Anchoring Techniques/Advice?
Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 9:34 am
So while winter bears down on us and S/V Lady Anne floats sleepily in her berth...I'm planning the "big trip" of the summer. The plan is to take her up-river to the Kingston side of Watts Bar for the 4th of July fireworks off Fort Southwest Point. The trip is about twenty-five miles, forced to motor most of the way since the lake narrows to pretty much the dredged channel a couple miles in that direction from the marina. I'm assuming a six to eight hour trip, one way.
When I arrive, I'm expecting a large number of other boats to be jockeying for space...the "marina" at the city dock is not set up for sailboats, the pier will undoubtedly be BUSY with trailercraft...so I'm certain to have to anchor.
Now, the last time I anchored anything, it was heavy-tonnage, in a charted anchorage, with lots of crew doing the hard part. This will be my first time setting anchor single-hand on a small sailing vessel.
Given that the area doesn't have designated anchorages, I wish to avoid a "swing circle", so I'm planning on setting both a bow and stern anchor. I'm not 100% certain I can fix a shoreline either.
Water depth here averages about 9 feet.
"Common Sense" and minimal knowledge has given me the following plan: Motor at a knot or two above bare steerageway towards the drop point, let go the bow anchor then continue until I've put out about a 4:1 ratio of scope (about 36-40 feet). When it "sets", go neutral, let the boat swing out to full scope, drop the stern anchor, then pull the bow anchor line in about 10 feet to reset a 3:1 ratio, and have about 18-20 feet of stern scope (app. 2:1 ratio).
I'm assuming I should have about 10-12 feet of chain on bow anchor, and no less than 10 feet on the stern.
Any experienced sailors have advice, critique, lessons learned?
When I arrive, I'm expecting a large number of other boats to be jockeying for space...the "marina" at the city dock is not set up for sailboats, the pier will undoubtedly be BUSY with trailercraft...so I'm certain to have to anchor.
Now, the last time I anchored anything, it was heavy-tonnage, in a charted anchorage, with lots of crew doing the hard part. This will be my first time setting anchor single-hand on a small sailing vessel.
Given that the area doesn't have designated anchorages, I wish to avoid a "swing circle", so I'm planning on setting both a bow and stern anchor. I'm not 100% certain I can fix a shoreline either.
Water depth here averages about 9 feet.
"Common Sense" and minimal knowledge has given me the following plan: Motor at a knot or two above bare steerageway towards the drop point, let go the bow anchor then continue until I've put out about a 4:1 ratio of scope (about 36-40 feet). When it "sets", go neutral, let the boat swing out to full scope, drop the stern anchor, then pull the bow anchor line in about 10 feet to reset a 3:1 ratio, and have about 18-20 feet of stern scope (app. 2:1 ratio).
I'm assuming I should have about 10-12 feet of chain on bow anchor, and no less than 10 feet on the stern.
Any experienced sailors have advice, critique, lessons learned?