In article ,
"Shaun Van Poecke" wrote:

My anchoring technique when sailing solo has always been pretty laughable.
At least for observers anyway. For some reason, it never occured to me that
i could anchor from any place on the boat other than the bow. anchoring in
isolated places usually went ok; a quick sprint to the bow with the motor
still running in neutral, drip anchor and drift back until i had enough
scope, then tie off.

Anchoring in crowded areas, particularly if it was a bit choppy or there was
a strong wind could really be an experience though.... the usual scenario
sees me dashing back and forth as i drift too far too fast to get the anchor
placed exactly where i want it, tripping over loose lines all the while.

recently i read a post where someone described how he kept his anchor in the
cockpit, with the chain stored in a bucket. he would then deploy the anchor
from the cockpit, see that it was set well, then walk the rode up to the bow
and tie off there. While it could really only work with small boats and
small anchors too, this idea seemed simple and brilliant to me. Am i the
only idiot who never thought of it?


After reading the 30 messages I see in the thread, I believe the best
answer is "slow down", possibly adding an "aim further upwind" as a
usual action.

I tried the aft launch and while it worked, it was more trouble than it
was worth.

In that sort of situation, I come in with the engine ticking over (as it
always is in a possibly tricky situation), choose my spot, furl the jib
and head up-wind. I start strolling forward while we have a knot or so
on, reaching the bow before we lose the momentum. Then I pay out line,
keeping slight tension on the rode, bring up the slack at about 3:1 and
then snub it at 7:1. After flaking the main sail and putting the cover
on, I check the rode again. Only after about 5 minutes settling down do
I back down, and then only at about 1000 RPM, as our feathering prop is
effective.

It's always so funny to see someone come into a dead-easy anchorage,
stop and futz about before heading forward -- at which point the boat's
dropped back a couple of lengths and is making pretty good speed, fast
enough that the Danforth just sails over the bottom and doesn't hook.
Then they do it again!

Even funnier are the ones that drop the anchor and rode in a pile, then
immediately back down at 2000 RPM. Anchor never gets a chance to set and
they plow a furrow the length of the anchorage.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's NEW Pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
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