trouble anchoring

[Capt. Debbie]

Dead on Gerry. Learned that doing tuna and you have to pull back in all 400 or 500 feet of line because it's dragging.

The chain sinks faster than the danforth which flutters down due to the flukes. A controlled drop is needed with a little tension. Else the anchor falls on top of the chain and does not deploy correctly and locks up the flukes in some cases.

With enough chain you can get by with even 3:1 on scope. Rule of thumb- chain should be 3/4 the length of your boat.

Other factors-
1- how big is anchor. If the flukes that dig in are too small you dont get much bite into the bottom for holding power.
2- the bottom must be clay, sand or mud to work. Otherwise it will not snag the bottom and dig in. It'll just keep dragging.
3- if wind or current is variable the anchor never bites. Like in a lake. Must be a steady pull in one direction. Even if you back down to snug it up, a change in direction could free itself.

Just some thoughts.

Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski

By the sounds of it you have enough chain. Try this next time.

1) Don't just toss the anchor out and let if free fall with no pressure on it since this might be causing the chain to get caught up on the anchor. Keep at least some pressure on it until you feel the anchor hit bottom....

2) Once you feel it come in contact with the bottom pay out some line and every once and a while put some slight pressure on it to try and get the anchor to set. Repeat until your anchor digs in and catches.