Scope of 4:1 = 28.8m (29m) of chain
\nThe radius of the swinging circle is marginally less than the length of chain that\u2019s out, 28m, plus the length of the boat. So 28m chain plus 15m LOA = 43m radius from the anchor point.
\nHowever bear in mind that most of the time the chain doesn\u2019t pull tight. If it does pull taut in strong conditions this tends to be only in one or two directions. It would be very unusual to do a full orbit of your anchor at maximum extension.
\nA stowage box or bag can help organise the chain on deck. Photo: Nic Compton
\nSecond anchors
\nA second anchor is useful where swinging room is restricted, to keep the boat head to the swell in a rolly anchorage or to stop the boat yawing about. A kedge can be rigged from the bow (Bahamian moor) or the stern depending on what suits the vessel and conditions. In this example we took the kedge astern to keep Wimsey truly fore and aft on the edge of the channel while anchoring in a pool near Higher Gurrow Point on the River Dart.
\nIf you\u2019re using a second anchor to take the full weight of the vessel, which we would have done in this instance when the tide reversed, then it needs to be as well set as your main anchor and with good holding power. It\u2019s acting as the primary anchor at this point and you won\u2019t get good results if the anchor is undersized or if there\u2019s little or no chain on it.
\nWimsey\u2019s kedge is a 20kg Danforth with 20m of chain and 20m of warp, so it isn\u2019t as good as the main anchor and we wouldn\u2019t have relied on it in strong conditions.
\nFlake the chain, and then the warp, down into the dinghy, preferably into a container. Photo: Nic Compton
\nHow to set a kedge from the dinghy<\/p>\n
Set the main anchor.
\nAttach a buoyed trip line to the kedge, long enough to be afloat at high water, but short enough to stay close to the anchor.
\nAttach enough warp to get the anchor into the position you want.
\nThe dinghy will struggle to reverse against the weight of heavy chain, so use a long line to allow the dinghy to drop back. You may need to bend on additional length of line temporarily in order to achieve this.
\nFlake the warp on the transom and attach one end to a cleat or winch.
\nFlake the chain into the bow of the dinghy with the anchor on top.
\nMake sure the boat is sitting well back on her main anchor. Leave the engine in tick-over astern if the conditions don\u2019t do this for you.
\nDrive the dinghy astern until you\u2019ve reached the position for the kedge.
\nThe warp should run freely from the transom.
\nDrop the anchor over the side of the dinghy and feed the chain over afterwards.
\nTake up on the warp in the cockpit and make fast \u2013 there should be plenty of scope.<\/p>\n
Take up on the kedge so the yacht is roughly equidistant between the two anchors. Photo: Nic Compton
\nHow to set a kedge without a dinghy
\nIf the anchor chain is long enough, you can deploy the kedge without a dinghy:<\/p>\n
Flake the kedge and chain on the transom of the yacht, with the anchor end up. Attach the bitter end to the boat.
\nEase out an extra 20-40m of chain on the bow anchor and reverse the boat.
\nDrop the kedge and pay out the chain.
\nTake up on the main anchor until you\u2019re back in the original position.<\/p>\n
Use a light line to temporarily extend the kedge warp while setting the anchor. Photo: Nic Compton
\nBahamian Moor Variation
\nThe disadvantage of a fore and aft configuration is that if conditions change and the boat lies beam on to the wind, there will be a big load on both anchors.
\nAnchoring to a bow anchor works well because the boat can move with the elements. If you restrict the boat, the risk of dragging increases. The Bahamian moor allows the boat to swing freely while still tethering it into a single position.<\/p>\n
Start by deploying the first anchor and dropping right back on it.
\nDeploy the second anchor immediately down tide, either from the dinghy or transom.
\nLead the kedge to the bow and take up on the main anchor to centre the boat.
\nYou can join the chains together before lowering another few metres to keep the lines clear of the keel. Running the kedge line through a snap block will allow you to tension the anchors against each other.<\/p>\n
The drawback of the Bahamian moor is that there\u2019s the potential for the yacht to turn 360\u00b0, twisting the anchor chains around each other. If this happens, you\u2019ll need to undo one of them and unwind the chain.
\nThe dinghy crew approach the buoyed trip line to recover the kedge anchor. Photo: Nic Compton
\nRetrieving a second anchor
\nIf the dinghy crew haven\u2019t mutinied yet, they can use the trip line to pull it up. This is difficult on boats over 40ft, however, due to the weight involved. A couple could manage this on Wimsey, but only just.
\nAlternatively, buoy the bitter end of the kedge anchor chain and release it. Take up the main anchor. Return to the kedge and haul it up over a second bow roller, using the windlass if possible (you\u2019ll have to take the main anchor chain off the gypsy to do this).
\nWhen recovering the anchor use a fender, board or cloth to protect the dinghy\u2019s topsides, or recover using the yacht\u2019s windlass. Photo: Nic Compton
\nTrip lines
\nI\u2019ve never liked trip lines and only use them on the kedge. In my experience they wind themselves around the chain causing more problems. All the same, on rocky bottoms or in the vicinity of coral it can be worth using one.
\nA fender on a line slightly longer than the maximum expected depth will keep the buoy above the anchor. Don\u2019t use floating line as this could end up fouling your propeller.<\/p>\n
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Rachael Sprot gives her guide to making the best of a tricky anchorage to ensure you have peace of mind when you drop the hook When dropping the hook, identifying a good anchorage is half the battle. The better-known spots … <\/p>\n