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One of the most important skills to know to become a true seaman, rather than just a boater, is how to anchor.

Most boaters on the lake where I sail seem to be happy with dangling an anchor somewhere near the bottom and going for a swim. As a sailor, however, your fellow sailors will be judging your skills with every move, and there's nothing more readily observed than anchoring in a crowded cove.

First thing to do when preparing to anchor is to identify a good location. Keep in mind that you will need to leave room while swinging at the hook and that, if you're planning on staying any length of time, you'll need to have plenty of anchor line, or scope. Scope is the ratio of length of your anchor line to the depth of the water in which you're anchoring. For overnight anchoring, or in unsettled conditions it is usually recommended to have a scope of 7 to 1, or seven times the depth. If you only have 70 feet of anchor line that means you shouldn't anchor in any more than 10 feet of water.

Since most all boats will swing in the same general direction with the wind you don't need to keep all of the room available to match your scope, but you do need to consider where everyone will swing if the wind changes and make sure you will have enough room to not bump against another boat. Another thing to look for at this time is how the other boats are sitting. Unless there is a significant current they should be downwind of their anchors and you will want to put your anchor down so you can fall back and set the anchor. You should also observe the angles of the anchor rode on the other boats. If their lines are hanging straight down they probably don't have much scope out and will swing in a tight circle, if they don't drag.

When you've selected a good location you should motor slowly upwind to the spot you wish to anchor. When you're close to the exact location for anchoring, put your motor in neutral. If you time it right you will drift to a stop at the spot you wish to drop your anchor. At that point slowly lower the anchor to the bottom as your boat drifts backwards. If the breeze is particularly light you may wish to motor slowly backwards. While you're drifting back feed out anchor line allowing it to remain slack and settle to the bottom.

When you have approximately 7 times the depth of line out cleat your anchor line to an appropriate location on the bow of the boat. Motor slowly backwards bringing the line tight. Carefully observe the line and your location to make

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