Here in the Florida Keys I use these techniques every time we anchor, even in calm conditions. We frequently have 40+ kt squalls and thunderstorms come through, usually at 2:00 AM when we're sound asleep. It makes sense to me to anchor every time as if we're going to wind up in heavy weather conditions.
I like how with Skip theres no foolin' aroun'. He tells it in a simple fashion without excess personality. His boats & his style are simple to work with, just what I expect you need in difficult, dangerous situations.
Same is here in the Aegean sea. During the summer you will regularly have 7 to 8 Bft, which means be ready for some wind. We have actually dropped a 20 : 1 scope in order to not start dragging and that is the most important piece of information there ever can be. Drop whatever you have when you are caught in a storm. There is no need to be cheeky, there are no prices for the least amount of chain, all you want is to prevent dragging and that may take a lot of chain. Set your anchor well and after that drop as much as is safe in that anchorage. Will give you a lot of peace of mind.
I just did 25 knot winds with 2-3m swell in a 28 ft sailboat from the 70s.. Had no choice as the diesel broke down. She got us through it, but I had to take some courage from imagining Skip (mustache and all) deviantly standing behind the wheel in similar conditions all fairness be told. I now know what its like to storm sail.
I half expected another video made by a certified RUclips saylor... nope... this guy know his business... a rare seaman. Highly recommended. Regards from the Fottivento up in Scandinavia!
What a cool, calm and collected skipper. The man oozes experience and makes so many youtube skippers look like complete hacks. My boat happens to have almost the same setup as this one. It works brilliantly. Great video
Super Wag I believe they don't even know what a real sailor looks like. Even if you are a hack, you can leave that on the cutting room floor, you don't need to let the world know. The fact they don't cut it means they aren't even aware when looking at it in editing.
Its the instant gratification society. Why invest time, effort and money to learn a skill and gain experience, when you can fumble your way through life and make youtube videos about it. Right? lol
Well that convinced me. From now on I'm only choosing crew who have six fingers on each hand..!! . Seriously, thank you for this important basic anchoring demonstration...
Anchors and ground tackle are the most important emergency gear to be found on a boat. However, without the knowledge of how to use them, they are useless... This video has been added to our playlist Essential Sailing Knowledge. Thank you for sharing. Chris (& Rossella) 👍
We saw Pelagic down there in 95 when we sailed through the straits - if you're going down there do not take it lightly. I only went to make sure my old man made it around the horn ok. Very exciting place to sail, and things change quickly. Reading the weather is critical. Skip does a great job with these videos, (hat tip).
Biggest mistake people make when owning a boat is to skimp on the cost of safety gear which I would class ground tackle as part of on a boat. Go big or go home is what I would say. Skip is an excellent skipper. Very cool and very calm. His boats, while they may not look sleek, are awesome. I’d love something like the Pelagic Australis. To me she’s a very sexy boat!
Read the story of Moonduster, lost in Fiji back in '09. The snubber chafed through and then the nylon backing up the chain chafed through. He might have saved the boat if the chain was attached to the boat, not the nylon. I worry about a short snubber that must be brought back aboard if more chain is needed in a squall.
Use knife. If A Snubber is an important bit of kit: Must have spare.... 2 is one, 1 is none Also, if someones gear chafes through it was not installed properly. If anything is in question, then you do not go to sleep and stay on watch. This is how you don't end up writing a story about loosing your boat. Moonduster was lost by her CAPT/CREW because chafe leading to failure is a human error. Proper installation/upkeep and a high frequency watch clock mitigates hazard represented here.
I'd be a bit worried in this video about the metal edges of the bow roller chaffing the snubber as the boat sails at anchor from side to side. That is why I use a double snubber with two snubber lines going down to one attachment point on the chain rode and the other end of the snubbers being cleated off to strong port and starboard bow deck cleats. One other benefit of using a double snubber is that should one of the snubber lines break or chafe through then I have the extra insurance of the other snubber line still holding the chain rode.
Love this very informative, think I require a snubber. Last time I anchored at night in a choppy sea, all I could hear was bang as anchor kept snatching. Thought my bow was coming off. 😞💀😺
Perfect. I like my cqr too. But only had 65. But boat weighed half of his. The only thing he said that I’ve never really thought through was being ready to go under sail in case the motor goes out. I imagine that could mean releasing the main sheet while keeping some sail up n
Great video - I'm learning a lot! One query - why the need to keep the main ready for emergency hoist when the furling headsail could be easily & quickly used to sail out of trouble?
If your engine died in 30kts you could find yourself on rocks or aground before you know it. I anchored my small boat on 30+ kts once and it dragged at 10kts for over 100m before it set
The good the manoever, the good is the video! I´m a sound engineer and I work mostly for TV and other video productions. Now I wonder which microphone and what sort of windshield do you have used. The windshield is excellent and the spoken words are clear and continuous. I never had seen (heard) such a good video at that amount of wind!!! Has it been a shotgun-microphone near or at the camera? I don`t think so. Perhaps a lavaliermic? Perhaps under the clothes?? I am very nosy....would you tell me the secret?
I thought the same thing, I'm also a sound engineer. My conclusion is that it is almost certainly a lav, with a wind sock on, under his clothing, with noise reduction applied in post. I really think whoever the engineer is did a wonderful job.
i used to anchor at the auckland islands and we invariably used 2 anchors , if deployed properly these would remain clear even with the southerly change
Indeed great video, YET I would like to see how you pull in all that chain in case your engine is not working and the batteries are low or not able to pull a heavy boat against a lot of wind.
might the bow have less tendency to swing with a steady sail deployed, and tensioned at just the right moment? it'd be easy enough to handle, if necessary.
I didn't understand the bit about flat terrain/vertical winds. I thought you would want to use the elevation of the terrain as extra protection against the wind.
The second they switch to removing the anchor, the snubber is gone. 7:03 They also didn’t clean the anchor or anchor chain at all, is that step unnecessary?
We where anchored near Cascais, Portugal, the wind was about 30, gusting 35. We used proper chain scope and a snubber. The boat wad jerking very uncomfortably from left to right and back all the night long. I wonder, if using the braidle instead of a sigle-line snubber would make it more comfortable to anchor in such or heavier conditions?
@olddog57 a bridle might be of help but only a very little one as it only works on the bow cleats that are not really far apart. The boat will still "sail up" at the anchor. What helps and has been tested is to attach a sea anchor to the chain at around 2-3m depth so side movement is reduced. And of course you could mount a riding sail on a backstay, or use a reefed mizzen if you happen to have a ketch, yawl or schooner. Read further here: www.morganscloud.com/2015/02/23/stop-swinging-around/
@@SailingCeledon I don't think so, the windlass is quite slow on the chain so the sea anchor wouldn't add a lot of resistance. And if it does in your case you could always add a tripline to the sea anchor and haul it in before weighing anchor.
What happened at 5:50? Was Novak holding the weight of the chain with the snubbing line the only thing stopping her hand from being smashed in to the cleat?
No the chain is held in the chain stopper built into the sampson post. It holds so tight there the you can't pull it out by hand hence the inward pull on the windlass to release the chain before it can be paid out. The weight is being held on the snubber to a, hold the devil's claw in place and b, to keep it aligned so that it passes the furler toggle and easily though/over the bow rollers.
Estimado, siempre tengo dudas en como usar 2 anclas, si en linea o en "bigotes". Tengo un barco de 8 m , anclas de 7 kg con cadena de 8mm y 10 m, luego un cabo de 1/2", 60 m. Aguardo por tus comentarios. Gracias
En bigotes solo con buen tiempo y para un breve descanso, se utiliza para limitar el borneo , el problema es que las cadenas de las dos anclas se pueden enroscar y es muy complicado desenredarlas. Con vientos fuertes o temporal siempre en linea.
Ok. I understood everything about the proper anchoring technique, but I have a question that is off subject. What is that hanging up in the background? Goat, lamb ? And does anyone know if it's cured? I'm assuming that since there are no comments about it, that it must be a very common thing to have hanging off you vessel. From Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico I have never seen wild game or domestic livestock swinging in the wind on a boat of any sort. Can someone please educate me on what I'm seeing?
If you watch closely you'll see he has a chain stopper at the midship sampson post. Basically two struts coming out of the post where he puts the chain in between, then a round turn around the post to secure it. Brilliant equipment, never saw anything like that except with Skip Novaks boat.
You can tell this is a man who does not suffer fools gladly. You do what he tells you, and he explains and teaches as he goes.
You can tell this guy could do this asleep! No bs just pure skill, knowledge and experience. Legend!
I love how he always stays calm. Gives clear inctructions to his crew and plans ahead. Just how it should be.
He could do this in his sleep with 1 arm
He's Skip Friggn' Novak bro....
Hes calm because the conditions are not that bad. Hes just being dramatic.
Here in the Florida Keys I use these techniques every time we anchor, even in calm conditions. We frequently have 40+ kt squalls and thunderstorms come through, usually at 2:00 AM when we're sound asleep. It makes sense to me to anchor every time as if we're going to wind up in heavy weather conditions.
I do the same thing everytime and never do short cuts ever.
I like how with Skip theres no foolin' aroun'. He tells it in a simple fashion without excess personality. His boats & his style are simple to work with, just what I expect you need in difficult, dangerous situations.
Same is here in the Aegean sea. During the summer you will regularly have 7 to 8 Bft, which means be ready for some wind. We have actually dropped a 20 : 1 scope in order to not start dragging and that is the most important piece of information there ever can be. Drop whatever you have when you are caught in a storm. There is no need to be cheeky, there are no prices for the least amount of chain, all you want is to prevent dragging and that may take a lot of chain.
Set your anchor well and after that drop as much as is safe in that anchorage. Will give you a lot of peace of mind.
Man, you know what you are talking about ! Thank you.
Mr. Novak, by you sailing around Cabo de Hornos I must congratulate you. I am from Chile and I know the south Pacific is very difficult.
I just did 25 knot winds with 2-3m swell in a 28 ft sailboat from the 70s.. Had no choice as the diesel broke down. She got us through it, but I had to take some courage from imagining Skip (mustache and all) deviantly standing behind the wheel in similar conditions all fairness be told. I now know what its like to storm sail.
I half expected another video made by a certified RUclips saylor... nope... this guy know his business... a rare seaman. Highly recommended.
Regards from the Fottivento up in Scandinavia!
Skip Novak is a legend
Thanks for this vid! Great opportunity for me to see this in practice.
For me the best skip with realistic ideas to really manage major problems of sailing
What a cool, calm and collected skipper. The man oozes experience and makes so many youtube skippers look like complete hacks. My boat happens to have almost the same setup as this one. It works brilliantly. Great video
Super Wag I believe they don't even know what a real sailor looks like. Even if you are a hack, you can leave that on the cutting room floor, you don't need to let the world know. The fact they don't cut it means they aren't even aware when looking at it in editing.
Its the instant gratification society. Why invest time, effort and money to learn a skill and gain experience, when you can fumble your way through life and make youtube videos about it. Right? lol
Enjoy that cup o' tea
Well that convinced me. From now on I'm only choosing crew who have six fingers on each hand..!! . Seriously, thank you for this important basic anchoring demonstration...
Anchors and ground tackle are the most important emergency gear to be found on a boat. However, without the knowledge of how to use them, they are useless... This video has been added to our playlist Essential Sailing Knowledge. Thank you for sharing. Chris (& Rossella) 👍
Sailing Britaly di o
How about a fire extinguisher? Or engine room halon system?
All very straightforward and logical - once you know what you're doing! Many thanks for a fine, simplified demonstration video.
I love the cup of tea at the end of every video. Great stuff.
It's tough to imagine a better premise for a storm anchoring video. Skip Novak sharing 40 years of yachting experience a few NM away from Cape Horn.
Haute et claire ! bravo et merci pour chaque détail de la manœuvre et de l’accastillage, du concentré d’expérience restitué et offert.
We saw Pelagic down there in 95 when we sailed through the straits - if you're going down there do not take it lightly. I only went to make sure my old man made it around the horn ok. Very exciting place to sail, and things change quickly. Reading the weather is critical. Skip does a great job with these videos, (hat tip).
Biggest mistake people make when owning a boat is to skimp on the cost of safety gear which I would class ground tackle as part of on a boat. Go big or go home is what I would say. Skip is an excellent skipper. Very cool and very calm. His boats, while they may not look sleek, are awesome. I’d love something like the Pelagic Australis. To me she’s a very sexy boat!
Yep, fully agree with you. You don't want to caught out, Mother Nature is unforgiving.
Great information, well presented, no fluff. A+
Very well done great explanation very professional
Glad you liked it!
I cruised across the Pacific using CQR anchors and BBB chain in the 70s, but that's all obsolete today. Today, G4 and Manson or Rocna is the standard.
Skip Novak proves that competence is a form of elegance. I'd hazard a guess and say, he finds fools painful to be around.
Yes, but man that's sexy! I get you. Not the best of colors agreed.
Love this series! So educational! Thank you
Read the story of Moonduster, lost in Fiji back in '09. The snubber chafed through and then the nylon backing up the chain chafed through. He might have saved the boat if the chain was attached to the boat, not the nylon. I worry about a short snubber that must be brought back aboard if more chain is needed in a squall.
Use knife. If A Snubber is an important bit of kit: Must have spare.... 2 is one, 1 is none Also, if someones gear chafes through it was not installed properly. If anything is in question, then you do not go to sleep and stay on watch. This is how you don't end up writing a story about loosing your boat.
Moonduster was lost by her CAPT/CREW because chafe leading to failure is a human error. Proper installation/upkeep and a high frequency watch clock mitigates hazard represented here.
Good job. Everyone on the water should know all this, especially oversized anchor and enough chain.
good stuff. wondered about using a small bit of ahead throttle to perhaps counter the bow swing.
Makes it look easy. Thanks for the upload
Bravo, amd thank you very much for sharing your experience !
What a great video, thanks for explaining how it should be done.
8:57 I'd add putting a line to secure the anchor onboard. I'm sure Skip uses it, but this moment is missed in the video.
I'd be a bit worried in this video about the metal edges of the bow roller chaffing the snubber as the boat sails at anchor from side to side. That is why I use a double snubber with two snubber lines going down to one attachment point on the chain rode and the other end of the snubbers being cleated off to strong port and starboard bow deck cleats. One other benefit of using a double snubber is that should one of the snubber lines break or chafe through then I have the extra insurance of the other snubber line still holding the chain rode.
Good advice Skip. My wife and I developed hand signals on our boat many years ago because it is so unromantic to yell at each other above the wind.
Very good video. Everything you need and nothing you don't.
It's time for a cup of tea...😃😃🤗
Really lovely and super to the point. Many thanks
this is a fantastic channel-- I recommend it to all our viewers! -Vin & Amy
Love this very informative, think I require a snubber. Last time I anchored at night in a choppy sea, all I could hear was bang as anchor kept snatching. Thought my bow was coming off. 😞💀😺
Absolutely spot on! Great vid and a number of pragmatic points. Well done!
Some great tips in this video. I'll add some color markings on my main anchor.
Excellent video; thank you!
What is used to colour the chain please?
Are there other methods for determining how much chain is being let out?
Cheers
Zip ties?
It's wild and blowing hard here on my sofa in front of the internet watching this. Might get a cup of tea.
Very good , thank you , learned something there
I just bought an Endeavour 32 I live in Miami and I plan to sail to the Bahamas I would love to get a bigger boat
Aye! Best Pirate I've seen around those waters!
Perfect. I like my cqr too. But only had 65. But boat weighed half of his. The only thing he said that I’ve never really thought through was being ready to go under sail in case the motor goes out. I imagine that could mean releasing the main sheet while keeping some sail up n
Great advice and a nice demo. What kind of claw did you use to clap onto the chain? I looked very different from a typical chain hook.
Amazing videos! Thanks for sharing your expertise!
This video was so awesome thank you
Great video - I'm learning a lot! One query - why the need to keep the main ready for emergency hoist when the furling headsail could be easily & quickly used to sail out of trouble?
If your engine died in 30kts you could find yourself on rocks or aground before you know it. I anchored my small boat on 30+ kts once and it dragged at 10kts for over 100m before it set
The good the manoever, the good is the video! I´m a sound engineer and I work mostly for TV and other video productions. Now I wonder which microphone and what sort of windshield do you have used. The windshield is excellent and the spoken words are clear and continuous. I never had seen (heard) such a good video at that amount of wind!!! Has it been a shotgun-microphone near or at the camera? I don`t think so. Perhaps a lavaliermic? Perhaps under the clothes?? I am very nosy....would you tell me the secret?
I thought the same thing, I'm also a sound engineer. My conclusion is that it is almost certainly a lav, with a wind sock on, under his clothing, with noise reduction applied in post. I really think whoever the engineer is did a wonderful job.
Nice, thank you.
Excellent video, with excellent information.
You still have all the force on the bow rollers a bridal running from cleats from both side of boat would be a better setup
A snubber and bridal system is the only way to anchor!!
On this vessel having a single snubber is OK, due to the construction of the roller system.
...and always have a sacrificed animal attached to the boat. To smooth Neptun's mood a bit.
Would a Trump pinata suffice?
Wise to keep Neptune happy. Ask any Navy Seal.
Yep. Don't feed him Trump. When Poseidon comes for sacrifice , give him the best.
Trump is the best
@@johnfay5822 nah
great video thank you
what is the type of snubber hook you used here and where might I find one?
It's nylon line, Didn't you hear him?
Its the "claw" Im asking about, that holds the line to the chain, looks like its designed to go smoothly across the pulley unlike other snub hooks
tridentsupplyllc.com/shop/category.aspx/rigging/hooks-used-for-lifting/claw-hook/
@@mkelly5286 I'm guessing rcpmac can't read...you said snubber hook :-)
6 to 1 scope, all chain? Nice!
Excellent knowledge! Excellent information.
Opinions about anchor riding sails?
Great video, thanks to all involved.
Excellent. Nice and clear.
Hello Skip,When you say 4 meters for cable boulder ring is the length of cable or Diameter of ring?
Excellent. Thanks!
thank you very much for sharing your knowledge. God bless you.
Great video - many thanks for making it. May I ask what's around the snubber line in its middle part and what's the purpose of that?
Rubber or plastic sheath to prevent chafing of the snubbing line.
I realize this was years ago, but I hope Skip has upgraded his anchor to a new generation one. Something like a Spade.
i used to anchor at the auckland islands and we invariably used 2 anchors , if deployed properly these would remain clear even with the southerly change
Skip knows what he's doing! I would like to be part of his crew...
You can, head to pelagic.co.uk
Indeed great video, YET I would like to see how you pull in all that chain in case your engine is not working and the batteries are low or not able to pull a heavy boat against a lot of wind.
I believe you use a 5 foot bar attached to the windlass and using the bar and mechanical advantage, you raise the chain 1 foot per stroke.
@@sanfranciscobay Hi America. Plan B is never tested. I'm going to set this as a crew challenge next out and actually drill it.
I always use some sort of chafing protection. Carpet or hose ect.
might the bow have less tendency to swing with a steady sail deployed, and tensioned at just the right moment? it'd be easy enough to handle, if necessary.
Excellent advice .. thanks for sharing
I didn't understand the bit about flat terrain/vertical winds. I thought you would want to use the elevation of the terrain as extra protection against the wind.
Read up on katabatic winds for an explanation.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katabatic_wind
The second they switch to removing the anchor, the snubber is gone. 7:03
They also didn’t clean the anchor or anchor chain at all, is that step unnecessary?
We where anchored near Cascais, Portugal, the wind was about 30, gusting 35.
We used proper chain scope and a snubber. The boat wad jerking very uncomfortably from left to right and back all the night long.
I wonder, if using the braidle instead of a sigle-line snubber would make it more comfortable to anchor in such or heavier conditions?
@olddog57 a bridle might be of help but only a very little one as it only works on the bow cleats that are not really far apart. The boat will still "sail up" at the anchor. What helps and has been tested is to attach a sea anchor to the chain at around 2-3m depth so side movement is reduced. And of course you could mount a riding sail on a backstay, or use a reefed mizzen if you happen to have a ketch, yawl or schooner.
Read further here: www.morganscloud.com/2015/02/23/stop-swinging-around/
@@ErnestV thanks for the tip about sea anchor 2-3m attached to the chain. Doesn't it make an awful lot of weight to pull out on the windlass though?
@@SailingCeledon I don't think so, the windlass is quite slow on the chain so the sea anchor wouldn't add a lot of resistance. And if it does in your case you could always add a tripline to the sea anchor and haul it in before weighing anchor.
Anchor Snubber: would a snubber be used always or in windy conditions only?
always
Always, if only to quiet the chain against the rollers, gear and the boat itself.
What if you have to leave the boat on anchor, and wind change 180degree
What about using anchor watch?
Thank you for this video. At 5:59 a chain hook is shown that looks very interesting. Cold you please tell me what make/model that is?
In case anyone is checking this: Any idea about what make/model this chain hook?
@@icoco_de I have the same question...
Can anybody please tell me what kind of sailing harness they are wearing? I need one and these look great
Great Video! Thanks!
It would be very interesting to know if Skip Novak uses an anchor swivel? I suspect not.
so real question, heavy tackle? means a certain % to boat weight?
What happened at 5:50? Was Novak holding the weight of the chain with the snubbing line the only thing stopping her hand from being smashed in to the cleat?
No the chain is held in the chain stopper built into the sampson post. It holds so tight there the you can't pull it out by hand hence the inward pull on the windlass to release the chain before it can be paid out. The weight is being held on the snubber to a, hold the devil's claw in place and b, to keep it aligned so that it passes the furler toggle and easily though/over the bow rollers.
Excellent
Outstanding
nice tips skip
excellent videos well explained keep bringing new once like to join the team one day!
This man is a Pro....
Nice soundtrack :)
Estimado, siempre tengo dudas en como usar 2 anclas, si en linea o en "bigotes".
Tengo un barco de 8 m , anclas de 7 kg con cadena de 8mm y 10 m, luego un cabo de 1/2", 60 m. Aguardo por tus comentarios. Gracias
En bigotes solo con buen tiempo y para un breve descanso, se utiliza para limitar el borneo , el problema es que las cadenas de las dos anclas se pueden enroscar y es muy complicado desenredarlas. Con vientos fuertes o temporal siempre en linea.
Ok. I understood everything about the proper anchoring technique, but I have a question that is off subject. What is that hanging up in the background? Goat, lamb ? And does anyone know if it's cured? I'm assuming that since there are no comments about it, that it must be a very common thing to have hanging off you vessel. From Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico I have never seen wild game or domestic livestock swinging in the wind on a boat of any sort. Can someone please educate me on what I'm seeing?
Have a look at Elley Grey the ideal boat for this job ! stunning and for sale .
I would only add that I would OXO the chain around a foredeck cleat to take the potential load off the anchor just in case the warp failed.
If you watch closely you'll see he has a chain stopper at the midship sampson post. Basically two struts coming out of the post where he puts the chain in between, then a round turn around the post to secure it. Brilliant equipment, never saw anything like that except with Skip Novaks boat.
@@ErnestVyup, you can see that clearly when he lifts the anchor
Nice video
always wire shut the shackle pins in your ground tackle and mooring tackle, because if you don't they can unscrew themselves
Never happened to me in 50 years of sailing. Nevertheless, I do check regularly.