Steps to Smooth Anchoring

Select an area that offers maximum shelter from wind, current, boat traffic
etc. Never anchor in a busy channel or traffic separation zone.
Pick a spot with swinging room in all directions. Should the wind change, your
boat will swing bow to the wind or current, whichever is stronger.
Determine depth and bottom conditions and calculate the amount of rode you will
put out.
If other boats are anchored in the area you select, ask the boat adjacent to the
spot you select what scope they have out so that you can anchor in such a
manner that you will not bump into the neighboring vessel.
Anchor with the same method used by nearby boats. If they are anchored bow
and stern, you should too. If they are anchored with a single anchor from the
bow, do not anchor bow and stern. Never anchor from the stern alone, this
could cause the boat to swamp or capsize.
Rig the anchor and rode. Check shackles to make sure they are secured with
wire tied to prevent the screw shaft from opening.
Lay out the amount of rode you will need on deck in such a manner that it will
follow the anchor into the water smoothly without tangling.
Cleat off the anchor line at the point you want it to stop. (Dont forget or youll be
diving for your anchor.)
Stop your boat and lower your anchor until it lies on the bottom. This should be
done up-wind or up-current from the spot you have selected. Slowly start to
motor back, letting out the anchor rode. Backing down slowly will assure that the
chain will not foul the anchor and prevent it from digging into the bottom.
When all the anchor line has been let out, back down on the anchor with engine
in idle reverse to help set the anchor. (Be careful not to get the anchor line
caught in your prop.)
While reversing on a set anchor, keep a hand on the anchor line. A dragging
anchor will telegraph itself as it bumps along the bottom. An anchor that is set will
not shake the line.
When the anchor is firmly set, look around for reference points in relation to the
boat. You can sight over your compass to get the bearing of two different fixed
points (house, rock, tower, etc. ) Over the next hour or so, make sure those
reference points are in the same place. If not youre probably dragging anchor.

Begin anchor watch. Everyone should check occasionally to make sure youre
not drifting.
The first step in anchoring is to select the proper anchor. In spite of claims to the
contrary, there is no single anchor design that is best in all conditions. On most
pleasure boats, the three anchors you will find most are the fluke or danforth
type, the plow and the mushroom anchor.
Mushroom anchors do not have the holding power of a fluke or plow anchor and
should only be used on small, lighter weight boats. A local marine supply store
can help you select the proper anchor for your boat and for the waters in which
you will be boating.
Anchors also must have something to attach them to the boat. This is called
the anchor rode and may consist of line, chain or a combination of both. The
whole system of gear including anchor, rode, shackles etc. is called ground
tackle.
The amount of rode that you have out (scope) when at anchor depends generally
on water depth and weather conditions. The deeper the water and the more
severe the weather, the more rode you will put out. For recreational boaters, at a
minimum you should have out five to eight times (5 to 1 scope for day anchoring
and 6 to 8 to 1 for overnight) the depth of the water plus the distance from the
water to where the anchor will attach to the bow. For example, if you measure
water depth and it shows four feet and it is three feet from the top of the water to
your bow cleat, you would multiply seven feet by six to eight to get the amount of
rode to put out.

Now that you have found your location, determined what anchor to use and
how much anchor rode will be needed, made sure that you have allowed
enough room for anchor swing, you are now ready to 'drop anchor'.
With the sails stowed, slowly motor to the spot where you wish to lower your
anchor. With the boat no longer moving, direct the crew to slowly lower the
anchor (do not drop the anchor as the term 'drop anchor' suggests).
When the anchor has reached the bottom, slowly back downwind. (If the wind
is strong, you may just want to drift.)
You do not want any tension on the anchor at this point otherwise you will start
to drag the anchor making it more difficult to set.
The crew should keep track of how much anchor rode has been let out.
(Usually there are measurement markings on the anchor rode.)
At a scope of 5:1, you will want to set the anchor. Have a crew member wrap
the anchor rode around a bow cleat and then rev the motor in reverse to dig the
flanges of the anchor into the bottom.

If the anchor does not set well, you will have to start from the beginning.
Assuming the anchor sets at a 5:1 scope, continue to drift or motor back slowly
until the scope reaches 7:1. (Remember tide conditions.)
Once you have reached the appropriate scope, cleat the anchor rode off to the
bow cleat.
If you are using a windlass (winch), you may be unable to cleat the anchor
rode. In this situation you will want to rig a snubbing line. A snubbing line runs
from a bow cleat to a point on the anchor rode. The tension of the anchor rode
is taken up by the snubbing line so that no pressure is placed on the winch.
Once you feel that you are securely anchored, turn off the motor.
You will want to fix your position by eyeballing fixed objects nearby. If you
find the position of those objects has changed, you could be dragging your
anchor.
Most GPS systems have an anchor alarm. You can set your anchor alarm to
give you what you feel will be your potential area of swing. If your boat moves
outside that area it is likely that you are dragging your alarm. At the point you
drop your anchor, set that as the anchor waypoint on your GPS. If you let our
100 feet of rode you could potentially swing 360 degrees but your distance
from your anchor waypoint should remain relatively constant. You want to give
some allowance for rode stretch and change in water height (lower water will
mean you will be further away from your GPS anchor waypoint). Give yourself
and extra 20 feet or 120 radius from your GPS anchor waypoint before the
alarm will trigger.
If you grab hold of the anchor rode and feel a vibration, you are likely dragging
your anchor. This can be corrected by increasing your scope. If this fails, you
will have to recover your anchor and re-start the anchoring process.
You can also drop anchor under sail. Once you have found the spot where you
want to drop your anchor, furl or drop your jib and sail under main alone. Stall
the boat, head to wind, at the point where you want to drop the anchor. With
main sail still raised but main sheet eased, lower the anchor. The waves and
wind will move the boat backwards. With the main sheet eased, move the main
sail from side to side to move the boat backwards in a straight line. If the boom
is pushed out to the port side, the stern will swing to the starboard and vice
versa. When you feel the anchor has been set, lower the mainsail and secure for
the night. If you drop your mainsail before you have your anchor set, you could
find yourself trying to quickly raise the mainsail to get out of the way of a rock
or other hazard because you are dragging your anchor.
To raise your anchor, start your motor and slowly approach the anchor site. Be
careful to not drive over the anchor location otherwise you could start to tear
out fittings on your boat plus snag the propeller etc.

You can also sail off the anchor. Raise the mainsail, as the boat swings to one
side of the wind, trim the mainsheet to get under way. Tacking back and forth
you approach the anchor point at which time the boat is stalled head to wind
until the anchor is freed and onboard.
When the anchor has been secured on deck, head out for a day of sailing.