Alternate Anchoring Technique
Submitted by Wade Rogers on Wed, 03/21/2012 - 21:16
Guys and Gals,
I got this info from the Catalina 27 group on Yahoo regarding an alternate way to anchor. Remember last year the article I sent regarding stern anchoring and how it eliminates the boat from 'sailing' on the chain and rode? Here's another way to anchor that uses a bow anchor and a spring line:
"The problem is the boat is a sail and you're head to weather so it flogs. If you were on either tack it would stay there.
So one technique to put the hull off the wind is of course the riding sail but another is to kant the hull to the wind. I’ve used a Montana Cinch and a long spring line for this. When you’ve put out nearly the appropriate length of rode for the depth, you attach the Montana Cinch to the rode and then attach the spring line to the cinch. Now you run the spring to the stern outside the lifelines and cleat it. Then you ease the rode out and the boat will go off head to weather as the spring takes some load and sets on a tack. That should stop the charging about (flogging) and keep the bow into the wind."
So one technique to put the hull off the wind is of course the riding sail but another is to kant the hull to the wind. I’ve used a Montana Cinch and a long spring line for this. When you’ve put out nearly the appropriate length of rode for the depth, you attach the Montana Cinch to the rode and then attach the spring line to the cinch. Now you run the spring to the stern outside the lifelines and cleat it. Then you ease the rode out and the boat will go off head to weather as the spring takes some load and sets on a tack. That should stop the charging about (flogging) and keep the bow into the wind."
One of the problems with a 'stern to' anchorage is that in SE, often the prevailing wind is also the prevailing direction of the rain and it can be hard in a stern anchoring situation to keep the cockpit dry or to use it as additional space for entertaining or dining under the dodger if the wind and rain are blowing into it. Using the above technique might work in these situations and keep your boat from swinging from port to starboard in the anchor and make it easier to get a good night's sleep knowing your bow isn't conspiring to lift your anchor from what seems a solid purchase.
Thoughts and ideas? Might be something to try as a group in the future or perhaps we could do a Sailor's Talk on anchoring techniques and bring in some anchors, chain, and rode and share ideas for marking rode and chain, etc.
Wade
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