Here are some of the other common anchoring pit-falls, and some easy tips on how to avoid them.
The anchor, the rode or both can be tangled up with mooring lines, fishing equipment, even with ankles of passers-by. Keep it clear; the times you’re going to need it are often spur-of-the-moment, and sometimes unforgiving.
The boat is moving backwards so fast the anchor sleds above the bottom, or if the hook has already taken a bite the rode is playing out too fast to be snubbed off. Use your sail or motor to move up on it.
Someone grabs a fast-moving anchor rode and loses skin. Anchor handling is one of the best reasons to wear gloves, which should be kept close to where they’re needed.
The part of the anchor rode which is supposed to be attached to the boat – called the “bitter end” by those who speak the language – isn’t , and it follows the anchor overboard (thence, possibly, the name.) This is another situation best corrected in advance.
The wind or tide shifts, and the swinging boat fouls on someone else’s anchor rode or bangs into an adjacent vessel. One way to avoid this is to secure both bow and stern. Another is to use two bow anchors, one on either side of the boat; this won’t stop the boat from turning around, but it can greatly reduce the scope of the swing.