Pulling Rope Anchor
Pulling Rope Anchor
Boat Anchor basic
How do you keep a floating object anchored? One way is to find a really heavy rock, tie a strong rope to it, and throw it overboard. But what happens when you want to leave that spot and go someplace else? Hauling that enormous rock on board may be impossible. You can just cut the rope attached to the rock, but then what would you do if you want to anchor the next night (plus you'd be littering)?
Another problem with the rock method is wind or current. A strong wind pushes very hard on your boat, which, in turn, pulls very hard on your rock — so hard that it may simply slide or roll across the bottom. Fortunately, you have a better way — thanks to the invention of properly designed anchors.
Most anchors share the following characteristics:
They sink! (An anchor wouldn't work very well if it floated, would it?)
They have holding power, thanks to one or more prongs or points called flukes. These flukes act like the blade of a shovel to dig into the bottom. Because the flukes help grip the bottom, the anchor can weigh less, making it easier to bring on board.
They have a long arm, or shank, providing mechanical advantage to help the flukes dig in.
They have some sort of feature to help keep the flukes dug in when the wind or current shifts and the boat pulls from a different direction.
Despite their holding power, they can be "unstuck" relatively easily.
If the wind and/or your engine die, knowing how to anchor is an important safety skill. The anchor is typically stored down below deck, usually just forward or next to the mast, but on some bigger cruising keelboats, it may already be rigged and ready to go up on the bow. When stored below deck, the anchor line should be nicely flaked (neatly folded), with the anchor and chain on top. Ground tackle is the term for the entire package — the anchor plus the anchor rode (the line and chain that attach the anchor to the boat).
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