Make A Drag Proof Anchoring System
By Roger Hughes
When I first started sailing, more years ago than I care to remember, it didn’t take more than a couple of restless nights for me to realize that it was a lot better to anchor securely the first time rather than staggering on deck at 3am on a blustery, rainy, pitch-black night, trying to haul in then re-set a heavy anchor and chain. That type of experience usually makes most people want to learn how to do it right the first time.
Anchoring is an essential part of boating skills because it’s just as important to anchor a boat securely as it is to make it move. This article shows how to make an easy drag-proof method of anchoring that works for both power and sailboats. Basically it uses two anchors joined together in tandem and is very easy to set up and deploy. Both anchors attached. This is not a new idea, but I swear by it because my 22 ton brigantine schooner Britannia has above-average windage due to the square sail yard and all the running rigging involved, yet when using my adaptation of the method she has never dragged even in the heaviest weather, nor has any boat I have ever anchored and with different types of anchors and weights.
Before getting into details I want to say that I firmly believe any boat’s main anchor should be as heavy as the anchorman or woman can handle, irrespective of the size of the boat—within reason obviously. Having said that, it’s possible that the spate of different shaped anchors that have appeared in recent years don’t actually need to be as heavy as the old styles, but for me heavier will always be more desirable. An all-chain rode is likewise better than a chain and line combination due to the extra weight along the whole rode.Â
Different boats react differently when anchored, whether power or sail, but there are still some common tenets that apply to all boats. The main objective is to get your anchor to lie flat along the seabed where it has the best chance of digging its way into the bottom and the best way to achieve this is to lay a good length of rode, about five or six times the anchoring depth where possible, (the rode being the total length from the boat to the anchor). This is best achieved by using a heavy chain that creates a good catenary, (catenary being the variable curve of the rode). However, weight by itself does not guarantee that an anchor won’t drag, especially in deep anchorages or strong winds, when even a long rode will tend to straighten out with a chance that the anchor will lift out of the seabed. Also, many smaller boats don’t have much space in their anchor locker for all chain, but my method of anchoring works with both all-chain and chain-rope configurations.
An age-old method of lessening the rode from lifting was to weight it about halfway along its length with what is generally called a kellet or sentinel. This was a heavy weight that slid down an anchor chain/line until it hit the bottom, thereby helping to keep the whole rode flat on the seabed, but kellet’s do not normally have any digging capability with the bottom and they are heavy and dirty and difficult to stow on a small boat and have now been superseded by more modern anchors.
Britannia has two cast iron genuine CQR anchors on either side of the bowsprit, the main anchor weighs 65lbs and the other 35lbs. The main anchor is attached to 250′ feet of 3/8″ chain with a further 200′ feet of 3/4″ inch line for deep anchorages. The “little anchor” has no chain or rope attached to it because it is used in conjunction with the main anchor, similar to a kellet but in a much more effective way. I actually wish this anchor was also 65lbs, but on a cruising boat one learns to use what is available.
Click to read the rest of this story and see more great photos.
