DAY THREE
small angle anchor digs in rather than lifts
large angle anchor pulls out easily
Figure 7-3. A smaller rode angle holds better than a larger angle.
HOW TO ANCHOR ◆
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Make sure end of anchor rode is tied to a cleat on boat Head into the wind to stop the boat and allow the sails to luff Roll up or lower the jib When you are stopped, lower the anchor over the bow and let the boat drift backward Cleat the rode after sufficient scope is let out Check for dragging Lower or roll up your sails If you are too close to an anchored boat, raise your sails and move
opposed to throwing it overboard. Anchors have flukes that allow them to dig into the ground below; if the anchor line is tangled around these flukes, the anchor may not hold. Make sure the flukes are clear and the line can run freely. When you head into the wind, release the mainsheet and the jibsheets. As the boat starts to drift backward, feed out your rode until you have let out five times as much line as the depth of the water. When you do this, your scope will be 5:1. For example, if the water is 20 feet deep, you should let out about 100 feet of line at first. In many cases, a scope of 5:1 is adequate for small boats when the bottom is good for holding, there isn’t much wind, or you are anchoring for a short time. For peace of mind, increase your scope to 7:1 in a lot of wind and anytime you want to ensure you won’t start dragging, or drifting backward. As you let out more rode, the angle the rode makes with the bottom gets smaller; this in turn gives your anchor greater holding power (Figure 7-3). A smaller angle allows the line to pull the anchor against the bottom, which causes the flukes to dig in. With a larger angle, the rode will lift the anchor up, which can release the flukes. Anchor lines and docklines are usually made of nylon because this type of line stretches and absorbs shock. A boat at anchor is constantly moving as current and wind direction change, however small those movements are. A speedboat rushing by can cause a wake; this is bad etiquette, but it also makes your boat bounce up and down. As the wake causes your bow to rise and fall, the anchor line needs to be able to stretch and go slack without breaking or dislodging the anchor.