Very true Mike! We forgot to mention this on the video. Thanks for the reminder.

Thanks for that!

Thanks Matt!

Great to hear, thanks Daniel!

Thanks for the kudos!

Can Siltu thanks!!

Thanks Darren!

Hey Stephany! Yes you ran into Jack and the crew. They are in Bequia right now en route to Martinique. Yes good point re the dinghy painter, we will put it in our blog post!

Thanks Rob!

FH Purcell that's exactly how it was filming this!

Thanks!

Martin Lipičnik hvala!

evanbetter glad you like it! Yes the suggestions you have in brackets look good. We go for “Goldilocks strategy” here. That is, not hard enough and you don’t really get a proper test done. Too hard and you may break your windlass (or on an older boat, even pull it off the mount). We normally start just above idle, say 1200rpm, then as it settles at that, gradually ease the throttle up to anywhere from 1500-2000 depending on how concerned you are about the hold. One tip here is to ease the throttle throughout (like volume control); never to "turn it off" like a light. Hope that helps!

Yes we love this boat. The large wheel allows for finer control, and means the helm can be in many places and still have control. This boat was designed by the legendary Bruce Farr; he did a great job in the design.

Yes for sure Paul. It just takes more time. But your suggestion is legit.

Thanks Rob!

By transiting, the helm knows if the anchor is set or not. All the anchor dropper does is drop the anchor. There are no forward/aft calls in dropping anchor. It's just drop and move back, either with the wind or motor. This is not complicated! In overcomplicating the process (with VHF/using forward/aft calls etc), people introduce more error to it.

@@SailingVirgins We have a couple of hand held walkie talkies to communicate between the helm and the bow. The anchor on our boat is controlled from the helm and always has an added element of danger ie no toes or fingers near the windlass when operating. This works well for us.

​@@TheRectory33 thanks for your thoughts. If that is a 100'+ boat, then fair enough re VHF comms. For any boats smaller, VHF is unnecessary, and we find that controlling the anchor from the helm can be problematic as you simply can't see what is going on. But whatever works for you!

@@SailingVirgins Every boat/crew has their own way of doing things, but for us - 2-up on a 40-footer - we use a combination of hand signals and UHF handhelds. Once the windlass starts then it's all about hand signals because, obviously, voice comms are useless. But before and after we communicate and consult between the bow and the helm via the handhelds, and this is important to us for a number of reasons. Firstly, I should say, that the bow is conning our boat - they have the best view of the mooring field and the seabed - and so it's the bow that makes the call on where and when to drop. It's important, especially in crowded/complex anchorages and marinas to have both good situational awareness and communication: so we talk it through over the handhelds and this ensures that we have both/all sets of eyes continuously scanning through 360-degrees, yet still able to effectively and clearly communicate and plan. There's no shouty-shouty (useless anyway if there's any decent wind) or loss for visual awareness while bow and helm are looking only at each other. We've seen lots of cowboys in budgie-smugglers/bikinis shouting at and over each other, getting themselves and others into all sorts of peril (it often seems that competence is inversely proportional to the quantity of clothing worn). Once set, we do all the usual checks for good holding - transit, chain bounce, etc - but we also "screenshot" the GPS coordinates; holding the boat in position using reverse thrust will give you a very stable fix that can be re-verified after a few moments... Thanks for videos, they're well planned and executed and although you do a good job of looking relaxed and carefree I know just how much pre-work goes into making it appear just so.

@@SailingVirgins "All the anchor dropper does is drop the anchor." Tom Cunliffe would disagree...kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ZsyjdrR90q2yco0.html

Not sure what you mean? We only have four points in this episode.

@@SailingVirgins Yes, swing room and diameter are important factors. As is your neighbours: boats of the same type will - more or less - be affected by wind and tidal stream in the same way and at the same time. But monohulls, multihulls, and motorboats will react differently, and so unless that's lots of space try to stick in a homogenous group.