My suggestion would be to ask you wife what hand signals she wants to
use for different anchoring tasks/commands. Then YOU memorize her
signals.
The signals she comes up with, she will recognize easier because the
are more instinctive for her.
Mark E. Willliams

Good suggestion.

We tried to keep signals as few and intuitive as possible:

pat head = ahead
pat bum = reverse
arm vertical = neutral

point right, left, forward, etc. = steer that way.
when raising anchor, point in direction of anchor rode

thumb up/down = more/less throttle, only when setting the anchor

- We also took turns anchoring so that we each knew what the other would do
in a given situation.
- We anchored so often that my wife (who usually was at the helm) would feel
the anchor start to bite and swing the bow around and knew to ease off the
throttle at that point etc. For weekend cruisers, this wouldn't be
applicable.

--
Evan Gatehouse

you'll have to rewrite my email address to get to me
ceilydh AT 3web dot net
(fools the spammers)

On Sat, 06 Mar 2004 21:42:59 GMT, wrote:

Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e. a
means for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate
speed and direction to the helmsman without having to yell it out?

This would be for my wife and I where she is typically at the helm
while I am on the bow. She's not real experienced at the helm so a
clear set of signals would be helpful, especially when retrieving the
anchor with the wind up, crowded anchorage, etc.

Thanks.

Some people start out with hand signals and revert to well known
finger signals. :)

Regards
Gary

On Sat, 06 Mar 2004 21:42:59 GMT, wrote:

Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e. a
means for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate
speed and direction to the helmsman without having to yell it out?

This would be for my wife and I where she is typically at the helm
while I am on the bow. She's not real experienced at the helm so a
clear set of signals would be helpful, especially when retrieving the
anchor with the wind up, crowded anchorage, etc.

Thanks.

My suggestion would be to ask you wife what hand signals she wants to
use for different anchoring tasks/commands. Then YOU memorize her
signals.
The signals she comes up with, she will recognize easier because the
are more instinctive for her.
Mark E. Willliams

wrote:
Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e. a
means for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate
speed and direction to the helmsman without having to yell it out?

Our signals mostly use the left hand, bent at the elbow like a
car turn signal. If the hand is not moving, that means no
throttle. Rotating the hand means throttle up a bit. Rotating
faster means more throttle (as when digging in). Pointing with
the right hand means to point the bow in that direction.

arm straight out - neutral
arm down - reverse
arm up - forward
pat the butt - anchor is on the bottom
both arms slashing - we have pull it up and try again
finger across the throat - kill the engine

Most important thing - be patient and never yell.

Cindy

-
the return email is a spam trap
send legit emails to cindy_at_ballreich_dot_net

wrote:
Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e. a
means for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate
speed and direction to the helmsman without having to yell it out?

Our signals mostly use the left hand, bent at the elbow like a
car turn signal. If the hand is not moving, that means no
throttle. Rotating the hand means throttle up a bit. Rotating
faster means more throttle (as when digging in). Pointing with
the right hand means to point the bow in that direction.

arm straight out - neutral
arm down - reverse
arm up - forward
pat the butt - anchor is on the bottom
both arms slashing - we have pull it up and try again
finger across the throat - kill the engine

Most important thing - be patient and never yell.

Cindy

-
the return email is a spam trap
send legit emails to cindy_at_ballreich_dot_net

Believe it or not, hand signals are internationally standardized and
used for things like crane operations, where there's commonly somebody
(the signaler) at the point where the load is going and somebody else
(the crane driver) who runs the crane in response to the hand signals.
The driver is frequently working 'blind', i.e., he can't see the load
at all -- so the signals must be pretty good! Here are dome of the
more salient ones:

Arm extended -- go that way (i.e., extended to right, go right;
extended toward the stern, reverse)
Arm bent at elbow -- go other way (i.e., if using right arm, go left)
Palm down, patting motion -- slow down
Palm up, patting motion -- speed up
Twirling index finger in any direction -- go this way, SLOWLY
Opening and closing fingers against thumb, with arm signalling
direction -- move a small amount in indicated direction, then stop
Closed fist -- STOP

To these, we've added 2 more, specifically related to anchoring:

Motion of hand vertically, from highest extent down to knees: Anchor
rode is "up and down"; hold position if possible

Sweeping arm horizontally -- anchor's aweigh; carry on at slow speed

And one, for safety when a line is under or near the hull:

Hand slash across throat -- STOP PROPELLOR (neutral or engine stop)

In the case of the crane operators (and also on our boat) the signals
refer to the _outcome_, not to the action taken by the operator. For
example, in our case the closed fist means "Stop the boat" NOT "Put
the engine in neutral." The driver generally puts the engine in
revers, and, monitoring a point on the shore or looking at the water
alongside, puts the engine in neutral when the boat has stopped. With
a less experienced driver, it might be better to think of the signals
as rudder and engine commands, so the closed fist would mean "Put the
engine in neutral". This requires the signaller to send LOTS more
signals, as "Reverse" (arm toward stern) becomes "Neutral" when the
boat comes to a stop, etc.) This, it seems to me, could cause
problems when the signaller gets tied up in other things, such as a
jammed windlass, and can't easily give the next comand at the right
time.

In any case, you should decide upon (and stick to) which convention
you are using -- do the signals communicate boat actions, or rudder
commands?

One unsolicited comment: In a breeze, as soon as the anchor comes up
the bow tends to fall off downwind. The easiest way for an
inexperienced helmsperson to stay out of trouble while the bow person
secures the anchor is to simply let the bow fall off, and, keeping the
boat headed downwind, motor slowly in revers to maintain station.
After all, the boat was anchored right there shortly before, so there
must be room for her. The alternative, motoring to windward as soon
as the anchor is aweigh, can end up with your boat moving rapidly
through a crouwded anchorage, narrowly missing the other boats -- who
cannot be expected to invite you for drinks when they see you at the
next anchorage.

wrote in message . ..
Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e. a
means for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate
speed and direction to the helmsman without having to yell it out?

This would be for my wife and I where she is typically at the helm
while I am on the bow. She's not real experienced at the helm so a
clear set of signals would be helpful, especially when retrieving the
anchor with the wind up, crowded anchorage, etc.

Thanks.

x-no-archive:yes


Very good explanation.

(Rob Overton) wrote:

Believe it or not, hand signals are internationally standardized and
used for things like crane operations, where there's commonly somebody
(the signaler) at the point where the load is going and somebody else
(the crane driver) who runs the crane in response to the hand signals.
The driver is frequently working 'blind', i.e., he can't see the load
at all -- so the signals must be pretty good! Here are dome of the
more salient ones:

Arm extended -- go that way (i.e., extended to right, go right;
extended toward the stern, reverse)
Arm bent at elbow -- go other way (i.e., if using right arm, go left)
Palm down, patting motion -- slow down
Palm up, patting motion -- speed up
Twirling index finger in any direction -- go this way, SLOWLY
Opening and closing fingers against thumb, with arm signalling
direction -- move a small amount in indicated direction, then stop
Closed fist -- STOP

To these, we've added 2 more, specifically related to anchoring:

Motion of hand vertically, from highest extent down to knees: Anchor
rode is "up and down"; hold position if possible

Sweeping arm horizontally -- anchor's aweigh; carry on at slow speed

And one, for safety when a line is under or near the hull:

Hand slash across throat -- STOP PROPELLOR (neutral or engine stop)

We have all chain rode, so we generally don't have a line under the
hull, but we do have a command for putting the engine into neutral.

In the case of the crane operators (and also on our boat) the signals
refer to the _outcome_, not to the action taken by the operator. For
example, in our case the closed fist means "Stop the boat" NOT "Put
the engine in neutral." The driver generally puts the engine in
revers, and, monitoring a point on the shore or looking at the water
alongside, puts the engine in neutral when the boat has stopped. With
a less experienced driver, it might be better to think of the signals
as rudder and engine commands, so the closed fist would mean "Put the

This is a good point. In our case the signals are rudder and engine
commands, but I have enough experience now to be able to anticipate
when the next one is coming, or when we've gotten to the point that
Bob wants us to be. So I will put the engine in neutral, or whatever
in advance of his signal. I haven't told him this, but he hasn't been
upset about it, so I guess it must have been OK for him to do this.

engine in neutral". This requires the signaller to send LOTS more
signals, as "Reverse" (arm toward stern) becomes "Neutral" when the
boat comes to a stop, etc.) This, it seems to me, could cause
problems when the signaller gets tied up in other things, such as a
jammed windlass, and can't easily give the next comand at the right
time.

That's where the experience comes in.

In any case, you should decide upon (and stick to) which convention
you are using -- do the signals communicate boat actions, or rudder
commands?

One unsolicited comment: In a breeze, as soon as the anchor comes up
the bow tends to fall off downwind. The easiest way for an
inexperienced helmsperson to stay out of trouble while the bow person
secures the anchor is to simply let the bow fall off, and, keeping the
boat headed downwind, motor slowly in revers to maintain station.
After all, the boat was anchored right there shortly before, so there
must be room for her. The alternative, motoring to windward as soon
as the anchor is aweigh, can end up with your boat moving rapidly
through a crouwded anchorage, narrowly missing the other boats -- who
cannot be expected to invite you for drinks when they see you at the
next anchorage.

This is a good idea although somewhat counter-intuitive. The only
problem would be if there was current in addition to wind with a full
keel or modified full keel boat and if the boat doesn't back very well
or if the operator doesn't back very well.

wrote in message . ..
Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e. a
means for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate
speed and direction to the helmsman without having to yell it out?

This would be for my wife and I where she is typically at the helm
while I am on the bow. She's not real experienced at the helm so a
clear set of signals would be helpful, especially when retrieving the
anchor with the wind up, crowded anchorage, etc.

Thanks.

grandma Rosalie

x-no-archive:yes


Very good explanation.

(Rob Overton) wrote:

Believe it or not, hand signals are internationally standardized and
used for things like crane operations, where there's commonly somebody
(the signaler) at the point where the load is going and somebody else
(the crane driver) who runs the crane in response to the hand signals.
The driver is frequently working 'blind', i.e., he can't see the load
at all -- so the signals must be pretty good! Here are dome of the
more salient ones:

Arm extended -- go that way (i.e., extended to right, go right;
extended toward the stern, reverse)
Arm bent at elbow -- go other way (i.e., if using right arm, go left)
Palm down, patting motion -- slow down
Palm up, patting motion -- speed up
Twirling index finger in any direction -- go this way, SLOWLY
Opening and closing fingers against thumb, with arm signalling
direction -- move a small amount in indicated direction, then stop
Closed fist -- STOP

To these, we've added 2 more, specifically related to anchoring:

Motion of hand vertically, from highest extent down to knees: Anchor
rode is "up and down"; hold position if possible

Sweeping arm horizontally -- anchor's aweigh; carry on at slow speed

And one, for safety when a line is under or near the hull:

Hand slash across throat -- STOP PROPELLOR (neutral or engine stop)

We have all chain rode, so we generally don't have a line under the
hull, but we do have a command for putting the engine into neutral.

In the case of the crane operators (and also on our boat) the signals
refer to the _outcome_, not to the action taken by the operator. For
example, in our case the closed fist means "Stop the boat" NOT "Put
the engine in neutral." The driver generally puts the engine in
revers, and, monitoring a point on the shore or looking at the water
alongside, puts the engine in neutral when the boat has stopped. With
a less experienced driver, it might be better to think of the signals
as rudder and engine commands, so the closed fist would mean "Put the

This is a good point. In our case the signals are rudder and engine
commands, but I have enough experience now to be able to anticipate
when the next one is coming, or when we've gotten to the point that
Bob wants us to be. So I will put the engine in neutral, or whatever
in advance of his signal. I haven't told him this, but he hasn't been
upset about it, so I guess it must have been OK for him to do this.

engine in neutral". This requires the signaller to send LOTS more
signals, as "Reverse" (arm toward stern) becomes "Neutral" when the
boat comes to a stop, etc.) This, it seems to me, could cause
problems when the signaller gets tied up in other things, such as a
jammed windlass, and can't easily give the next comand at the right
time.

That's where the experience comes in.

In any case, you should decide upon (and stick to) which convention
you are using -- do the signals communicate boat actions, or rudder
commands?

One unsolicited comment: In a breeze, as soon as the anchor comes up
the bow tends to fall off downwind. The easiest way for an
inexperienced helmsperson to stay out of trouble while the bow person
secures the anchor is to simply let the bow fall off, and, keeping the
boat headed downwind, motor slowly in revers to maintain station.
After all, the boat was anchored right there shortly before, so there
must be room for her. The alternative, motoring to windward as soon
as the anchor is aweigh, can end up with your boat moving rapidly
through a crouwded anchorage, narrowly missing the other boats -- who
cannot be expected to invite you for drinks when they see you at the
next anchorage.

This is a good idea although somewhat counter-intuitive. The only
problem would be if there was current in addition to wind with a full
keel or modified full keel boat and if the boat doesn't back very well
or if the operator doesn't back very well.

wrote in message . ..
Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e. a
means for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate
speed and direction to the helmsman without having to yell it out?

This would be for my wife and I where she is typically at the helm
while I am on the bow. She's not real experienced at the helm so a
clear set of signals would be helpful, especially when retrieving the
anchor with the wind up, crowded anchorage, etc.

Thanks.

grandma Rosalie

Believe it or not, hand signals are internationally standardized and
used for things like crane operations, where there's commonly somebody
(the signaler) at the point where the load is going and somebody else
(the crane driver) who runs the crane in response to the hand signals.
The driver is frequently working 'blind', i.e., he can't see the load
at all -- so the signals must be pretty good! Here are dome of the
more salient ones:

Arm extended -- go that way (i.e., extended to right, go right;
extended toward the stern, reverse)
Arm bent at elbow -- go other way (i.e., if using right arm, go left)
Palm down, patting motion -- slow down
Palm up, patting motion -- speed up
Twirling index finger in any direction -- go this way, SLOWLY
Opening and closing fingers against thumb, with arm signalling
direction -- move a small amount in indicated direction, then stop
Closed fist -- STOP

To these, we've added 2 more, specifically related to anchoring:

Motion of hand vertically, from highest extent down to knees: Anchor
rode is "up and down"; hold position if possible

Sweeping arm horizontally -- anchor's aweigh; carry on at slow speed

And one, for safety when a line is under or near the hull:

Hand slash across throat -- STOP PROPELLOR (neutral or engine stop)

In the case of the crane operators (and also on our boat) the signals
refer to the _outcome_, not to the action taken by the operator. For
example, in our case the closed fist means "Stop the boat" NOT "Put
the engine in neutral." The driver generally puts the engine in
revers, and, monitoring a point on the shore or looking at the water
alongside, puts the engine in neutral when the boat has stopped. With
a less experienced driver, it might be better to think of the signals
as rudder and engine commands, so the closed fist would mean "Put the
engine in neutral". This requires the signaller to send LOTS more
signals, as "Reverse" (arm toward stern) becomes "Neutral" when the
boat comes to a stop, etc.) This, it seems to me, could cause
problems when the signaller gets tied up in other things, such as a
jammed windlass, and can't easily give the next comand at the right
time.

In any case, you should decide upon (and stick to) which convention
you are using -- do the signals communicate boat actions, or rudder
commands?

One unsolicited comment: In a breeze, as soon as the anchor comes up
the bow tends to fall off downwind. The easiest way for an
inexperienced helmsperson to stay out of trouble while the bow person
secures the anchor is to simply let the bow fall off, and, keeping the
boat headed downwind, motor slowly in revers to maintain station.
After all, the boat was anchored right there shortly before, so there
must be room for her. The alternative, motoring to windward as soon
as the anchor is aweigh, can end up with your boat moving rapidly
through a crouwded anchorage, narrowly missing the other boats -- who
cannot be expected to invite you for drinks when they see you at the
next anchorage.

wrote in message . ..
Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e. a
means for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate
speed and direction to the helmsman without having to yell it out?

This would be for my wife and I where she is typically at the helm
while I am on the bow. She's not real experienced at the helm so a
clear set of signals would be helpful, especially when retrieving the
anchor with the wind up, crowded anchorage, etc.

Thanks.

wrote in message
...
Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e.


I use a very simple set.

The person on the bow points in the direction that the anchor line is
heading, allowing the helmsman to steer in that direction. The angle that
the bow person is pointing can indicate the angle of the rode, providing
some indication of the distance to the anchor. If the angle points back it
indicates that the bow has overrun the anchor spot and that some reverse
might be in order.

A hand up in the classic "STOP" position means just that.

Rod