"Don W" wrote in message
et...
Ben Allez wrote:
You guys must be talking about fairly small anchors. On our C27 you could
easily do what you are suggesting, but I don't think I could get the
Irwin's anchor up over the side into the cockpit without gashing the
gelcoat. If you are close enough to the side to lift it straight up,
you'd have to be hanging out over the water on a lifeline.

Don W.

Im on a thunderbird 26, but i think i would still retreive from the bow....
leaving anchor is usually not so stressful for me, even though i do have to
retrieve by hand. if conditions are blowy, ill hall as much as i can by
hand, tie off, then motor away to free the anchor from the bottom. while im
motoring, i lock off the tiller then go up to the bow to finish retreieving
the anchor.

Its pretty easy to deploy the anchor over the side though, as long as you
can resist the strong temptation to swing it round your head grapelling hook
style. the day you throw it rather than drop will be the day the chain
either gets hooked up on something and sends the anchor right through the
side of your boat, or wraps around your leg taking you with it ;-)

Shaun