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YOU'RE DRAGGING: WHAT DO YOU DO?
I WANT TO CHARTER A SAILBOAT
BAREBOATING vs. A CREWED SAILING VACATION
LITTLE THINGS MAKE A DIFFERENCE: PART 1
THE WILDLIFE IN THE SEA OF CORTEZ
KEEPING COOL DURING THE SUMMER AND WHY AWNINGS SHOULD BE WHITE
DINGHIES AND MOTORS, THE BIG DECISION
Perhaps you will never have to get up in the middle of the night to re-set a dragging anchor. If you set it properly to begin with, the odds are you never will. There is one circumstance, however, that is beyond your control. That would be if another boat drags over your anchor and breaks it out. Most of the time when this happens it's a case where the dragging boat just couldn't get the anchor up in time. Sometimes they hope that the anchor will reset, and before they know it they have pulled up their neighbor's anchor... and then you have a real mess. If you are in a crowded anchorage, and you see that you're dragging, get the anchor up as soon as possible and re-anchor.There are many reasons that will cause an anchor not to hold, but basically it boils down to not setting it properly. There's that rock that fits perfectly in your Bruce anchor, a can the fluke of a Danforth just happens to grab, or maybe some netting or line that fouls your CQR. Unfortunately, all the bottoms that we anchor in are not perfect sand. Here in the Baja we have nice shallow anchorages, but many of them have a shallow layer of crushed coral and sand over a hard surface. The anchor will seem to hold, but if you put on enough of a strain while setting the anchor, it will pull out. In some of our anchorages the more shallow it is, the less good sand there is. I have found that in many bays it's best to anchor in twenty feet or deeper, because there is more sand for the anchor to dig into. One of the reasons why I like to use nylon and chain in my anchor rode, and not all chain, is because of the elasticity the nylon has. The line will stretch, and not tend to shock the anchor out of the bottom.
Okay, so now we suspect that the bottom we are going to anchor in isn't the best, so what's the best way to set that anchor? Two techniques that WON'T work are; first, to dump all the chain in one spot, and then back up at 2-3 knots to set the anchor. The second is to drop the anchor, and then back up too quickly without putting out sufficient scope. The technique that works for us is to drop the anchor, and as it reaches the bottom, slowly back up until you have a scope of about 7:1 out. At that point secure the line, if you're using nylon, or connect a snubber if you're using chain. Put the engine into reverse, and slowly raise the rpm's from idle until you reach the rpm cruising speed you normally motor at. For "Irish Mist this is 1600 -1800 rpm's. Stop at each 200-rpm increment to determine that you are not dragging. I do this until we are at about 1600 rpm's, and then we just sit there in reverse for about a minute or so, and then increase the speed to 1800 rpm's. Watch that line or snubber straighten out. Put your foot on the line, and if you can feel the line jumping, the anchor is not holding, and you should back off to 200 less rpm's, and let it pull at that speed for a while. If it's still not holding, don't waste your time…pick up the anchor and drop it in a different place. Sometimes it'll work if you back down 180 degrees in the opposite direction. After the anchor is set, then you can pull in the extra rode, and anchor with a 5:1 scope minimum. If your boat doesn't have a powerful motor (outboard), back down as hard as you can, motor up on the anchor after you have set it the best you can, then put the boat into reverse at the highest RPM's possible. Let the momentum of the boat set the anchor.
If you anchor using these techniques, you will hardly ever drag. The easiest way to tell if you are dragging is to pay attention to the way your boat moves back and forth in the gusts. The bow will always cross the direction of the wind from one side to the other. If it doesn't (if the bow stays to one side), you are dragging. On a windy night you can be lying in your bunk and feel the boat swing from one side to the other. You'll hear the line or snubber stretch, first on one tack and then the other. If you don't, get up and check things out. If you are really concerned ,set up an anchor watch. It's best to have one person on watch so that the rest of the crew can relax and sleep.
Now you have anchored properly, and for whatever reason you are dragging. The very first thing to do is turn the motor on and get the snubber off. If you are dragging into shallower water and there is room, you could try to let out more scope. If you are dragging into deeper water this will rarely work. If you are dragging closer to another boat don't hesitate, you will have to get the anchor up as fast as possible. You do not want to snag your anchor on your neighbor's rode. Picking up an anchor is always more complicated if there are also boats on each side of you. Once the anchor breaks out the bow of the boat will fall off to one side or the other very quickly, and the helmsperson will have to use a lot of throttle to get the boat under control. Always have a plan on which direction you want the boat to go, and if for some reason your plan doesn't work, what you will do as an alternative. You have to go over your plan with the helmsperson. You have to work as a team, and work quickly. We use headphones to communicate, if needed. We also have a good set of hand signals, but these are hard to see at night. In a strong wind the helmsperson will hear instructions, but you won't be able to hear the helmsperson. We use a technique that works well for leaving an anchorage in an emergency, or if we decide to re-anchor at night, which would also work well if we were dragging. First, plan on which direction you want to leave. The helmsperson keeps the boat moving forward at the slowest speed possible that will keep the bow from falling off. All the while the person on the bow is cranking up the anchor at a steady pace. The momentum on the boat will break out the anchor and the helmsperson will keep the boat moving in the direction you have chosen, again as slowly as possible while you get the anchor up into the bow roller. It is very important to have a good electric windlass, and that the chain feeds into the chain locker smoothly and freely. You don't want any hang ups. It's a good idea to keep an eye out for other open spots to anchor while it's still light, then you will have a mental picture of where you want to move to.
A good nights sleep is important. If you just take a little extra time and make sure your anchor is set right, when the wind pipes up at night you will be safe and secure.
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