05/08/2026
WHEN THE ANCHOR DRAGS… ⚓️
Anchorage. 15–20 knots of wind.
A yacht slowly drifts past KARPO. The skipper casually waves, then goes back to whatever he’s doing at the stern.
Wait… does he really not realize the anchor isn’t holding?
I grabbed my phone and started recording. It was obvious something was about to happen. I started yelling to get attention from both sailboats. The crew on the properly anchored yacht reacted first and pushed the drifting boat away. A little chaos, fortunately no damage.
Moments like this make you wonder: how is this even possible?
If a skipper doesn’t notice a dragging anchor in broad daylight, what happens in the middle of the night?
Incidents like these give anchoring an undeserved bad reputation. In reality, an anchor is one of the safest and most useful pieces of equipment on a yacht—provided it’s used correctly.
Here are a few simple reminders:
1. Drop the anchor in sand. An anchor won’t reliably hold in seagrass unless there’s almost no wind. Besides, seagrass meadows are protected and should be avoided.
2. Use enough chain. The stronger the wind, the more chain you need. In no wind even a 2:1 scope may be enough. In stronger winds, use at least 5:1, and whenever possible extend to 7:1 or even 9:1.
3. Always test the anchor. Reverse gently while increasing engine RPM (up to around 2,000) to confirm the anchor has set. In stronger winds, nature often performs the test for you. Watch fixed landmarks or use your chartplotter to verify you’re not moving.
4. Turn on the anchor alarm. Every single time. Then make sure it’s working properly.
5. Practice anchoring. Experience is the best teacher. The more you anchor, the better you’ll recognize when conditions are suitable—and when it’s smarter to look for another place to spend the night.
6. Check the forecast. Choose an anchorage protected from the expected wind, with open sea behind you rather than in front of you.
Do you have a tip that has saved you more than once? Share it in the comments. Experience costs nothing when it’s shared.
KARPO Learn
Explore Freely.
Learn Deeply.
Race Fully.
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🇸🇮
KO SIDRO SPUSTI … ⚓️
Sidrišče. Veter piha s 15–20 vozli.
Mimo Karpo začne počasi drseti druga jadrnica. Skiper zgolj pomaha in nadaljuje z opravili na krmi.
Čakaj … ali res ne opazi, da sidro sploh ne drži?
V rahlem šoku sem pograbil telefon in začel snemati, saj je bilo jasno, da bo slej ko prej prišlo do zapleta. Na moja opozorila so se najprej odzvali na jadrnici, ki je bila pravilno zasidrana, in uspeli odriniti nenadzorovano plovilo. Nekaj zmede, na srečo pa brez posledic.
Ob takšnih trenutkih se človek vpraša, kako je to sploh mogoče.
Če skiper sredi belega dne ne opazi, da sidro drsi, kaj se šele zgodi ponoči?
Prav zaradi takšnih situacij se sidranja drži slab sloves. Pa vendar je sidro eden najboljših in najvarnejših pripomočkov na jadrnici – če ga uporabljamo pravilno.
Na hitro nekaj napotkov:
1. Sidro spuščamo v pesek. V morski travi praviloma ne bo držalo, razen ob popolnem brezvetrju. Poleg tega je morska trava zaščitena.
2. Uporabimo dovolj verige. Močnejši kot je veter, daljša mora biti veriga. V bonaci zadostuje že razmerje 1 : 2. V močnem vetru uporabimo najmanj 1 : 5, še bolje pa 1 : 7 ali celo 1 : 9.
3. Vedno preverimo, ali je sidro prijelo. Počasi zapeljemo vzvratno in postopoma povečamo obrate motorja (vsaj do približno 2.000). Pri močnem vetru bo preizkus pogosto opravil že veter sam. Opazujmo orientirje ali položaj na ploterju.
4. Vedno vključimo sidrni alarm. Ob vsakem sidranju. In preverimo, da deluje pravilno.
5. Sidrajmo čim več. Le praksa nam da občutek, kdaj so razmere primerne za sidranje in kdaj je bolje poiskati drugo rešitev za prenočevanje.
6. Spremljajmo vremensko napoved. Sidrajmo v zavetrini otokov in izbirajmo sidrišča, kjer je odprto morje za nami, ne pred nami.
Imate še kakšen nasvet iz lastnih izkušenj? Zapišite ga v komentar. Izmenjava znanja je še vedno brezplačna.
KARPO Learn
Explore Freely.
Learn Deeply.
Race Fully.
