My Boat Works

Safe dinghy anchoring is a little known subject and lost dinghies are the norm. Here is a solid basis for understanding the forces and necessary equipment and some of my favorite creative dinghy anchoring methods.

Here is how to use your anchor to haul your boat off a shoal and careen it. I also bring up a few other ideas, good and bad, for discussion.

Here are stories of anchoring well and poorly, with discussion of what worked and failed. I hope they’re both entertaining and instructive.

If you can’t retrieve your anchor, here are some ways you can coax it up anyway. More importantly, I’ll also show you how to avoid getting your anchor stuck or lost almost all the time.

Here’s how to do anchor well with other boats in an anchorage and happily for all.

Here are methods I’ve used for years that work great for finding that sweet patch of calm water to keep your boat steady and quietly at anchor – Often when boats around are rocking and swinging wildly.

This article gives an introduction into what anchoring technique to use where:

What’s the most ridiculous anchoring experience you’ve ever had? Here’s one of mine:

In this article, I’ll show you how to set an anchor, then how to set the basic configurations of anchors and why you’ll use one anchoring technique or another.

There really is no need for shouting and there’s a pride in communicating well and anchoring well with this communication – Try it!

Here is how you can safely, effectively and as easily as possible handle line and chain while anchoring.

Scams and deceptions involved with selling anchors exposed and disproved

How to set an anchor, what to feel when setting and why anchors, chain and line work the way they do; why anchor rode has to be so long and how to calculate it.

In a real blow, only commercial fishermen and highly experienced, well-equipped sailors stay put.  Why do so many – Perhaps 90% – Not know how to anchor safely?

In this series of brief articles, I’ll show you how anchors work, why it’s important to make good choices, how to select them and what nonsense to avoid.