Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills

Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills, Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills

Emergency Sail off Anchor Drills

Situations, situations! Ok, so let’s say you are anchored, and here comes an out-of-control barge about to clean out the anchorage. However, you anchored in an emergency – your engine stopped – so now you are without an engine and must sail off the anchor. Here are the steps, and it’s a good idea to practice it sometime when you aren’t actually in distress to see how the steps go on your boat.

Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills, Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills

First Step

First, assess wind direction. Hopefully you are pointed into the wind, and can easily raise your main sail.

Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills, Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills

Next, Check for Danger

Check downwind, down current, check everywhere everything for danger – other boats, bridge, rocks…

Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills, Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills

Assess Conditions

Make sure wind is stronger than current, or you won’t be able to sail yourself out of trouble. 

Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills, Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills

Raise Then Control the Main

Raise main. 

Have someone ready to, by hand, pull in and release main to softy sail you toward your anchor. 

Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills, Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills

Communicate Bow to Helm

Continue to bring in your anchor, let the helms person know when it is off the bottom. 

Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills, Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills

Weigh Anchor, Begin Sailing

Quickly steer in the direction you planned – the one that gives you enough room to build up speed and control.

Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills, Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills

Control Speed, Add Jib

Quickly steer in the direction you planned – the one that gives you enough room to build up speed and control.

Deploy your jib. 

Sail on! 

Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills, Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills

Emergency Sail off the Anchor Checklist

  • Assign someone to announce situation on VHF and keep watch
  • Have sound producing device ready for emergency signals
  • Raise main
  • Gently, slowly sail forward, luffing as needed so you don’t overshoot your anchor
  • Retrieve anchor
  • Alert helmsperson that anchor is weighed
  • Sail toward safety
  • Raise jib
  • Continue sailing
Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills, Emergency Sailing Off Your Anchor Drills

I Don’t Go Anywhere Without:

  • North American Rescue CAT tourniquets.
  • PierShare to rent your dock out or rent a dock.
  • BoatUS for your boat towing insurance! Code: “HEWAF88”
  • Thank you Bill for being the Best Sailing Partner EVER!
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