How to safely anchor your boat and operate an anchor windlass.

A detailed look at how to safely anchor your boat and operate an anchor windlass with a few tips and hints!

[@notoriouscab]

Another informative, plain English video 👏🏾

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Many thanks indeed !! :)

[@notoriouscab]

Random question... 99% of the boats I see have multiple mattresses on the beds, so wondering how comfy are they, or do you use a topper?

[@michaelschreckling8688]

Hello, it's always a pleasure to meet you, very informative video and as usual great image quality. See you soon and continue like this. A big well done

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Thank you Michael, much appreciated :)

[@setyourusername]

Hi 😊, nice one once again 😊, what is next ? Fishing maybe 🤓

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

:) thanks for that - Well the possibilities are endless - I think some scenery we have already taken the other day of the wonderful puffins etc and then we have some requests for dinghy and Torqeedo - if only I could catch fish more frequently!!!

[@johnpenson8801]

Very Informative Bob & Nicky. Job well done. Look forward to the next one. Hope to see the dinghy inflation and deflation one soon.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Thanks John and yes that is certainly well up our list now - I suspect it will be the next film :) Just need a decent days weather, and a bit more warmth would be nice but not essential!! Any more news on the 895 plans?

[@cozzielife]

What dinghy did you go with guys? Im about to get a lightweight 3D Tender but not sure if 2.3 or 2.5m ?

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

@@cozzielife it was the 2.5m - might be doing some dinghy filming on Thursday or Friday if the weather allows, plus the Torqeedo Travel 1103 - great combination. 2.5 is great size for 2 adults and could do more 😁

[@danyeates5]

@@cozzielife you need a nice Zodiac or Yam dinghy from us! 😀

[@cozzielife]

@@PowerboatingAdventures Did you go for the 3D model too then ?

[@petermartin4675]

Good informative video well done on explaining this.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Many thanks Peter, much appreciated 😁

[@stuartgray100ify]

Many thanks Bob and Nicky. A superbly detailed video. We have just moved from a smaller boat where you throw the anchor overboard by hand, to one with an electric windlass and were working up to our first anchor in the new boat. We now have all the information we need to go and do our first anchoring _ next weekend (weather permitting). It was good seeing you out in the haven a couple of weekends ago. Looking forward to your next video, Stu and Denice (Shamrock)

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Thanks Stuart that's great!! I only commented today, as we left the marina, at how Shamrock looked new on the racks - what a tidy up you've done there!!! We will probably be there this weekend too :)

[@stuartgray100ify]

@@PowerboatingAdventures. Thanks, we are amazed you noticed she was looking a bit tidier. A weekend of cleaning and polishing and she is getting there, learning many new skills as we go. Hopefully see you around at the weekend.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

@@stuartgray100ify wax on wax off - yes the hull view looks new!!!

[@hunterboat]

the addition of the swivel is a must!!! without it mine twisted up. If you have an 895 add the swivel!!!

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

True that Hunterboat!!! 😁👍

[@starportboating2381]

Very thorough - thanks for taking the time to make this video guys

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Many thanks StarPort Boating 👍

[@mojen2245]

Thank you so much. You are very kind sharing all these useful information. I wish you did similar videos on the 795 when you owned it to show a similar owner experience on it.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Many thanks Mo Jen - we’ve had fun doing the films and yes it would have been good doing 795 films too although some things are similar for both boats. ☀️☀️😁

[@Urria110]

Thanks this been really useful

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Many thanks indeed for that and really glad it helped :)

[@timdaniel5395]

Very useful reminder - thanks, great video !!

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Many thanks Tim 😁☀️

[@63melvyn]

Just got our new 795 and re watching all yourvideos

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

That’s amazing news 63Melvyn and very exciting for you!! Have an amazing time exploring that amazing boat. Huge thanks too for watching our films ☀️☀️🎉🚤🚤

[@jimthompson717]

This was so helpful. Thank-you so much for posting. If ever you find your way to West Vancouver, Canada. A pint ( or several) are on me.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Thank you Jim - what a lovely comment and we very much appreciate the feedback. Love Vancouver - was there in the 90's, together with the Rockies and the Island and would love to return one day. I'll be taking you up on that if we ever return!!!. :) :)

[@jeanmichelbouthinon5397]

Hello. Many thanks for thé vidéo. I would like to see the Lewmar Working with rope. Sorry for m’y English.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Hi Jean, Your English is fine!! Ok - next time we are on the boat I will take some footage of that for the next film :)

[@philself1833]

Thanks for the video - its only a question of time before that pin goes in though - there has to be a better design!

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Yes, very possible Phil!!! Might lanyard it :)

[@paulwalker5921]

I thoroughly recommend the book Happy Hooking available on Amazon. It covers every possible aspect of anchoring, from anchor choice, rode, connectors, snubbers and anchoring technique.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Many thanks for that recommendation Paul :)

[@paulwalker5921]

You Must connect the swivel to the anchor with a bow shackle to allow it to articulate. As it stands any side load to the anchor from yawing or tide change will cause the jaws of the swivel to fail.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Thanks Paul we’ll have look at that - saw them on Jimmy Green the other day👍😁

[@jonathanroper9956]

Paul Walker is absolutely right, also, stainless steel is less ductile than galvanised steel. Galvanised is a better choice for this application if you must use a swivel and introduce another point of failure! Also, check out reviews of anchors designed this century compared to the Danforth and CQRs designed 80+ years ago. Their resetting performance in wind shifts and current changes have to be experienced to be believed giving you a more restful night's sleep.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Many thanks Jonathan, much appreciated and very useful information 😁

[@oliviernissaboat4327]

Great as usual. What is your codification for the marks clipped on the chain like for example 10m = red , 5 m = yellow ?

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Hi Olivier, many thanks for that. Our markers are 2, 4 and 6 red, as that’s our common anchoring depths, then 8, 10, 12 yellow, 14, 16, 18 are blue then the remaining white - not much science to it!! 😁😁

[@jimcbutts]

I am really enjoying your videos thank you for taking your time to produce these. If you don’t mind I got a couple of questions about Merry Fisher boats. Although here in America it would be a NC weekender instead of Merry Fisher. First on your boat there’s a round cylinder underneath what I assume is the anchoring light what is that. Second I noticed that you have a refrigerator how long can you run the refrigerators off of the house battery. Is it possible to add additional house batteries. When the engine is running I assume it charges the house battery the question is if the engines are idling is that enough to charge the house batteries or do they need to be running under load. I assume as well that we plugged into shore power As well you charge the house batteries. Also I’ve been looking a lot at merry fisher and Beneteau Antares I’m wondering if you looked at both by chance or if you have an opinion on either one of these boats versus the other. Last how have you found the reliability of your boat in other words how How well does it screw together. And lastly your boating area is absolutely gorgeous again thanks for taking the time to produce your videos if my questions are a pain in the ass ignore them if you got time to answer I do appreciate it

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Thank you very much Life Happens - it's great fun putting them together and more excuses to go out on the water!! Firstly that is an Echomax 230 Mini which is a radar reflector to improve our 'radar visibility' in foggy weather if we are ever caught out on our coastal waters. Other boats fitted with the right equipment (most bigger boats than us!!) can hopefully see us on radar even if they can't physically see us. We are not planning to go out in fog though!!!! Second - in respect of the battery I'm not a 'battery expert' by any means - Our batteries are www.duracell-automotive.com/en/Products/Commercial-Vehicle-Batteries/56-DP-145-SHD?fbclid=IwAR28hmVCgsNou3wfuvnzw6hziW-kaAl-M_WtLDlEOOllfjOS1cgzzT0NpRo ....... Two of these. One for each engine, one of which doubles as the house battery the fridge draws about 5 amps and our batteries are 140ah so assuming its using 50% (which is the about the usable capacity at 12v) then about 14 hours I think on a 140ah. The engines will put out a good amount of power, 50 amps at higher revs but I'm not sure what exactlt the revs would have to be for that amount. It’s probably about 2-3000 RPM and above. But even at idle they’ll put out way more than 5 amps each. You can parallel additional batteries in to the house battery. So you can hook up another. If you wanted more detailed info I can ask my NC/Merry Fisher dealer, Daniel Yeates at BHG Marine in the UK, as he is my font of all knowledge!!!!! (the battery suppliers might improve on the detail too!!) In respect of Beneteau Antares we didn't look at them as an alternative when going to dealers - we focussed on MF/NC after doing online research/personal preference/viewing at our local marinas which gave us our preference for these MF boats. We've not physically tested the Beneteau and I'm sure they have many benefits too :) Touch wood we haven't had any problems at all apart from that hose that popped off when engine flushing in our film, which was easy to resolve, and the webasto heating cutting out probably because the rear canopy, by mistake, blocked the air intake. No other issues at all, no leaks, no failures so we are very pleased with that albeit the boat is only 9 months old so long may that continue. Components seem sturdy in our sometimes crazy UK weather as she sits in the water full time at our marina through all weathers. Finally of course the scenery is indeed fabulous and we got some lovely footage of our birdlife this wekk which we'll edit into a short film very soon. Keep asking - no problem at all :)) X

[@jimcbutts]

@@PowerboatingAdventures Thanks for the quick response to my questions I wondered if the cylinder walls in fact a radar reflector. Here typically that would be where you mount a radar dome So I was wondering if you had some sort of crazy radar in England.I have to mitt as I watch more more videos and look at more and more webpages and specs I’m thinking maybe the Merry Fisher would be the boat to pick.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

They are fabbbb!! Your boat is out there!! :)

[@tiffanyll3866]

New subbie here!

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Many thanks Tiffany 😁😁🚤

[@tiffanyll3866]

@@PowerboatingAdventures You're welcome 😀

[@garysaffin15]

Hi guys , really useful video . Thank you .Can i ask what camera you use ? Cheers

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Hi Gary and thank you 😁 it’s just a GoPro Hero 8 (so 4K) :)

[@cozzielife]

Great informative video guys. Can I ask about your Imray laminated card. Is that purchased, or one you made yourselves?

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Hi Alan and many thanks for that 😁 Home made with a desk top laminator from one of the paper chart sets :)

[@cozzielife]

@@PowerboatingAdventures Thought so Good idea 😉

[@mskarenwyness]

Random question, do you take any special consideration when buying clothing for boating and bedding and towels etc. Would one need to consider quick drying towels and sleeping bag double as we are very experienced campers and have the gear and wondering if that would be worth considering for drying/condensation etc?

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Morning Karen, so glad you’re enjoying the films and many thanks for your comments and questions 😁👍 no we haven’t any quick drying clothing or towels etc. The heating blowers/vents are very efficient at warming the boat up quickly if needed in Winter (or even Summer in the UK!!) so do consider heating if you buy! Your existing camping gear would be great as well though I’m sure :) We run a dehumidifier in Autumn and Winter which prevents any damp from condensation. It runs on shore power only, unless you have a generator, so we leave it on when away from the boat. It cuts out when the air has been dried out so does not use excessive electric - that’s a Meaco DD8L dehumidifier. Swimming costumes or wetsuits etc also dry well when pegged on to outside bars etc when on the move as it’s a good air flow.👍😁

[@bertybarrett4379]

Believe there’s restrictions in that bay due to the Seagrass

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Thanks Berty, yes we try and stay outside the area highlighted by MHPA and would prefer to use the visitor buoys there but they don't seem to have reappeared yet :(

[@paulchambers4137]

@Offshore & Onshore Adventures do you have links to the documents in your incredibly organised file please? Or an overview you can share? Also, a template for the Mayday cards in the back of the chair please? They're incredibly useful 👍🏻 We love the videos, we're new to boating - having just completed PB2 and VHF in readiness to join a local boat club to check we do really like it 😳 your videos are really informative

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Hi Paul, Many thanks for your comments and really glad you've found the films useful :) I have got the Mayday cards on a Word Doc that I created - if you wanted a copy drop me an email address either on here or send a DM to our facebook page of the same name. We also did the Essential Seamanship and Navigation course which is all online through the RYA and that was a really excellent insight into a bit more of the theory that compliments the PB2 really well. You can work through it at any pace you want and redo it etc etc - really useful. I think I got the IALA buoyage system stuff from that RYA course as they send a really good work pack for all the tasks they set you, but not certain. If it wasn't that it would have been a Google search, download, print and laminate the useful pages that we had heard about on that RYA course detailed above. Hope that helps and just ask if there's anything else you need - it's a great hobby!!! :)

[@paulchambers4137]

@@PowerboatingAdventures thank you so much. Managed to find a few bits from your descriptions in the videos 😁 We're really excited. Sad to see you've sold your boat, but enjoying your new adventures too. Thanks again

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

@@paulchambers4137 thanks Paul and it's just great :))

[@63melvyn]

Great video , how long do you suggest the anchor chain to be ?

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Morning 63melvyn, Many thanks for your feedback and we have remained with the chain and rope that was supplied with the boat. It has 23m of chain attached to 35m of rope so 58m overall. We are often anchored in 5 or 6m of water so working on the suggested ratio it is 4 x depth if ONLY chain and 6 x depth if it is chain and rope combination. So work out where you will anchor, or want to anchor, and that will give you a guide to the amount you may need :) Hope that makes sense!!

[@robinuk66]

Hi guys, I have an 895 on order for December and starting to get an inventory together in anticipation. (I bought the cockpit cards today you featured in an earlier video) Would be great to see what essentials you bought to get you going or what you find essential. Where did you buy the anchor swivel BTW? Great video and can't wait for my 895!!

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Hi Robski, Many thanks for that!! 😁 We are at the boat on Thursday and/or Friday so we’ll have a look through and make a list for you. Is this an upgrade or a first boat, and have you done any RYA stuff to give me an idea of where you’re at? ☀️😁

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

By the way the anchor swivel was recommended and fitted by Daniel at BHG Marine when we bought the boat but this is the product ...... www.osculati.com/en/11004-m-000246/anchor-swivelling-connector

[@robinuk66]

@@PowerboatingAdventures Hi guys...again. That would be fantastic thank you for that I really appreciate you taking the time. It will be my first boat...seems the best choice I can see and the walk through you did, as others have said, was really informative! I did my day skipper early 2000's on yachts and have sailed some here and in the Greek islands. I'm ''retiring'' sometime in June so will have time on my hands but unfortunately the boat won't be here until December...will be a long summer! :) Thanks for the link to the swivel as well. Daniel recommended the Jenneau Powerboat Facebook page which I've joined as well.

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Thanks Robski and that’s an amazing, and beautiful part of the world for yachting. We’d love to explore your part of the world in Rezzy - bit of a trip though 😁. You will indeed love the 895 and by December we should have covered a LOT of subjects!! Have you got a tender in mind for getting to shore when anchored, or do you have one already? We’ll have a look through at the end of the week for our list. ☀️☀️

[@robinuk66]

@@PowerboatingAdventures Thanks again...It's amazing place to sail, the scenery, the people, the food...everything is lovely there! Motorboating for the Solent, sailing for the Greek Isles! No tender yet but any advice is welcome. I was thinking of an electric outboard for one though! The videos are coming thick and fast from you and it's great to get them weekly, it's like a TV series :)

[@cozzielife]

What charts do you use on your Garmin chart plotter please ?

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Hi Alan, we added BlueChart G3 Vision EU722L Europe Atlantic Coast including Azores, Mediterranean Sea To the base map 😁

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

We’ll be doing a film of the GPSMap soon as we’ve had some requests 😁

[@63melvyn]

Does the windless just work the rope the same as the chain ?

[@PowerboatingAdventures]

Hi 63melvyn, Now that’s a good question! What I’ve found is that if you have put down all the chain and gone onto the rope then it lays down well as the weight of the chain is pulling the rope through the windlass. When winding back in I have found it necessary to keep a close eye on the retrieve and have often just assisted the windlass by pulling the rope on the boat side of the windlass to prevent it winding around the windlass instead of dropping into the anchor locker. The chain retrieve is fine as it has its own weight but the rope needs to be monitored in case of that snag in my opinion. Another good reason to be up at the front when dropping or retrieving the anchor 😁😁👍 Hope that makes sense!