Anchors, Anchoring

It all adds up to a bit of science and a lot of art
Anchoring can be a puzzling and sometimes frustrating experience for newcomers to boating. After all, it doesn’t look difficult when you see others do it. Simply throw an anchor overboard and tie off the end of the line up in the bow somewhere. Early mariners probably used a big rock, heavy enough to hold by weight alone. Now we use metal anchors shaped to dig into the bottom and grip fast. What’s the problem?Well, there are so many problems that one scarcely knows where to begin—as the neophyte soon discovers—and they all lead to danger or, at least, great excitement when the wind gets up in the middle of the night and the anchor drags.The truth is, anchoring is as much an art as a science. It’s one of those maritime arts you have to perfect by practice. You can tell people how to anchor, but you can’t tell them how to know when they’re properly anchored. They have to find out for themselves what the angle of the anchor line should look like; what the depth of the water should be; what that rumbling noise coming from the forepeak means; why the boat is lying at right angles to the anchor; and why everybody else in the anchorage is shouting, gesticulating, and running for boathooks and fenders.The mundane art of anchoring does not attract much attention among newcomers to the sport of boating, who are naturally consumed by thoughts of flying over sparkling seas and exploring fascinating new ports. Sooner or later, they’ll learn that good anchoring techniques can save their boats and even their lives. Anchors are as important to boats as brakes are to automobiles. You don’t use them as often, but when you do, you need them badly.Sailboats cruising around the world often spend 85 percent of their time at anchor, according to well-known circumnavigators Lin and Larry Pardey. About 10 percent is spent at sea and 5 percent is spent tied to docks.The practice of anchoring is described in this book under several different headings. You’ll find the recommended sizes of anchors and anchor lines. You’ll learn how much line to let out and how to get an anchor to set. But that’s just the beginning; the next step is to get out there and try it for yourself.Finally, a note of comfort: nobody gets it right all the time. Sometimes even the experts have to make two or three attempts at anchoring before they’re satisfied. The trick is to know what’s satisfactory.See also Anchor Types; Anchoring Rights; Bahamian Moor; Chain Stoppers; Dragging Anchor; Freeing Anchors; Lights at Anchor; Rodes; Safe Anchorage; Scope for Anchors; Setting Anchors.