BYYB Forums

on a pocket sailboat, under twenty feet?

It all depends on what kind of boat.  There are all kinds of schemes for handling an anchor.  For example, I keep mine in the forward compartment to help with boat trim.  When I expect to use it at the end of the day I pull it out in its bucket and set it in the cockpit out of the way with its rode run forward outside of the shrouds and through the bits at the bow then back to the bucket inside the shrouds.  When it is time to drop it, I simply let it over the side and run the rode out until I can set it, and viola.  I tie it off to a stern cleat and go about my business.  On other boats like my CP, I can leave it out on the bowsprit keeping everything up front. 

It also depends on what kind of anchor you use.  They all have different requirements for storage and handling. 

Al

Welcome to the forum.

On most small boats, an anchor and its rode weigh enough to cause trim concerns (as Al mentioned). Second is, you'll want it handy at times, like in a tight anchorage or coming in for a landing someplace. This means in the bow or a forward locker isn't where it needs to be, but in hand is ideal. Now wandering around the boat, with an anchor and a coil of rode dangling down, isn't a wise idea, so I usually store it in a cockpit locker (I like Al's bucket idea), so I can get at it fast and toss it over the side. I can't tell you how many times I've been trying to sail up to a launch ramp, just to get headed at the last moment and blown onto a lee shore or dock, out of control. This (and situations like it) is when you need the anchor in a hurry. Think of it as an embarrassment saver, if properly deployed, not to mention and insurance claim.

To clarify:  I use a square kitty litter bucket.  It is the biggest bucket that will fit through the hatch.  My anchor is the smallest Rocna.  It is still pretty big and takes up most of the fore peak.  I have 100 ft. of rode on it with about six feet of chain.  I don't like to go forward when under way, so I take the anchor out at my last stop before I tie up.  After I run the line through it's route, I loop the bitter end around one of the aft cleats keeping tension on it so that it doesn't slip out of the anchor chocks.  Usually for some unknown reason the wind picks up to what I call 'lively' late in the afternoon, so I keep the bucket completely out of the way so that I can sail safely in those higher winds.  I always keep the anchor in the bucket to keep the stinky mud and goo out of the boat.  Even so, by the end of a trip the bucket is pretty rank.  I also carry a second 100 feet of anchor line in a cockpit locker if I find that I can do a double tie out in some of the small crannies that I prefer to anchor in. 

I don't anchor out much.  I need to practice it much more.  This is one of the arts that must be mastered in the pursuit of seamanship.

Al

I never would have thought of putting it in a bucket ... I though they went in canvas sacks...Yuck... This is good to know. I also thought they had to be stowed forward. Also good to know they can be tucked away elsewhere.

On smaller boats, I would stow it under and not on the deck.

Again, most of the time, the anchor can live about anywhere, though having it handy is simply fastidious. On occasion, like getting headed when coming into a slip under sail, you'll find having the anchor handy, a real paint job saver, because you can quickly grab it, toss it over the stern and come to a stop, before your bright work has to act like a fender on the awaiting dock. In small craft, anchor and rode, along with what many believe is an obligatory length of chain, is a lot of weight and placed in the forefoot of a small craft, not an ideal location. It's not ideal because of the weight, its location and the fact you might need it in a hurry, so running onto a pitching, wet foredeck, just to retrieve it . . . yeah, I like mine in a cockpit locker or just inside the companionway, where I can get at it quickly and it's weight is in the fattest part of the boat.