Sleeping on the investigator

[Edsped]

Hey guys, it’s been a while since I’ve posted however the sailing has continued!

More recently my partner and I have been overnighting on the boat. One of those times was in middle harbour Sydney (scary) on a courtesy ball where we came extremely close to hitting the neighbouring cruising catamaran on the next mooring ball at about 3am!! (Who the hell put those things so close together!!!)
And just last weekend on Jervis bay where we anchored at cabbage tree beach where it was actually really nice but anxiety was high!

Long before it got dark I had assured there was sufficient scope (4-5:1) and that the anchor had totally buried itself in sand however the night was still near sleepless

My question to those of you that have slept on your investigators, is it possible to relax after time?
The boat was as still as it could be in a large bay I think but being an 18 footer it rocked noticeably more than the other anchored boats. Next time I’ll anchor further from shore cause the breaking waves become quite disturbing especially at low tide when the shore is closest! Any other tips or should I just have a few drinks and fall asleep

(Photos courtesy of my drone and Google maps)

[Andrew]

Gday Ed,

These are a few things ive tried, to get a good nights sleep.

Fitted a heavy CQR plough anchor with allot of chain , so no rope warp goes over. Its not dragged yet and the chain can never cut through and break like a rope. (There is a rope warp tail, but havent used it yet, for deep water anchoring)

Also try to find the most sheltered, flat calm place to anchor. Rivers are best, or a well protected bay with steep hills. Check "windyTV" app ( or Bom) to see what the wind forecast for the night will be, so not caught by a sudden wind change. I try to stay away from rocky headlands, reefs and noisy beach shore breaks.

With tides, knowing the anchoring depth so wont dry out at low tide. Just fitted a depth sounder for this, But a traditional lead-line with a rope marked with depths can suffice) getting dried out at midnight was a minimal sleep night!

LED Anchor light to make boat visible. Also anchor away from boating channels. Fishermen passing close by at night is a boat rocker.

Stow everything securely, so worst case boat wakes cant dislodge anything.

I tie a horizontal rope around the halyards to the shrouds.. To stop halyard/mast slap, its impossible to sleep when thats going. Try to find anything that creates a rhythmic tap, loose ropes in the wind etc. I unship and pull my rudder aboard, too much creaking for me.

[Edsped]

Thanks Andrew, I have a 15lb CQR and 8m of chain and the anchor only just fits in the locker haha. What size CQR do you have and where do you keep it?

That’s a good point about having full chain, I think knowing it’s overkill would help give peace of mind not to mention the rope always slackens and then retentions during the night meaning the boat swivels and tugs all over the place haha. We do have a good anchor light

The forecast was great and it was actually accurate so the north east wind kept us away from shore, definitely estuaries are the go but i do really want to learn to sleep in safe conditions that are less sheltered like this. Tide wasn’t an issue here and we have a sounder so I was confident about that. The occasional louder set of waves did however spike the heart rate as it’s easy to imagine drifting closer to shore but as you can see in the photo we were a good distance out.

What I’m putting together in my mind here is that reducing as many little noises as possible like halyards slapping and waves breaking is one of the secrets to a good sleep haha. Hearing that halyard start to slap faster and the wind whistling over the mast is very eerie!

How did you sleep on your adventure Andrew other than the 30* tilt you got on?

[Andrew]

Hey Ed, those are great drone pics , (a first for Investigators?) . Ive got a 10lb CQR with 6mm chain. I think the fact it wont drag and wont break is best insurance and nights sleep factor for me. I stow it all in the bow anchor locker, it is a bit heavy up there, but my sea conditions arent too bad. (Davids idea of an anchor crate below deck good for rough conditions) my bow locker doesnt have a hatch, was long gone, so the anchors plough side sticks up above deck level a bit. It can be tied down with a lanyard on bow rails etc. No anchor hatch never been a problem, if its too hard on the nose, like 25-30 knots, i move the anchor and chain aft to the cockpit, which gives good bouyancy forward.

Thanks David, all good advice. Haven't had a chance to try yet, but hope the Garmin striker 4+ just fitted has an anchor alarm. Ive slept well without the fishfinder, but it was due to many of the points youve both mentioned.

Also up north we don't contend with the same weather as down south. eg No southerly blockbusters at midnight..in northern dry season the trade winds like clockwork, abates and turns to light landbreeze overnights. (Wet season more unpredictable, thunderstorms etc..) weather patterns and forecasting has a big say on when to go out for me at least, a getting a good sleep.

On the Hinchinbrook trip, slept well mostly. Zoe Bay was unusually calm (freak 3 day calm) foreseen by weather app. Mission bay was naturally good, but did move once to get calmer (Davids anchor 1 hr before sunset rule in action) . Haycock island..Never anchor anywher near a houseboats. Loud music and partying made it impossible to sleep. So was forced to reanchor in the dark, with no sounder..but it was a sheltered estuary, mud bottom so got a good sleep.

Forgot to add, insect protection a must for good sleep esp places like hbrook. Mossie net, mozzie coils below, and repellent on.

Also having all safety gear aboard. Ive got VHF and EPIRB (switch vhf off to sleep) so can sleep better, knowing that if isolated disaster struck help could be summoned quickly.(its very unlikely, but every little bit helps rest easy)

[Ozzie]

Hi Ed, glad you are still with us. Good advice from the others.

I have been fortunate enough to mainly overnight in some of the multiple protected areas of the lake like West Pulbah Island, so anchor drag has not been too much of a problem or worry. We have also actually beached the boat on the protected steep beach near the airport.

I have devised, but never tested a rudimentary anchor drag alarm. A weight , an old tow ball would be about right, tied to heavy fishing line and thrown in adjacent to your regular anchor. The other end tied to a cheap battery powered pocket alarm or alternate trip switch . Anchor drags, weight does not and pulls out pin on alarm...chaos ensues.

You would need to route the fishing line through suitable fairlead on the bow rail . An old fishing rod runner would do. I doubt I’ll ever need this as we’re rarely far from a safe gunkhole, but thought somebody might like to play with the ideas. I’ve read that there are some drift phone apps but are not very reliable.

Ps don’t tie the fishing line around your toe.

[Peter T]

Ozzie, you beat me to it mate, don’t tie it round your toe. Ha ha.
But seriously, you NEVER want to let an investigator beach itself. With the repair I am doing on my keel, we found out just how thin the fibreglass in that area really is. Mine will have an extra three layers at least if not more both on the outside and inside the keel which will more than double the thickness, so everyone be warned, DONT BEACH YOUR BOAT ! It makes a good anchor alarm and a depth sounder with tidal heights knowledge really cheap.
Cheers

Regards Peter T

[snoopebj]

Great photos Ed especially the drone shots. Mostly everything’s been covered here on anchoring. All I can add is that I had difficulties with dragging anchors until advised to use all of my anchor chain 12metres in my case. Works every time even if my plough anchor doesn’t initially dig in it always grabs with extra long chain. So I have to lay anchor a fair distance from intended anchorage. In sheltered bays away from other boats I usually use a stern danforth off the beach as well and adjusting tension between both. Often in a line of trailer sailers with no probs allowing for tidal changes at night.
Have had the whole range of challenges in anchorages in the past -noisy party boats, loud generators, boats mooring too close as well as violent wind changes, rain squalls etc. Always good to have an alternate anchorage/s planned beforehand.
Obviously public moorings the best for peace of mind.
With boat prepping I have the fish finder depth alarm on and my auto float switch bilge pump on. Torch knife epirb nearby then hopefully a good nights sleep.
Until your partner starts snoring!

[Ozzie]

I don’t actually dry out. When we have beached it’s on the steep sand spit beach which very protected. We pull the bow onto the sand for egress, hand bury the anchor and sometimes throw out a stern anchor for dragging off in the morning although the water is usually about five feet so you can manually pull it off . This is a common practice on this sand spit for larger boats and houseboats and the odd TS like us . No issues to date . Also slops hunting on the anchor and most of the rolling.

Biggest issue is as per Emrys post , noise from dim bulbs partying nearby.

[Edsped]

Thanks for the advice guys, I think I’ll just have to pick my days at this spot and the night cap idea sounds like a winner too

Other than that, sailing the bay during the day and returning to the safety of the mangroves for the evening might be the best course of action. I’ll probably just have to get used to the motion if I want to stay out in the bay though

[Ozzie]

Ed, just an advisory on the all chain rode idea. Chain is of course very heavy and in sufficient quantity could unbalance these small boats.

To everyone. Mostly over the years myself and others have needed to avoid making the boat tail heavy with batteries, bbqs, anchors and the like but I would assume excessive weight in the bow could produce its own trim issues.

Apart from on water issues, also be aware of the increase in ball weight when towing with all chain rode in the anchor locker. Indeed overall trailer weight and your GVM. As suggested, on the water, moving the chain to the centre of the boat when open water cruising makes sense, and also on the road. But. In rough water or an emergency road stop you do not want a tub of chain moonwalking around the cabin