A few entering arguments: 1.It is difficult if not impossible to be certain of bottom holding conditions outside of your area of experience. 2. Different anchors behave differently in different bottoms. 3. The anchor set is not as important as the reset when the large gust turns the boat well off the original set axis and it races off toward the rocks. More by accident than design I have stumbled on a technique that aids me greatly in overcoming these imponderables. Required items are a spare laptop with a cellular air card or USB modem(Verizon). Two marine Gps's (I use Garmin 76"s) , Radar (optional) In two seasons (6 mo ea) and 5000 miles cruising we have been unable to connect to the Internet perhaps a dozen nights( NC not withstanding). Well before reaching our daily destination we look at Noaa doppler weather radar on the Internet to get a feel for what we can expect late in the day or overnight.(Skipper Bob and Active Captian are other essentials) This usually determins anchorage choice and style. Once anchored we set up the two Garmins on large scale anchor watch(belt and suspenders) and check them periodically to understand swing pattern limits. Then search the Internet for TV stations in the area that have almost real time doppler radar sites. Most major cities do. These are a better scale than NOAA and have additional bells an whistles such as direction arrows with time of passage estimates. The technique then is to make and estimate of when the front (most often the source of violent storms) will be here. If beyond bed time (sundown) set the alarm clock 30min prior and go to sleep. Wake up and get comfortable in the helm seat Carefully study the Garmin patterns. Start the radar. Bring up the tv or Noaa radar on the laptop and study the storm color coded winds. Doppler radar is remarkably accurate in portraying wind speeds and with experience you can predict what is coming at you (or better just going to miss you) within 10 if not 5 mph. When a purple blob (35+) is aimed right at you, Start the engine and let it idle. Get a caffeine free coke to avoid dry mouth.. When the gusts hit insure that the boat does not exceed the previous swing pattern plus centenary or nylon stretch. The "crumb drop" pattern gives you a good idea of where the anchor is especially if you are swinging on a tide. Watch the rocks on the radar if you swing to a new direction. If it becomes evident that the anchor is threatened or dragging nudge into gear and add throttle ONLY DURING THE GUST usually a few seconds. I do not steer our single. A twin could probably use the proper engine to correct against the yaw. Normally big gusts are few an you can observe the cell system rapidly pass. Rarely takes more than 30 minutes. When all is clear shut every thing down but the Gamin's If still daylight consider some adult muscle relaxer.. If at night go back to bed and sleep well when your heart rate gets below 100. It would be a good idea to practice the throttle/gear technique in a high wind w/o storm conditions to get a feel for how many RPM's it takes to hold your position in 30kts or so. On our 42'X26klb pilothouse with moderate wind cross section we use a 75lb Super Max and have only felt it necessary to add power 2-3 times in the two fairly stormy seasons and lots of anchoring Fla to Canada. Usually our biggest worry is getting the anchor and 200lbs of sticky mud out of the bottom and clean after a blow. A horse and a half 115v lawn pump is essential for that chore. Certainly not a perfect technique nor for the feint of heart. However it has increased our anchoring "comfort level" greatly and relieved budget $'s for more fun things than making marina operators rich. Larry Ropka "Charis" 42' Pilothouse Soon to be unshrinkwrapped in the Solomons

I am speechless in awe that all I need is a spare laptop, an air card, a city on the doorstep, and a comfy helm seat to enjoy a safe anchor night. Richard > > Certainly not a perfect technique nor for the feint of heart. However it > has > increased our anchoring "comfort level" greatly and relieved budget $'s > for > more fun things than making marina operators rich. > > > Larry Ropka > "Charis" 42' Pilothouse > Soon to be unshrinkwrapped in the Solomons > _______________________________________________ > http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawlers-and-trawlering > > To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options (get password, change > email address, etc) go to: > http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/options/trawlers-and-trawlering > > Trawlers & Trawlering and T&T are trademarks of Water World > Productions. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 09:44:00