Sands Herrin
Brunswick, GA
Boat Name: Cat Tales
Model/Year: C22/84
Hull No.
Hailing Port: Brunswick |
 05/10/2005 7:33 AM Pacific Time
Hello everybody,
I am starting to do a little overnight cruising with my C22 and am trying to figure out how to use 2 anchors when I am singlehanding. Do any of you have any advice on the matter? I presently have a bow roller and am able to deploy one anchor, but I would feel more secure on two.
Thanks, Sands |
Larry
Greenville, SC
Boat Name: Kemo Sabe
Model/Year: C-22 , 1973
Hull No. 2229
Hailing Port: www.keoweesailingclub.com |
05/11/2005 10:31 AM Pacific Time
Sands,
Two anchors might cause you a world of hurt if they twist and tangle rodes or foul your keel. If you are concerned about dragging, get you about 20' or so of good, heavy chain, maybe 3/8ths/or 1/2 even. Connect that just right to a good anchor, maybe 18 lbs. I think the key down there along our coast (Ga/SC) in the "plough" mud is plenty of chain.
I have a 'coastal anchor' system equipped like that and it has worked fine for about 10 years. The second anchor is for emergencies or if you lose one. I will bet after you use the other big anchor system, you will gain confidence and feel better about going to sleep.
Good 'anchoring' and keep the 'no-see-ums' happy so they'll stay out of my boat!
Larry |
Sands Herrin
Brunswick, GA
Boat Name: Cat Tales
Model/Year: C22/84
Hull No.
Hailing Port: Brunswick |
05/13/2005 5:12 AM Pacific Time
Thanks Larry,
What about as the tide changes over night, does your anchor re-catch without dragging. The area that I cruise has strong tidal currents. What about having one anchor to stern?
Thanks, Sands |
Thomas G. Guydos
California
Boat Name: Sandee
Model/Year: C-22 1978
Hull No. 8351
Hailing Port: Morro Bay. California |
05/14/2005 8:56 PM Pacific Time
I use 100 Ft. of 5/16" chane and an 18 Lb. Anchor and
never had a problem and it all stores away in a small
box or trash can.
Thomas G. Guydos |
Michael Smalter
Webster, NY
Boat Name: Marrakesh
Model/Year: 1986
Hull No. 13645
Hailing Port: Rochester, NY |
05/15/2005 6:59 AM Pacific Time
100ft of chain? That is one hundred pounds, plus the 18 pound anchor. I think the bow cleat would fail before the anchor dragged. Do you have a windlass? |
Thomas G. Guydos
California
Boat Name: Sandee
Model/Year: C-22 1978
Hull No. 8351
Hailing Port: Morro Bay. California |
05/16/2005 7:48 PM Pacific Time
If you anchor in ten feet of water you are only lifting the weight of ten feet of chain. when you are at anchor the
chain works like a spring and you get a smooth ride.
This is a night hook so you donot have to worry about
draging much. I have used this setup over 20 years
and have never had any problem.
Thomas G. Guydos |
Sands Herrin
Brunswick, GA
Boat Name: Cat Tales
Model/Year: C22/84
Hull No.
Hailing Port: Brunswick |
05/17/2005 5:19 AM Pacific Time
When you are achoring, are you in a tidal area in which the change of tide will swing the boat around during the night? How do deploy the anchor singlehanded from the pit?
I sail by myself most of the time. I am trying to figure out a way to secure the boat at night and possibly to leave the boat un-attended.
Thanks, Sands |
Thomas G. Guydos
California
Boat Name: Sandee
Model/Year: C-22 1978
Hull No. 8351
Hailing Port: Morro Bay. California |
05/17/2005 9:34 PM Pacific Time
I anchor in Morro Bay California and the tide runs fast
and changes at night. If you have at least 20 Ft. of chain
the boat will swing in an ark and will hold OK. I keep my
anchor and chain in a milk box and drop it from the
stern, when it sets I take the anchor line to the bow and
tie it off and i am set for the knight or as long as I wish
to stay.
Thomas G. Guydos |
Larry
Greenville, SC
Boat Name: Kemo Sabe
Model/Year: C-22 , 1973
Hull No. 2229
Hailing Port: www.keoweesailingclub.com |
05/17/2005 9:35 PM Pacific Time
Sands,
I keep my anchor in the starboard lazerette, the rode in a 5 gallon plastic bucket. When I am ready to anchor, I find the spot where I wish to anchor and then ease into the current more or less dead stopping. Before the current has time to move-catch me good, I ease the anchor over the starboard side and let the anchor find bottom. By that time the boat is drifting back some.
Put the anchor down nice and easy on the bottom where you know the shank and flukes will not be twisted around the chain/rode. If you pitch it, that may happen and you'll only have the chain holding you. I take the rode and hold it so it pulls out of the bucket, which is still in the lazerette. It comes out without knots, 'cause you have taken the time to put the rode in the container right.
I walk forward, pull out extra rode and after the boat has drifted back some, I cleat the rode to the starboard bow cleat. I always set up so that I go forward on the starboard side of the boat. Left hand is for the boat and right is for the rode. After I the anchor 'sets', I adjust the rode more, if that is what it takes. I often 'jerk' on the rode and set the anchor as it is payed out. MOst of the time the boat can be pulled forward to the anchor, if you wan to test the set. I always make sure there is not a million dollar yacht anchored down current of me, one with a new paint job. Most of the time, I like to be in isolated spots to anchor, something where streetlights, houselights won't interfere with my looking at the stars.
So far, I've never dragged anchor,(well, except for the first night my buddy from the lake and I rafted up and I threw down a K-Mart anchor and no chain down on Bass Creek, near Folly Beach. It was the first time that I went to the coast and anchored back in 1989. We woke up down the creek about a half mile from the anchoring spot, in the middle of the creek, however.) But one night on the Ashley in Charleston Harbor, I felt a bump around 3, am. My buddies' boat had dragged down on a snowbird from Canada. As soon as I heard that bump...you always feel that kind of thing no matter how hard you are sleeping, (you hope) I jumped up and held us off the boat while the buddy powered away. No harm done, I suppose, although the guy did look out his forward hatch to see what the heck was going on! He never said a word and we just said sorry! I thnk he must have thought we were pirates or something ready to board at first. I never saw his hands. Probably had an Uzi or something in them. The boat wasn't a 22, so I guess that is why it dragged. We had a CQR and chain, but we DID NOT check to see if the thing was holding after anchoring. We had other things on our minds, namely, the boat with that dark-haired girl on it anchored up-wind of us. That's a good story!!!!!!!!!!!
After your anchor is set, double check it before starting to cook your onions or have something to drink. I back down on the anchor with the motor (Yamaha 4 HP four stroke or 4 HP Johnson 2 stroke) to make sure the anchor is set.
When the tide turns, the boat takes care of itself. My only problem there has been that the rode will sometimes foul on the swing keel and that can be a booger. I have begun to raise my keel often when I am in places where the current is really strong and I think that kind of situation may arise. )twising around the swing keel)
Biggest thing I can think of you on the anchoring ALONE is be ready; make sure your rode has been stored in your container/wherever correctly. And, if the anchor is on the bow, you can set your anchor just fine from there, too. Most of the time you'll be anchoring in one of those creeks down there, not out on the really rough, bad water. In that case, you'll want to get the anchor in the water fairly quickly as you can blow across the creek on shore. But, it won't be too deep, either. So, you can get the anchor out and snubbed fast. I anchored in St. Augustine Creek down along the ICW about a half mile south of the 'intersection' of the Savannah River and the ICW. It was blowing like stink and the tide was high, so the boat got all the winds. I just took my time, made sure that all was laid out and that I knew the depth of the creek where I wanted to anchor. It worked. It'd have been pretty easy at low tide as I'd been behind the marshgrass/creek banks. I was sort of anxious, at first, but I knew what I wanted to do and just did what I wanted. It worked. Your swing keel is great and if you get in a bind and get on the ground, you can raise it. Just keep the engine idling thoughout the anchoring procedure in case you need some pwer suddenly. If I were you, I'd find some good protected anchorages/ as protected as you can possibly find them there, and use them until you feel more comfortable. And, avoid crowded anchorages.
Talk to the other sailors around and you can find someone who has done lots of anchoring. They'll help you out , for sure.
Good luck,
Kemo Sabe
|
Chip Ford
Marblehead, MA
Boat Name: Chip Ahoy
Model/Year: 1974-Swing Keel
Hull No. CTY032820374
Hailing Port: Marblehead, Mass. |
05/18/2005 1:20 AM Pacific Time
I just changed over from a 14 pound Danforth to a 14 pound Delta Fast Set. Last year I installed Catalina Direct's bow anchor roller, and the Delta mounts perfectly on it.
See: http://chipford.com/chip_ahoy_24.htm#delta
I do almost all my sailing singlehanded (even the month up the coast of Maine and back last summer) and hope this new arrangement will make anchoring alone easier. In theory (I launch next week for Season '05), I should be able to just walk forward, untie the line from the bow pulpit, pull the roller's quick-release pin, and anchor's aweigh.
Chip Ford
Marblehead, Mass.
1974 Swing Keel "Chip Ahoy" #3282
Chip Ahoy website: www.chipford.com
|
Mitch Kronowit
Mission Viejo, CA
Boat Name: Paulina
Model/Year: 1984 Catalina 22
Hull No. #12276
Hailing Port: Dana Point, CA |
05/29/2007 2:05 AM Pacific Time
Here's a simple question: Where do you tie off your anchor rode's bitter end??? To one of the bow deck cleats??? Port or S/B??? To both??? Install a bit??? Thanks for any and all answers. |
Robert Donehoo
Duluth Ga
Boat Name: Shady Deal
Model/Year: Catalina 22 1979
Hull No. 8940
Hailing Port: Lake Lanier Ga |
05/30/2007 12:04 PM Pacific Time
I HAVE BEEN ON THE NOTHERN GULF COAST CRUISE 7 TIMES NOW SINGLE HANDED. I LEARNED A GOOD ANCHOR PLAN. START WITH YOUR BOW ANCHOR IN THE STERN. RUN THE RODE TO THE FRONT ON THE OUTSIDE OF EVERYTHING STANCHIONS/STAYS AND BACK THROUGH THE PULPIT TO THE STERN. RUN IT BACK INSIDE THE STANCHIONS BUT OUTSIDE THE STAYS. NOW YOU CAN USE THE WINCH (OR WENCH) TO ADJUST THE RODE AS YOU REVERSE TO SINK THE ANCHOR IN. TIE THE BITTER END TO A STERN RAIL BASE JUST SO YOU DON'T LOSE IT. USE THE CLEAT TO TIE OFF/ LOCK DOWN THE RODE. YOU CAN RELEASE AND SET THE ANCHOR WITHOUT LEAVING THE PORT STERN AND HAVE MOTOR AND ANCHOR CONTROL. |
Andy Kohler
Canton, GA
Boat Name: Good Times
Model/Year: 1989
Hull No. 14778
Hailing Port: Atlanta |
05/30/2007 12:46 PM Pacific Time
Sands
where do you keep your boat? I will come down to spend July on S.S. and will keep my boat at Golden Isle Marina. Plan to do day trips and several excursions up and down the ICW. Spend several nights doing this last year and anchored with a #14 Danforth and 15ft of chain. No problems.
May be we can link up during this time.
Andy |
