Setting the anchor from the cockpit!

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Zag
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Setting the anchor from the cockpit!

Inlägg av Zag »

I have read somewhere that the practice for deploying your anchor on an IF Boat is from the stern/cockpit! I have done this in the past on a Drascombe 22' but was wondering if there are any tips for an IF Boat or new ideas in technique. I also now have stantions that get in the way!

I am about to buy a Rocna 10KG (I like a heavy anchor!) with 10 or 20 meters of chain and then 12mm anchorplait rope. I also have a 10KG Danforth and a Fortress that I don,t find to be very good as it sails in the water if there is a good current.

So in the past I have kept my anchor, chain and rope in a bucket in the cockpit. I lead the rope end outside of all the shrouds and stantions up to the bow roller or fairlead maybe and then back along the deck to a cleat. The anchor and rode go over the side to set etc and In the past I have had a separate line hooked onto the anchor rode with a carabiner clip that I pull onto, to grab and retrieve my anchor line! Having the rope outside of the hull will be new to me but OK maybe if it is kept tight!? How do you do it?
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johan swe-1870
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Re: Setting the anchor from the cockpit!

Inlägg av johan swe-1870 »

That's a new idea for anchoring! :!: I have never thougth of that!

Where I sail, I seldom use an anchor at all.

In the rare case I have to anchor, it's a complicated maneuver. First find shallow water, then go down into the cabin and get the anchor and the chain out from the storage above the keel and put them at the cockpit floor. Then, from the cabin berth storage, get the anchor rope. Back in the cockpit, put all things together. Finally, take all parts on deck, to bow or stern, fasten the rope and throw anchor and chain overboard. So, this only happens once every third year, or so. :oops:

As a consequence, I like better to moor in a harbour.

I use an old style foldable stoch anchor of 10-12 kg (I don't quite remember the weight), like this:
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Johan Winberg, SWE 1870 InFinit
Nils D
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Re: Setting the anchor from the cockpit!

Inlägg av Nils D »

We sail in different waters and therefore both the size of anchor and the way we use it differs quite a bit. Whereas Johan sails in areas where almost the only option is to moor in a marina or guest harbor, I do most of my sailing in the Swedish archipelago on the east coast. Here we mostly stay over night by mooring to an island like you can see in the picture below.
For this to work I need an anchor, but nothing as heavy as the ones you use Zag. I have a 5 kg Bruce and no chain but only the anchor line and this has never failed me even though the weather not always is like on the picture.
Since my anchor in these cases is used in the stern I keep it in the large locker aft of the cockpit. But I realize that with heavier equipment this is not a viable solution.
In the few cases that I anchor without mooring to an island I simply bring it to the bow with the anchor line outside the shrouds. As you can imagine with such light weight equipment this is not very difficult.
So unfortunately i, and I believe many other of us here in Sweden, cannot be of much help to you in answering your question.
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Nils D Tidigare ägare av SWE-3008
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maja
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Re: Setting the anchor from the cockpit!

Inlägg av maja »

I use my anchor (an 10 kg ambrella type with 4 wide "spades") similar to Nils, but I add an additional 6kg extra weight of lead and let it glide along the anchor rope down to the the bottom.

I tie an additional control rope to this weight so I can control the position and hoist and sink it independently from the anchor. As the heavy part of the arrangement is divided into 2 pieces, it is very easy to handle compared to a 16 kg single anchor.

This arrangement will keep most of the anchor rope near the anchor piece parallel to the sea bottom and make a very strong fastening as long as the bottom type is not plane rock but mud, clay or sand.

For plane rock anchoring my opinion is that it is necessary to use a lot of chain and relie on its friction against the bottom as any type of anchor will slip otherwise. So, as I have no chain, I simply avoid such bottoms when anchoring.

I keep the anchore and rope under the forward floor of the cabin. The rope is connected to the anchor peice and folded up in 3 packs, each of about 10 metres. When I am about to anchor, I just bring the lot to the cockpit, unfold the anchor and the first pack of rope and just let it sink it in the water. When needed, I then unfold the 2nd pack of rope. The 3rd pack is seldom used.

For me, anchoring is very seldom happening. Last time it was in Torekov harbour some 15 years ago. There were no buoys or pillars for tying the stem so I had to use my own equipment.
Marek, IF-båt SWE-829 "Ingela" från Lagunen i Malmö
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johan swe-1870
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Re: Setting the anchor from the cockpit!

Inlägg av johan swe-1870 »

maja skrev: 02 okt 2020 21:37 I use my anchor (an 10 kg ambrella type with 4 wide "spades") similar to Nils, but I add an additional 6kg extra weight of lead and let it glide along the anchor rope down to the the bottom.
That would be a folding grapnel anchor, wouldn't it? Can you elaborate how that is similar to a Bruce anchor? :shock:
Johan Winberg, SWE 1870 InFinit
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maja
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Re: Setting the anchor from the cockpit!

Inlägg av maja »

I use my anchor in a similar way as Nils except from using and extra anchor weight
Marek, IF-båt SWE-829 "Ingela" från Lagunen i Malmö
Medlem i IF-båtförbundet sedan 1985
IF-båtägare sedan 1983
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johan swe-1870
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Re: Setting the anchor from the cockpit!

Inlägg av johan swe-1870 »

Oh, sorry! I misunderstood. :oops:
It's the technique that is similar, not the anchor itself.

Thank you for the clarification!
Johan Winberg, SWE 1870 InFinit
Zag
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Re: Setting the anchor from the cockpit!

Inlägg av Zag »

Interesting replies. Yes anchoring around the UK is very common. I anchor most times I go out. The norm is to carry 50m minimum of rode. For an IF Boat chain size would be 6mm to 8mm then 12mm anchorplaite rope.

Most of the anchor guides suggest 8-10KG anchors with a 5:1 scope to 8:1 scope for windy conditions. A boat length of chain plus rope or all chain is a rough guide. Anchoring in estuaries with up to 5 knot tides is not un common so most use a heavy anchor. Popular anchors are genuine Bruce anchors, Spade Anchors, Delta and Rocna. Rocna has one of the best setting capabilities, especially in sand, clay, mud which is common in the south of England. It can however clog when resetting if there is a lot of sea grass. Anchor discussions on U.K. forums are like tyres on car forums... they go on and on!

I am likely to use a Rocna 10KG anchor, 10m of 8mm chain and 50 of 14mm anchorplaite rope. This will also fit my windlass if I decide to use it. Sadly the boat came with 10m of 8mm but only 15 of rope.
mauri
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Re: Setting the anchor from the cockpit!

Inlägg av mauri »

I have a question: when setting the anchor from the bow (using a bridle too) in a windy bay (Kungsö bay ) with wind from land the boat will swing and the anchor (7.5 kg Bruce with chain but no additional weight) will drag. Would it be less problematic with a weathercock small sail hanked at the backstay? Using a stern smaller anchor would also do? Would the additional weight do (but it would not stop the swing)?
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maja
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Re: Setting the anchor from the cockpit!

Inlägg av maja »

I suppose you intend to anchor on abt 3 - 4 metres of depth, that your chain is at least 5 metres of length and all chain is resting on the bottom.

Try with an extra 4 kgs anchor weight from lead with shackle and control line. Let the weight slip down along the anchor rope, about 10 metres or 3 - 4 times depth. Use the control line to adjust the depth of the weight.
Marek, IF-båt SWE-829 "Ingela" från Lagunen i Malmö
Medlem i IF-båtförbundet sedan 1985
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