The Blue View - Stern Anchoring

 

I've talked about different anchoring techniques at length (or is it ad nauseum? ) in my past blog posts. I've pontificated about a single bow anchor, bow anchors in series, double bow anchors, and running lines ashore. One of my blog posts was devoted to anchor snubbers and another to floating an anchor chain. Thankfully, I've almost run out of thoughts on the subject of anchoring techniques, but if you will bear with me, I have one more method to discuss - deploying a stern anchor.

We have deployed a stern anchor on many occasions and for several different reasons. Sometimes, because of the depth of the anchorage or the particular geography, we have found it necessary to anchor close to shore in the lee of an island. Despite what weather is forecast or what the prevailing winds usually do, there is always the possibility of a wind shift, which could quite likely cause us to swing around and go aground. A stern anchor will keep the vessel from harm, and using one has saved our bacon more than once. One time we were anchored in the San Blas Islands off Panama when the forecast called for the usual fresh winds from the east. Just after midnight, however, a storm passed through, causing the wind to back to the west. It was a tight anchorage with several reefs around, and attempting to navigate our way out in the dark would have been extremely risky. It lasted about six hours, and the only thing that kept us off the rocks was our stern anchor. I think it is very likely that we would have lost Nine of Cups had we not had it deployed. The next day, we discovered the winds were so strong that several huts in the nearby village were damaged, and one was completely destroyed by what the locals called a hurricane.

Another reason for using a stern anchor is to limit the amount of swinging Cups can do while at anchor. Sometimes we find a small, well protected cove to anchor in, but with limited swinging room. Instead of running lines ashore, we will often deploy the stern anchor to keep our tail where we want it. We have also explored a number of rivers, and because of the depth of the river, the strength of the current, or the amount of debris floating down the river, it was often not a good idea to try to anchor in the middle. By dropping the stern anchor, we could anchor quite close to the riverbank and out of the current without the risk of swinging into the shallows or getting fouled on a tree limb.

A third reason is to keep the boat pointed in a particular direction. We have been in many anchorages where the wind would blow from one direction while the ocean swell came from another. The boat would lie facing the wind and would roll gunnel to gunnel from the swell on the beam, making for a very unpleasant evening. By deploying a stern anchor, it was possible to point Cups into the swell. We might not be totally comfortable, but at least we weren't getting tossed out of our bunk.

We use a 35 lb (16kg) Danforth anchor as our stern anchor. The Danforth has tremendous holding power for its weight and sets in most bottoms. Its biggest drawback is that it doesn't always reset well if the boat swings around and breaks it free, but this isn't a problem when we are using it as a stern anchor. In most cases, we use 15 feet (4.5m) of chain shackled to the anchor and 200 feet (60m) of line attached to the chain. If we are anchoring in coral, we sometimes increase the chain to 50 feet (15m). The combination of the anchor and chain gets heavy, however, and since the anchor will probably be hauled up by hand, we don't often use the extra chain.

To deploy the anchor, we first set the bow anchor, and then use one of three methods to set the stern anchor. If the purpose of the anchor is to keep us off the rocks if the wind changes, we let out another 30-40 feet (9m-12m) of anchor rode and back away from the bow anchor. When the bow rode is taut, we toss the Danforth anchor over the stern and let out only enough rode to allow the anchor to reach the bottom. Then we motor forward while letting out more stern rode until the desired scope is reached. The stern rode is tied off, we set the Danforth and retrieve the excess bow rode. If there is any chance of tangling or chafing the stern anchor rode on rocks or coral, after Cups settles back downwind, we fake any slack in the stern rode on deck, leaving it free to deploy if the wind shifts.

If the purpose of the stern anchor was to prevent Nine of Cups from swinging too much, the method of deploying the anchor is different. We figure out how much scope we need on the stern anchor, add 30-40 feet to this and if possible, back Cups up this distance while letting out additional rode on the bow anchor. If we can get Cups in the right position, we drop the Danforth, motor forward to set it, then take in the bow anchor rode until both anchors are almost taut. Often, because the bow anchor rode is not long enough, because of an adverse wind or current or because the place we want to drop the stern anchor is too shallow or too close to hazards, it isn't possible to back Cups up into the right position. In this case, we use the dinghy to position and drop the anchor. The anchor will usually drag several feet before setting, which is why we start with an extra 30-40 feet of rode.

If the objective was to point Cups into the swell, the process is the same except we place the anchor well off to the side of the vessel so that the angle of the boat on the wind can be adjusted. Pointing into the swell may put Cups broadside to the wind, putting extra strain on the ground tackle. If the wind picks up, we keep an anchor watch and slack off on the stern anchor if necessary.

To retrieve the stern anchor, we try to position the boat over the anchor if possible. If the rode is vertical, the Danforth usually breaks free and can be hauled in by hand. On occasion, it has been stuck so well that we needed the windlass to break it free, in which case we routed the stern anchor rode to the bow.

If we can't get Cups positioned over the anchor, we have to resort to using the dinghy. We position the dinghy over the anchor and take in all the slack in the rode. If we can't break the Danforth free by hand, the rode is secured to the dinghy and we motor around in circles until it works its way free.

When not in use, the anchor is lashed in its place. We keep our Danforth lashed to the mast pulpit. Then the rode is faked in a figure-eight pattern, secured with small line, and stowed.

The Blue View - Anchoring Techniques: Lines Ashore

 

We've encountered perhaps as many as 100 anchorages over the years that were idyllic and protected, but were too small and too deep to anchor safely using the traditional single anchor method. If we dropped the anchor, we either couldn't deploy enough anchor rode or chain to give us our desired scope, or we ran the risk of being on the rocks if and when the tide or wind direction shifted. We've used three methods in these situations, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The first method is to deploy a second bow anchor. This is the easiest method, but our least favorite. Often, the anchorage is too small and too deep to safely deploy two bow anchors. If the anchorage is in an area where the winds and tidal currents shift, we invariably end up with the two anchor rodes twisted around each other, and it always takes time to unwind them. Once we were anchored off Key West for a couple of weeks, and the two rodes were wrapped around each other 15 times. It took us a good hour to unravel them. Not a good situation if we wanted to leave an anchorage in a hurry.

The second method is to use a stern anchor. While the anchorage might still be too small to safely deploy a stern anchor, there are many other situations when using a stern anchor is the best alternative. It has saved our bacon on more than one occasion and has often made a very unpleasant anchorage much more comfortable. This will be the subject of another blog.

The third method is to drop the hook and run lines ashore. We have used this technique in numerous anchorages in Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, Fiordland and Stewart Island in New Zealand, in some of the Pacific atolls and in Maritime Canada. In fact, we've probably used this method more than the other two combined. We use anywhere between one and four lines ashore depending on the situation, but most often two lines suffice. Sometimes we are so close to shore we need to avoid the tree limbs. Marcie always enjoys picking flowers without leaving the boat.

I briefly discussed this method in my previous blog post “The Blue View – Storms at Anchor”, but I think it is an important enough topic to merit a more detailed discussion. Our shore line “kit” is made up of two, 300' (90m) lengths of 3/4” (18mm) polypropylene line, two 35 pound (16kg) anchors, four 15' (5m) lengths of 3/8” (10mm) chain and several large shackles. We prefer polypropylene line because it floats, so towing it ashore in the dinghy is easier, and it is quite chafe resistant. In the event we need more than two lines, we use one or two of our spare anchor rodes.

The procedure used for running the lines ashore takes a little practice, and varies somewhat depending on the terrain ashore. If the shore has large rocks or trees, we first deploy the dinghy and flake the line out on the aft deck. We pass one end through an aft hawsehole and tie it to the dinghy. Next, we drop the bow anchor and set it, then attempt to back Cups up towards the shore, deploying more chain as needed. When we get as close as we can, I hop into the dinghy and tow the end of the line towards shore while Marcie feeds the line out. I find a place to go ashore and secure the line to a stout tree or large rock. If there is any chance of chafing the line on the rock, I wrap a length of chain around the rock, shackle the ends together, and attach the line to the chain.

If the shore is sandy with no large trees or rocks, I sometimes attach the chain to one of the anchors and go ashore to secure it in place before we anchor. Once we anchor and back up close to shore, it is hard to hold position while I go ashore to secure the stern line, especially if there is an adverse wind or current, so it is helpful to have secured the anchors in advance. If it is a sandy beach, I use a small shovel and bury the anchors as deep as I can. If it is rocky, I try to wedge the anchors in place. Then I return to Nine of Cups and we follow the same procedure for running the lines ashore as before.

The end of the line on Cups is wrapped around a winch, and we use the winch to pull the boat towards shore. If needed, we then run another line to shore from the other side of the boat, and possibly the 3rd and 4th lines from either the midship or bow cleats. By winching in the lines and letting out more chain, we can get the boat quite close to shore, often in some tiny cove that is completely protected. When we are all set, we test the holding by powering away from shore to make sure the lines are secure. The last step is to attach an anchor snubber.

Fortunately, we were alone in the anchorage the first time we tried this. I've left out the part about keeping the dinghy from drifting away as I tried to clamber up, or slipping and falling on those mossy, slippery rocks while dragging two hundred feet of line and carrying 15 feet of chain wrapped around my neck while concurrently swatting at the mosquitoes or flies swarming around my head. It took us well over two hours of sweating and swearing to get everything just right. After a dozen or so times, however, we were completing the task in about 20 minutes and with hardly any cursing at all.

When it is time to leave, I dinghy ashore and release all but one of the lines. Marcie pulls each line aboard while I retrieve and stow the anchors and/or chains in the dinghy. If conditions are anything but ideal, I then dinghy back to Cups, and we motor forward, bringing in the anchor rode while letting out more line astern. If we come to the end of the last shore line, we just cast it off and continue moving away from shore. When we have shortened the anchor rode enough to be sure we won't swing into a tree or any nearby rocks, I dinghy ashore once more and release or retrieve the last line. Usually the anchor is set well enough to hold Cups for these last few minutes even with the reduced scope, but Marcie is there with the engine going just in case the boat does break free.

Keeping all that line tangle free is an art form in and of itself. If we are in an area like Patagonia where running lines ashore is done in many, if not most, anchorages, we mounted spools on the stern rail to hold the lines. I asked a local chandlery to save a couple of empty spools for me. I cut the spools in half, mounted them on the stern rail and used a combination of scrap plywood and lashings to hold the two halves together. They held up well for the season we spent there, but if we were planning to be there longer, I would have done something more permanent. I have also seen cruisers use large plastic laundry hampers or big duffel bags. The line can be faked into the hampers or bags in figure eights after each use. Then when they are needed, it is easy to pull the line out, tangle free. Now that we have only an occasional use for the line, I fake each line in figure eights on the aft deck, then use small line to secure each of the loops. The line is then stowed forward above our chain locker.