It's late afternoon as you approach the crowded boat anchoring cove you've picked for the night. You spot elegant cruising boats, hot racing sailboats, and even a sport fisherman or two nearby. It's going to be tight!

Choose an anchor like the Bruce, CQR, or Delta for crowded or exposed anchorages. Note the similarity in the CQR and Delta. Choose the Delta if you need a lighter plow anchor with great holding power. (illustrations from Seamanship Secrets)

What strategy will you use to select the safest spot to drop the hook?

Are you certain that you won't swing into one of the boats--or ground on a shoal if the wind or current shifts.

Make a sound decision with these five super tips.

1. Use Your Heaviest Claw or Plow Anchor

Choose your largest claw or plow anchor in any tight anchorage.

No matter what you might have read about "light-weight" hooks, use a heavier boat anchor for more security.

Boat anchors like the Bruce, CQR, and Delta have well-tested reputations as being able to reset fast if they start to drag. Use one of these mighty hooks for worry free anchoring.

If you have heavy weather on the way, you'll want to give yourself the edge in strong shifty winds. Hook up two anchors in tandem--or in-line. Shackle a long, heavy length of anchor chain to the crown of the main storm anchor. Shackle the opposite end of the anchor chain to a second large anchor. Tandem anchors have prevented vessels from dragging in the worst storm conditions.

2. Know Your Relationship to Nearby Shoals

Highlight your navigational chart to show dangerous shoal water. Make this at least 1.5 to 2 times your maximum draft. That way, you have time to take action in case you drag into shallow water. Set the depth alarm on your nautical gps to trigger at this depth.

3. Determine Your Swing Circle

Expect to swing around a circle with your anchor as the center point. The circle radius will be the same length as your anchor rode length (line and chain). Before you determine anchor rode length, find your "corrected water depth". Use these four factors: Charted depth + Rise to high tide + Bow freeboard + Transducer depth.

Locate the charted depth from your navigational chart or gps chart plotter. Next, determine how far the tide will rise to high tide. Then, estimate your bow freeboard (distance from the bow to the water surface). Next, measure the distance your depth sounder transducer was installed below the waterline. Add all four of these factors together. Here's an example:

12 feet--Charted depth.
5 feet--Rise to high tide.
3 feet--Bow freeboard.
2 feet--Transducer distance.
22 feet Total corrected water depth.

Next, multiply your desired scope (ratio of anchor rode for each foot of corrected water depth). For a 7:1 scope, you would put out 154 feet of anchor rode (7 X 22 feet). Your maximum swing circle will be 308 feet in diameter (2 X 154 feet).

4. Anchor Like Others and Near Similar Hull Designs

Look at how other vessels are anchored. Are they using one anchor or two? Have they streamed an anchor trip line with a buoy attached. Always follow along with the way other boats are anchored. That way, you will swing in a similar fashion.

Choose to anchor near other vessels with designs close to that of your own boat. If you skipper a deep keel, cruising sailboat, it's a safe bet that other sailboats like yours will swing in a similar manner to the wind.

In our opening scenario, there were racing sailboats and sport fishing powerboats in the anchorage. Fin keel sailboats tend to swing back and forth at anchor. And sport fishing boats have flatter bottoms and will be even more restless on the hook. Make similar hull designs your neighbors for worry-free anchoring in any type of marine weather.

5. Add Security with a Sentinel

Rig a sentinel to put a bend into the anchor rode. This increases holding power and keeps the anchor set in less than ideal anchorages. (illustration from Seamanship Secrets)

In a crowded anchorage, or with shoals nearby, you may be unable to put out enough scope--the ratio of anchor rode (rope and chain or all-chain) for each foot of water.

Average scope can be defined as 7:1, or seven feet of rode for each foot of water.

If you are unable to put out this much scope, increase your holding power with a simple weight and line combination.

Attach a weight--called a sentinel--to a strong, light line and send it down the anchor rode.

This puts a bend in the anchor line to help keep the anchor dug in.The sentinel method was used long ago on wooden sailing ships. They would use a large, heavy lead weight with a ring-bolt on top.

The weight was shackled over the anchor chain and eased down the anchor chain with a line. The weight of the sentinel pulled downward on the anchor chain. This increased the anchor's holding power.

Rope-to-Chain Anchor Rode Sentinel Rig

Today, you can use an easy modification of the original sentinel with weights you already have aboard your small cruising boat. Follow these five easy steps:

1. Gather heavy chain, shackles, or lead weights. Put them into a canvas or nylon bag.

2. Attach a large snatch block to the rope rode so the snap shackle points down.

3. Attach a strong line--as long as the anchor rode--to the becket on top of the snatch block.

4. Open the block's snap shackle and attach the weighted bag's handles.

5. Lower the sentinel. When the line becomes slack, pull it up a few feet and cleat it off.

All-Chain Anchor Rode Sentinel Rig

With all chain rodes, you can often anchor on shorter scope than combination rope-chain rodes. In protected anchorages, the weight of the chain will keep the rode near the bottom. In less ideal situations, use this sentinel method:

1. Make up a stainless strop of flexible wire rope 12" long with an eye in each end.

2. Loop the strop around the chain anchor rode and shackle it to itself.

3. Shackle the bag of weights to the strop shackle.

4. Attach a light line to the top of the strop.

5. Lower and position the sentinel along the rode as described earlier.

Captain John's Anchoring Tip How much weight should you use on any sentinel rig? Tests on a 100 foot yacht showed that a 25 to 30 pound weight increased anchor holding power by 50%!

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Put these five boat anchoring tips into play to keep your cruising or racing sailboat under control in crowded anchorages. You will sleep better at night when you know you've made the best preparations possible for safe anchoring--wherever in the world you choose to cruise.

"Written so clearly that navigation and seamanship will be comprehensible to anyone."
-- Dave and Jaja Martin, circumnavigators, authors,
and stars of the documentary "Ice Blink"

"It should be read by anyone contemplating
coastal cruising or blue water voyages."
-- Ted Brewer, world famous yacht designer

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