Anchoring Masterclass: How to Anchor like an Expert

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14 Aug 2024 12:00

Boats at anchor — Anchoring with ease. Credit: Sail Ionian

Want to anchor with confidence and ease? Tom Fletcher shares some hard learnt charter skipper secrets for expert anchoring…

Tackling Anchoring

Have you ever had the Greek Gods of Anchoring displeased with you? I have. I once spent a week on charter with a wonderfully nice father and daughter, on board Sail Ionian’s brand-new Bavaria C50, and it was an absolute nightmare. What’s more, the yacht had just had a new 30kg Rocna fitted, so I couldn’t even blame the ground tackle! Everywhere I went that week I had to have three or four attempts at dropping before the anchor would catch. By the end, I was in tears with frustration, and still don’t know what I was doing wrong. The next time I took her out on charter I had no problems whatsoever.

In the Ionian we rely heavily on our anchor. It can make or break a week on charter so always make a point of checking what the yacht you’re booking is equipped with. Even for a 30-footer I wouldn’t want under 50m of chain. If I was being demanding, as a rule of thumb I would multiply the length of the boat in meters x5, to get the minimum number of meters of chain I would like.

Favoured anchor types will vary depending upon the type of seabed or the area you’re in. Designs like the Bruce or Fluke can be outstanding in sandy areas like the Caribbean. CQRs can be brilliant where tidal flow direction can change, as the design allows them to twist without breaking out. Even fisherman anchors or grapnels can be useful in rocky areas and riverbeds. However, my years of experience in the Ionian have taught me that a Rocna is the best you can get for varied types of seabeds. At Sail Ionian the whole fleet is retrofitted with Rocnas, or their sister the Vulcan which doesn’t have the roll bar.

Make sure your boat handover goes into detail on the windlass and where the trip switch or fuse is. You will want to know how to tighten the gypsy, and how to free drop the chain too. If you can test the windlass by dropping and raising chain, do so. It’s good to see if the windlass is slow or fast, whether it sounds healthy, and if there is any juddering or slipping (which is a good indication of a worn gypsy that should be replaced before you leave).

The crew

I have a real bugbear with skippers who don’t realise the importance of their crew on the bow. With a little training and explanation, they can be the yacht’s best asset when anchoring. I have lost count of the number of times I have started training a crew how to med moor, only to find that the bow person doesn’t have a clue what they are doing, and merely responds to shouted direction from the helm. I like to teach the bow person about techniques, types of seabeds, length of chain… all sorts. I guess some people aren’t that interested, but most seem to like to understand what they are doing! A crew working together in this way is much more effective. When small problems arise, they can then be dealt with quickly. I like to teach some hand signals too, to stop the shouting over the noise of the windlass and the wind. A basic set of ‘drop’, ‘stop’, ‘up’ and ‘down’ are enough to deal with most needs. Knowledge of how to weigh anchor and control the chain when it’s coming in are invaluable too.

Don’t try to anchor on a steep declining seabed

This is one that is peculiar to deep water anchorages, of which we have many in the Ionian! It can be a common situation that you are trying to anchor near the shore, with the wind blowing the yacht off. However, because of the steepness of the seabed you have the bow in 5m of water but the stern in 10m of water! As you reverse and lay out chain the yacht is getting into progressively deeper and deeper water. The anchor just has no chance of holding as it is, in effect, being dragged down a hill. The moral of the story being to consider not just the material of the seabed, but also the bathymetry.

Deep water techniques

It is quite common on an Ionian charter that I will choose to anchor in well over 10 meters of water. The main constraints with depth are firstly the length of chain we carry, and secondly the strength of the windlass motor. At Sail Ionian, a typical 40ft charter yacht will carry at least 60 meters of chain. Using the old maxim of 4-5 times the depth of water, we get a maximum anchoring depth range of around 12-15 meters. Our windlasses can deadlift a substantial weight, but when you consider the length of chain plus the anchor at the end, it is a considerable lift. We usually recommend to guests to always stick under 12 meters, much deeper than that and fuses can start blowing!

When dropping in these depths it is important to remember that it takes time for the anchor to hit the seabed. We often see people reversing as they drop, not realising by the time the anchor catches they can easily be 15-20 meters further away from where they intended the anchor to be. This can cause all sorts of complications, from changes in depth to distance from the shore for long lining. In fact, the most common issue this causes is when long lining; the yacht ends up much closer to the shore than intended, with much less chain out that desired! It’s easy to time your windlass over 10 meters of chain to get an idea how quick it is, then you know roughly how long it will take for the anchor to drop to the seabed.

I would advise positioning the bow where you want the anchor, then letting down 10m of chain, before starting to reverse into the wind, ensuring your anchor is where you want it.

Always look for clear water

The colour of the water is the first give-away of what sort of seabed you’re dealing with, and where in a bay you should drop the hook. A normal Ionian bay will have beautiful clear water and be a uniform mid blue, with patches of light blue. Those light blue patches are usually sandy, without any weed, and are a great spot to aim for. Firstly, you should explore the anchorage at slow speed, keeping one eye on the depth gauge and one eye on the water. Different parts of the bay may be windier that other too. Once you’ve picked your spot, look for those lighter patches of water and aim to get the bow over them. Here is another great example of where you need to reply on your crew on the bow. They will need to direct you to position the bow of the boat over the sand and drop the anchor there. Again, a little communication in terms of positioning and depth, or length of chain, is needed, so that you can get the anchor down on the sand before you start moving in reverse.

Wind directions & local knowledge

Considering wind direction is one of the first lessons to be taught about anchoring. It is, however, complicated by the fickle nature of the Ionian wind. At the mercy of island topography, katabatics, and even time of day, picking a spot that isn’t a lee shore can sometimes be harder than you think. Often a perfect lunchtime anchorage with a light offshore breeze can change to a lee shore once the temperature of the day increases and the afternoon anabatic winds start up.

The first time I saw local Greek charter skippers long lining off the beach in Marmagas on Ithaca I was confused. The morning breeze was light and blowing them onto the shore. I assumed their guests must have asked to be as close to the beach as possible. By the end of lunch though, the wind had switched to a feisty offshore 15 knots, gusting above 20, and my anchor was dragging into deeper water where I had dropped in the middle of the bay. Those Greek charter skippers were sitting comfortably, being blown off the beach, with the strain on their long lines, not on their anchor. It’s always worth keeping a humble eye on what other sailors are doing – there’s always someone cleverer than yourself!

Free dropping chain vs. lowering on the windlass

As divisive an issue as any in sailing circles! Many who care for their own windlass much prefer to treat it carefully and drop chain freely, by loosening the gypsy, taking the strain away from the windlass motor. At Sail Ionian, we always tell our guests to drop using the windlass though. We feel it gives guests more control, and there is less danger of fingers getting near fast moving lengths of chain. There is also a tendency for the gypsy not to be tightened enough after free dropping. This can result in slipping when weighing anchor, which in turn causes a lot of engineering call-outs and a large fuel bill for a very quick job of tightening the gypsy to the correct tension.

The most important time to consider dropping freely, and quickly, is when you are anchoring in a very windy situation. Sometimes you just want to get the anchor down fast and keep the boat under control using the engine. This can be particularly true for long lining or med mooring in a crosswind. Releasing the chain slowly on the windlass motor can slow the yacht to the point where you lose all steerage.

Whenever free dropping anchor, it is essential to check the bitter end is attached to the yacht securely, and to slow the rate of descent as you approach the end of the chain. Bitter ends are designed to separate when needed, and the speed and weight of a full chain locker dropped without braking can be enough to rip the bitter end d-ring from the deck. I have seen the confused look on faces as the end of the chain follows the anchor to the seabed. Another good reason to train your bow person well! If this ever happens to you, try and note your position in the bay, or hit the MOB button on the GPS quickly. If they know where to look the charter company may be able to dive and find the tackle, saving you a large bill.

Checking you’re well in

Finally, a lot of the issues I see out there could be avoided with a final check to test the anchor. I often see anchors dropped and engine off within seconds, with no attempt to test how well the anchor is dug in. I prefer to sit there with the engine running at least 1000 rpm in reverse for the 5 minutes it takes for the kettle to boil, before I’m happy to relax.

It is a fact of life in the Ionian that there is a lot of weed on the seabed and often anchors can get caught up in this, appear to have set, but break free after a persistent snatch. But this can also be the situation when you have a lot of chain out too. The weight of the chain alone can be enough to resist light winds, or low revs on the engine. It’s only with more force that it becomes clear the anchor is not actually in, and the boat starts drifting.

I have spent many a stormy Vliho night on the bow of an anchored yacht in over 30 knots of wind and not moved anywhere. A well dug in anchor can cope with a surprising amount of force. So don’t be shy with checking you’re set, give her some revs and sit back for a few minutes. You’ll sleep a lot better.

Tom Fletcher is a hugely experience skipper and instructor at Sail Ionian. For more information, go to the Sail Ionian Website.

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