Dragging...

[Nick]

Doncha just love anchor watch? Thought I would share this with yous for something to do while I wait for dawn.

Avy-J is currently stuck in a Spanish anchorage anchored in water deeper than I would have liked, with a boat that came in and anchored close-ish downwind of us just before sunset - - and the anchor alarm goes off at four in the morning.

Two hours so far of monitoring things suggests we seem to move a metre or so downwind in the strongest gusts. We have moved maybe 20 metres or so since setting the hook. Pretty sure we will make it to dawn (maybe another 90 minutes} without having to take decisive action if the wind doesn't get up much more. Catherine gone for a lie-down.

We have 40m chain out in about 11m at the current state of tide, an hour and a half to high water. I would put some of the warp out as well, but it makes recovery more difficult in an emergency as the windlass won't get a grip - and anyway I don't really want to drop back much further. Getting out before dawn is not an option as this wee bay is hemmed in by densely packed mussel rafts (viveiros) that can only be navigated safely in full daylight.

The anchor was allowed to settle then set with about 1500rpm astern, quite a lot of tug with our big three bladed prop, and it's not gusting over 20kts. The wind has turned through nearly 180 degrees though, so I am guessing it is a reset issue.

What with the suicidal jetskis rampaging around yesterday evening and now a very disturbed sleep, it will be a relief to see the sun come up and get the hell out of here.

Sleep well you lucky sods.

[cpedw]

Sleep well you lucky sods.

I have no sympathy:

Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point - Strong wind warning
24 hour forecast: Southwest 5 to 7, backing south 7 to severe gale 9, then veering southwest 6 to gale 8. Moderate in shelter, otherwise rough or very rough. Showers at first, then rain at times. Good, becoming moderate or poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours: Southwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, backing south 5 or 6, occasionally 4 later. Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later. Occasional rain in north. Moderate or good, occasionally poor in north.

and there's a Yellow Warning for rain in Oban.

[Burst Boiler]

Aye, but. From midnight tonight the wind becomes a gentle, warm southerly bringing soothing warm air with it. Then dies out (at least in the Clyde). One final, glorious week of slowly wafting between favourite anchorages, no swell to spill the tea onto the fruit scones. Its gonnae be magic.

[BlowingOldBoots]

It has to be asked, but what type of anchor and seabed are you anchoring with / in?

[Nick]

It has to be asked, but what type of anchor and seabed are you anchoring with / in?

Knox. Dunno about the seabed, supposed to be sand, but the anchor came up clean with some seaweed draped over the roll bar.

It was set before the wind did a 180.

[BlowingOldBoots]

Thanks for the data.

That's good to know, worth giving all the details as this is a new anchor and information form real world experience is valuable. I have the 18kg Knox. If it struggles to reset on a 180 wind shift, it could be a number of things. On a Rocna for example, in sand, 180 degree shifts appear to be an issue as well. It is considered that the roll bar may be preventing the flukes from digging in on the shift due to carrying a lot of seabed with it as it rotates.

Safe sailing, hope it all goes well for the rest of the journey.

[mm5aho]

I'm biased... but
I have had a couple of major windshifts with quick re-sets. Once in that little bay on the south end of Bute near little Cumbrae. (I forget the name).
Wind shifted from west to easy during the night. There's not a lot of room in there, but we didn't move more that the scope.

I have recently been doing some tests with a 6.5kg Knox. (on my Rival 32, which normally uses a 13kg Knox). With 5:1 scope, and tried 2800 rpm reverse to try to drag it. Could not. Tried from other direction and could feel it come loose then set again.

But I did have a non-set in August. (13kg) Dropped anchor on some weed in West Bay Dunoon. It would not set, so pulled it up to find a huge ball of kelpy weed. Cleaned it off and tried again, and this time it set OK.

Anchored all but 4 nights over 3.5 weeks in August from Clyde to L. Torridon - much better away from the crowds!

[stevepick]

Would some shock absorption have helped? It sounds like the setup was a bit marginal, and I wonder if putting on a piece of nylon warp or even a warp & snubber, back to a cleat , whilst still having the chain at the gypsy would have helped reduce the dragging. I always run a snubber, it keeps the chain grumbling to a minimum in the forward cabin.

Interesting about the Rocna reset concerns. I have had 3 resets that I can remember, one a multiple job where the wind changed twice in one night ( yes 2 x 180) and the Rocna held with an imperious sense of assurance. Alarming to wake on the second reset that morning and see lots of boats dragging around us.

[Nick]

I always use a snubber, Steve. Usually about 4m of 16mm 3-strand nylon.

I reckon the scope was a bit marginal for the depth and windspeed on this occasion.

[marisca]

4m of 16mm nylon seems a bit sparse. I use 12m of 14mm nylon - eye splice over stern cleat, rolling hitch on chain and via a snatch block on a stanchion base. It is quite mesmeric the amount of stretch and sheave movement. My plan B is a 16mm mooring warp with a rubber dog-bone but never needed it.

[mm5aho]

I suspect its quite common to have short snubbers like this, and perhaps its only when people have used a long one and watched how much stretch can be experienced that the value of a long one comes to be seen.
I use thinner, and long, and can get half a metre (even more sometimes) of stretch measured at the bow. I have a chain hook (rolling hitch is just as good), I place the hook at about sea level, take a lop of chain meaning about a metre of slack in the chain), and run the nylon 12mm rope to the cockpit, sometimes straight to the genoa winch, sometimes through a block on the stern (spinnaker sheet block), and back to the winch, then to a cleat. It means about 10m of rope that's tight. At the bow, on a windy anchorage, the rope going back and forth through the antichafe hose is nice to watch. I don't think I've been mesmerised, but perhaps its one of those ASMR things?
One downside of Nylon is its (relative) lack of UV resistance. But there's not a lot of UV at night in Scotland!