Boat Anchoring Made Simple | BoatUS 548 27

Boat 6 years ago 137,526 views

Captain Eric Sorensen of Sorensen's Guide shows you how to drop anchor for a nice afternoon on the water in calm conditions. He explains, when anchoring, how much line to let out, how to tie off, and how to back down to set the anchor. He then shows you how to weigh anchor (or bring up the anchor) by using the engines to break it free of the bottom and bring it the rest of the way in using the windlass. For more information, visit https://www.boatus.com/Expert-Advice. BoatUS is the nation’s largest association of recreational boaters with more than half a million Members. We provide a diverse offering of services including marine insurance, on-the-water towing provided by TowBoatUS, the nation’s largest fleet, plus boat financing, graphics and lettering, representation for boaters on Capitol Hill, the award-winning BoatUS Magazine and much more. For more than 50 years, BoatUS has made boating safer, more affordable and more accessible. 🚩Join BoatUS Today! https://boat.us/e/sy-join 🚩Download the BoatUS App today to access NOAA marine weather, tides, exclusive Member discounts, and your BoatUS account. Assistance on the water has never been easier with TowBoatUS CONNECT in the BoatUS App — the fastest way to get a tow! https://boat.us/sy-app 🚩Connect with us: https://Facebook.com/BoatUS https://Twitter.com/BoatUS https://Instagram.com/BoatUS https://Pinterest.com/BoatUS https://linkedin.com/company/boatus #boatus #anchoring #dropanchor

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JB - 4 years ago

Is driving forward still the way to go if my boat's anchor doesn't drop directly from the front of the bow? As in, it's off to either port or starboard. Do I want to turn a little or not? Asking because I have struggled getting my anchor out after it gets a good hold.

JB - 4 years ago

BoatUS Thanks for the reply!

BoatUS - 4 years ago

If I understand you correctly, the issue that you seem to be having is breaking your anchor out. It sounds as though you do not have any sort of bowsprit on centerline anchor of the type shown in the video.

Even if your boat is different to the one shown and does not have a windlass, the technique is still the same: Motor the boat forward while a helper in the bow pulls the anchor rode aboard. When the line is near vertical, cleat it off and drive the boat slowly forward to break the anchor free. When you feel the anchor break free, put the boat into neutral and get the crewmember in the bow to pull the rest of the ground tackle aboard.

As mentioned in the video, it can be hard to see exactly the direction of the anchor rode, so get the crew to guide you by pointing in the direction of the anchor as you slowly steer the boat in that direction.

Rich F - 4 years ago

I don't think your assistant tied a good cleat hitch

BoatUS - 4 years ago

Hi Rich. I'm not sure I'm seeing the issue. How would you do it instead?

J O - 4 years ago

thanks, i needed a little reminder on better procedures!

BoatUS - 4 years ago

Thanks for watching, John, and glad you found it helpful!

Matthew_Aviation - 4 years ago

See on my boat you gotta hand line the anchor, we dont got the 2000 dollar motor to let go and retrieve the anchor

Seldom Scene - 4 years ago

Great if you have a powered windlass.

Matthew_Aviation - 4 years ago

@BoatUS other than that I figured out that you gotta drive foward tho. So good stuff

BoatUS - 4 years ago

The process is the same. However, good point. I can add that to our list of future videos for consideration. I do suggest subscribing to out channel though, and clicking the bell to receive notifications, because we have a really useful anchoring video coming out later this year.

Matt South - 4 years ago

Christmas list item 1 - push button anchor

BoatUS - 4 years ago

They're definitely easier on the back!

angrysea - 5 years ago

Good vid

merlinsdog - 5 years ago

Still can't tell how to unhook the anchor.

da ne - 5 years ago

is there a problem

Red Reef Media - 5 years ago

You need to do a video about tying up to mooring balls in marine sanctuaries. Too many boaters tie the line on the mooring buoy directly to their boat.

BoatUS - 5 years ago

Thank you for taking the time to comment on the video, and your suggestion concerning tying to a buoy. We will be working on shooting some more videos soon, and we’ll certainly consider your suggestion as we plan out future shoots. As you are aware, this is a video about anchoring, something that is often not recommended or allowed in many marine sanctuaries due to damage that may be done to coral and sensitive eco systems.

10. comment for Boat Anchoring Made Simple | BoatUS

Globe's Mine - 5 years ago

If you're driving forward over the anchor, don't you run the risk of getting the line caught in the prop?

Tyler Cochran - 4 years ago

BoatUS - 5 years ago

No. As you drive forward, the rope is still under tension, so there's nothing floating around that can get tangled under the propeller.

J O - 5 years ago

do you need an anchor buoy also with this style or is the windlass sufficient, i suppose the windless acts as a buoy puller?

BoatUS - 5 years ago

Hi Jun. The buoy just marks the position of the anchor. It has no bearing on actually pulling up the anchor. The windlass automates the process of dropping and weighing anchor, so the windlass motor does the work instead of you.

J O - 5 years ago

how do you keep the vessel from moving side to side deploy a stern anchor also?

BoatUS - 5 years ago

Do you mean how to keep the boat from swinging on (i.e., turning around) the anchor line? Boats are meant to swing on an anchor so they will face the prevailing wind or current, whichever is strongest. If you constrain your boat with both a bow and stern anchor and you get a big wave, you risk flooding/capsizing the boat because it can't move with the current.

WattsUpDev - 5 years ago

jun rolndo I’m no expert but don’t think any boat will sway back an forth unless your on rough waters, in that case buy a Sea-keeper. You’d usually only anchor front & back when beaching near shallow waters so you can play etc.

Dan - 5 years ago

Your explanation was not clear (at least to me) as to how you "break" the anchor free from the bottom. What do you do if it is hard stuck to the bottom?

BoatUS - 5 years ago

Great question, Dan! Normally you would motor forward while the crew takes up the slack in the anchor line or chain until it is directly vertical. The chain or rope is then cleated off and the boat motored forward. This usually has the desired effect to break the anchor free.

Loanword Eggcorn - 6 years ago

Nicely demonstrated. The drone footage for an overhead view was really helpful. One enhancement might be to put a small buoy in the water to better show the motion of the boat, but I suppose it would get out of the camera shot pretty early.

Final turn of the cleat hitch when setting the anchor is flipped in the wrong direction. When freeing the anchor, the second cleat hitch is correct.

BoatUS - 6 years ago

Thanks for the feedback! Glad you liked the video, and we'll certainly give the buoy (or some other floating marker) some consideration for future on-water videos. Stay tuned for more handling videos that utilize the drone footage this summer!

Mark Maugle - 6 years ago

Do you add the height of the anchor sheave off the water to the water depth when calculating the 5 to 1 ratio? I have a sail boat and the Sheave is about 3’ off the water. I typically add this to the depth at high tide when anchoring over night.

BoatUS - 6 years ago

Thank you for your great question about the height of the bow roller above the water. You are correct in stating that technically you should add the height of the anchor roller into any calculations when ascertaining the length of rope or chain that should be deployed. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that if anchoring in 20-feet of water and you are using a 7:1 ratio, you’ll be letting out 140 feet of chain, so a couple of feet is neither here nor there. If on the other hand, you are in much shallower water and using a scope of 5:1, that extra 2 or 3 feet from the bow roller to the water’s surface can make a big difference.

James Kritselis - 6 years ago

Nicely done, audio, video clear and to the point, as a new boat owner very much appreciated.

BoatUS - 6 years ago

Glad it was helpful, James! Make sure to subscribe to our channel to receive notification of more upcoming boat-handling videos. We have several scheduled throughout the next couple months. And always feel free to let us know if there's a specific topic you'd like us to cover.