Forgive the inexperience, but to date in my short sailing career, I 've never set two anchors at once. I 've been fortunate that I have not needed to - but recently heard of an approach that seems considerably easier than any other two anchor deployment methods that I have previously heard of...

1. Deploy main anchor and set.
2. Motor ahead of the first anchor and deploy the second anchor and set it.
3. Release tension on the second anchor rode and fall back to lie on the first anchor again. Leave "some" slack in the second anchor rode.

As I understand it, the first anchor holds the boat, but if she should begin to break out, the boat will fall back to lie on the second anchor, with greater scope.
If the second anchor fails, in doing so, there is a good chance that the first anchor would be able to re-set - since it would have ceased dragging while the second anchor took up the load.

Wind change through 90 degrees would tend to convert this anchoring system into a more normal; one to starboard one to port type arrangement I guess - and when it goes through 180 degrees, I imagine the first anchor would be allowed to drag a long way before the second anchor took up the load...

So question to you all - have I got this all wrong? I plan to try it out sometime this season - so maybe you can tell me where I 've got it wrong in advance of making an idiot of myself! Thinking I 'd do it with short scope to try to encourage movement - thoughts?

Bill Balme

On Easy Go we have set Bahamian Moorings, two chain anchorage moorings, two chain v moorings and my favourite a Moitessier Mooring. The Moitessier mooring is simple to set and retrieve, does not allow the chains to get tangled on each other and has incredible holding power. We have successfully sat out a couple of Cat 1 hurricanes with this mooring. We were once blown ashore after setting a v two chain mooring.

We set the Moitessier mooring by putting down our main bower which is either a Bruce or Fisherman 's Anchor. We set this well giving it the entire scope required for the depth. If we have anchored in less than 25 feet we will then retrieve the chain until we have about 60 feet remaining in the water. We attach a second anchor, out little bruce usally, to 30 feet of chain and attach this chain to the main chain rode with a shackle and swivel. We set this anchor down carefully and again let out all the chain we need for the anchorage we are in. This places the anchors about 30 feet apart. We have only one chain over the bow roller, no tangles and if the wind gets up we can let out more rode and even put a float on the rode to act as a hydraulic damper/snubber. We have swung around on this system without dislodging the anchors and have never had a foul up even in kelp.

We have yet to drag anchor with this method and Easy Go has been known to sit to this anchor system for four months.

To retrieve we bring in the chain until we get to the connection of the two chains then bring in the 30 feet and small bruce, while staying connected to the bottom, put this all away then finish getting our bower up and stowed.