You might have come across all the classical and antique anchors on the sailor’s tattoos, on nautical-inspired t-shirts, gigantic lawn sculptures, and more. The reason why you see them frequently as symbols presently is because they aren’t used much for the purpose they were designed for below the water.
The boaters need must take into consideration one of the myriad shapes when choosing from the anchoring options. While there is a large variety of anchors that you can choose from, here are some of the widely used anchoring options for leisure boaters.
Expert-Shared Guideline for Securing Anchors
1. You Can Consider Doubling On the Anchors
Securing anchors twice is a good idea. There are a handful of reasons why you might require two anchors. Double anchoring can prove important to have your boat steady when ough waves and stormy winds are common.
2. Be Careful with the Anchor’s Line/Chain
Avoid getting your ankle wrapped in the anchor. Maintain some distance when you let out the anchor. Remember that something as insignificant as rope burns can also sting your palm. Instead of anchoring off at the stern, do it on the boat’s bow.
3. Get All The Right Equipment
Stop thinking that you can throw the anchor overboard and stay in order. To properly set an anchor hook, there are particular equipment and methods that you must take into consideration. The main one is looking into the length of the ground tackle chain and the second most important one being the wind conditions.
4. What to do after directly securing your line to the anchor shaft?
Only directly securing your line to the anchor shaft wouldn’t suffice. You would have to connect the line with the anchor using a 4-ft ground tackle chain followed by an anchor shackle. Ensure that the length of the ground chain is good enough to be attached with your nylon rope. And the latter must be 3-7 times the depth of the water.
5. Be Mindful of the Water Current and the Wind
Be mindful of the wind strength and the wave size, as both of them serves as a key factor. Motor upwind slowly, further from your needed anchoring position. Here you would be required to drop the anchor followed by the ground tackle chain and would have to allow the line, while you drift back to your desired spot of rest.
A thumb rule, which might be termed old-school is to comprise of a pound of anchor for every boat foot. But things might be different if you are using a modern boat. So to understand the perfect boat anchor size, it is good to get in touch with the boat manufacturer.