Single Handed (Or Short Handed) Anchoring

Anchoring your boat is one skill that all skippers need to have in their "quiver" of sailing skills.  It does not matter whether you are single-handing or if you have a crew, you need to be able to safely anchor your boat.  Here are a few step-by-step tips for anchoring if you are alone or with only one other person crewing with you.

First, you must plan ahead.  Have your anchor and it's rode ready to deploy.  Remember that you will want to have at least chain in the same amount as length of your boat shackled in between your anchor and the anchor line.  No knots, no kinks...... all set to deploy.

 Anchoring is one place where I certainly like to use my outboard motor.  And, I motor to approximately the  place where I want to set my anchor.

Now is the time to let the anchor down until the chain-to-rope shackle is at about the water line.  Yes, you may be drifting around  bit.  If you are worried about this, do this step and the next step before you get to the spot where you want to set the anchor.

Lay out your anchor line on deck from side to side.  On Snickerdoodle it is about 20 feet from the anchor locker to the primary winch on each side.  My anchor chain is 25 feet long.  So, if I want to have 100 feet of anchor rode out, I can lay out a loop of anchor line from the anchor locker to the primary winch on the starboard side and back - - then to the winch on the port side and back.  Make sure that you are able to clear the anchor line from the winch when you are ready to lower the anchor.  If you are single-handing, you will want to bring another loop to the winch where you have secured the anchor line so that the anchor and chain are held in the step above.

Uncleat the anchor line and let the anchor down until you feel it hit the bottom.  Immediately engage reverse (yes, the engine should already be idling in neutral).  Let the loops feed out over the bow until the desired length of line and chain are out.  Secure the line to a cleat (maybe even take a couple turns around a winch first) and let the anchor dig into the bottom and set.

 Put the engine in neutral and turn it off.  The boat will coast forward as the anchor line assumes a parabolic curve.  After the anchor is set, I generally cleat the anchor line to one of my bow cleats and coil the line that is on deck into the anchor locker.  Neat and tidy...

 That's all there is too it.

BarnacleBillHolcomb@gmail.com
509 993 3214