Anchoring in 10 easy steps

Second to berthing your boat or backing it down the ramp, one of the next biggest fears with boating is anchoring. Skippers of all levels can struggle with anchoring, especially in crowded boltholes where different craft move in different directions according to the (often swirling) wind and tide.

Safe and proper anchoring isn’t an option in boating, it can be life saving. Along with securing your boat in one position, anchoring properly and smoothly adds considerably to your on-board enjoyment. If you can anchor atop a school of hungry fish you are well on you way to catching a boatload. Conversely, a boat adrift creates alarm for everyone.

Much has been written about anchoring. The good news is that the rules have remained pretty much the same ever since Captain Cook dropped anchor in Botany Bay. What has changed is that anchors have become better at holding the bottom. You get what you pay for and the UltraAnchors are one brand with a great hold-fast reputation on bigger boats. We mention this brand impartially after many a race review from our long-range and live-aboard boating mates.

1. Anchors Aweigh: Pretty much all boats should carry two anchors, which means having a spare lashed securely on-board. If you like fishing, or plan to head to the Barrier Reef, you need two different types of anchor. The first is a fluke, Delta or CQR/plough that has blades that dig into the sand or mud; the second is a reef pick with prongs that grab the rocks but straighten out when engine-driven force is applied.

You should also consider carrying a smaller stern anchor with separate rope in a bucket. If you anchor close to shore and use a stern anchor to hold your position in tight to the beach, with the aft anchor buried in the sand, you can step off your boat and wade in for a picnic. Anchoring this way is a great thing for family boating and when camping ashore. Using a stern anchor can also be handy in tight anchorages and it can keep your bow facing the waves which means less rocking at night.

2. Chain is Essential: The performance of all anchors is severely compromised without sufficient chain. This adds weight and lowers the angle of pull, which should be less than 10 degrees, a really important point where your anchor has blades or flukes. From 15 to 20 degrees, your anchor is pulling out.

As a rule of thumb, attach at least as much chain as the length of your boat to your anchor. Then attach your rope to the chain. The chain should be a few millimetres in diameter less than your rope, say, about 8mm chain for most boats. Short-link galvanised chain is the best type. Together, your anchor rope and chain are known by the nautical term: rode.

3. Shackles and Tackle: Use good shackles to attach the anchor and wire the pins in so they can’t work loose. Don’t forget to attach the bitter end to your boat. Securely. We are not fans of swivels or stainless steel snap shackles as anchoring hardware. Use gal shackles with wired pins. They are simple, strong, and so affordable you can replace them every now and then. Check all your anchoring ground tackle at least annually.

4. Rope Type and Diameter: Rope thickness varies depending on your boat. While 6mm will suffice on a small tinnie in a river, 8mm is better as it’s not as hard on your hands, and 10mm is a good strong rope for large trailerboats and small cruisers. After which 12mm is popular.

By far the most common type of anchor rope is Silver. You will need 100m of rope on your boat, double that if you fish offshore, but cruisers like Riviera boats often come with a minimum of 50m-70m of all chain rode and no rope. This allows you to anchor in depths no greater than 15m of water. We recommend you carry a decent 100m length of rope and chain as well.

5. Winches and Retrieval Buoys: Most crew, hopefully not you, still anchor by hand. That’s fine, just remember that Silver rope burns hands easily. Always criss-cross the rope on a bollard to take the load when pulling an anchor free. Keep your hands, feet, legs and face away from tight anchor ropes. They can go bang.

Drum-type anchor winches have really revolutionised trailerboating in recent years. They are very handy for anchoring in water up to say 40m. The compact spool holding the chain and rode and the motor can usually be mounted in your anchor well or on deck. Again, be careful around windlasses when they are under load.

In deep water, say more than 40m, use a buoy that slides down the rope to pull the anchor free when you drive off. You can make one yourself. The Australian Ezy Lift Anchor Clip with a foam buoy creates a terrific anchor-lifting device. The clip suits 10mm and 12mm ropes. We have used one for decades and anchored in 120m of water without problem. Chandleries sell these clips.

6. Picking your Spot: Yes, anchoring is an art form. But it’s not that hard to get it right. It all comes down to judgment. You need to gauge the wind and water movement to work out where you will end up once anchored. The rookie mistake is to drop the anchor where you want to be, only to find out that by the time you come up tight you’re off that mark by at last 20m and often 50m.

When fishing, you are always better being up-current, up-tide and above the mark so you can fish and berley back towards it. You can always pay out a little more rope and you can also cast back to the hot spot.

So look at the direction of the wind and the tide or current. Sit idle for a minute and see which way you are drifting. Observe nearby anchored boats to see how they are sitting. Try and anchor around similar boats, as yachts swing differently (slower) on the anchor.

Once you determine your drift and the wind’s direction, head upstream/upwind at least 50m or preferably even more before lowering the anchor while holding station. Wait till the anchor hits the bottom, then pay out your anchor rode, and slowly inch back as you do.

Here is another tip: Mark your anchor rode every 10m with coloured cable ties or count an arm’s length as a metre a time. Of course, a chain counter is handy for knowing how much you have out on bigger boats.

7. The 3, 5, 7 Rule: There is a lot of information about how much rope and/or chain you should pay out. More is better up to a point. In crowded anchorages, while doing lunch, you can swing wildly if you pay out the same amount of rode as you might when at night sleeping aboard in 15-20 knots of wind. So here is another rule of thumb… the x 3, x 5, x 7 rule. I made it up, but it works for me.

Use three times the depth, plus the a bit more for the height of your bow off the water, when staying on board in tight anchorages. You should sit pretty in winds up to 12 knots, but preferably you have chosen a calm spot for lunch. With three times out, you won’t swing unduly. You should sit over a soft bottom okay.

Use five times the depth plus the height of your bow as a general rule when anchoring in popular waterways, when you are swimming around the transom, and want a pretty decent hold in winds up to 15 knots, with some reassurance should you go to shore. There will be a bit of swing now, so allow space. Check for the forecast and always allow enough room if you might end up facing the reverse direction due to wind or tide.

Use seven times the depth plus the height of your bow off the water if you plan to leave your boat on the hook while heading somewhere in the tender, sleeping aboard, and on a lee shore where the wind might be 15-20 knots. Seven times is a good rule to follow where there aren’t other boats about and you are cruising. At night, often an onshore wind turns offshore and, thus, you will face in the reverse direction. So anchor with this in mind.

8. Deploy the Lot: If the wind or weather, tide and waves are any more than the above conditions, put the lot out. There is no point having chain in your locker if you can have it serving the purpose of keeping you safe. Ten times is good in a blow. In shallow water of just a few metres, you will need at least seven times to stop jerking the anchor out. Where there isn’t a great hold due to weed or shale, pay it all out and use the weight of your chain to help you hold fast.

Tip: Use a snubber to take your anchor's load and lower the angle of pull from the bow. You can buy pre-made snubbers for the job with a bit of a search including chandlery inventories.

9. Set the Anchor: Once you have deployed the right amount of rode pursuant to the water depth, wind, your neighbours, and your intention of day boating or overnighting, pull back with the boat in gear and set the anchor. It should bite after which, engine in neutral, your boat will settle back up the line as the chain falls back to the seabed. If you fail to set the anchor, or find you've miscalculated, start over again. Don't hesitate to get it right from the outset so you can enjoy your day and night.

10. Practice with a marker buoy: With the right anchor, chain, rope, shackles, a windlass, crew or retrieval buoy, and the 3, 5, 7 rule, you should be anchoring just fine. Remember to try and predict where your boat will end up and to deploy the anchor well upstream of this point. Getting that right is the key to pro anchoring and top fishing.

Fishing Tip: Some gun anglers, like those chasing snapper in Port Phillip Bay, throw a small buoy over the side attached to a handline with a lead weight to mark the fish they’ve seen on their sounder. They then use their skills to anchor just above that spot. Try that some time and see how good you are. It’s not as easy as you think, but practice makes near perfect when it comes to anchoring.