Catalina 27 anchoring

[cruiseco]

I'm buying an older Catalina 27 which does not have a forward anchor locker or bow roller. I will occasionally be anchoring single-handed. Apparently the previous owner kept the anchor and rode in the lazarette behind the tiller then, once he had the boat backing up, would drop the anchor off to one side and walk the rode forward as the boat came back.

I'm just a little nervous about the rode/chain wrapping around the anchor shaft if I don't time the walking-forward part correctly or even getting mixed up with the prop (although I would not drop with the trans in gear).

My other thought is to fabricate some sort of hanger from the bow pulpit. When going forward to drop the jib (no roller furler yet) I'd take the anchor up to this temporary hanger/bracket then when ready deploy it as I normally would. The hanger would NOT be used for permanent storage and the anchor would be stowed in the lazarette which has the added advantage of being handy in case of an emergency requiring it to be quickly deployed..

Am I overthinking this? Should I just go with the previous owner's method?

[Faster]

You could do as the previous owner did.. you could anchor by the stern and then move the rode forward afterwards... you could add an anchor roller forward (not too expensive) and keep your anchor and rode in a 5 gal bucket or a dairy crate and pack all that from the cockpit storage to the bow to do your anchoring.

The C27 does have a small area ahead of the Vberth where you could store the rode and add a hawsepipe fitting to have it convenient to someone on the bow, and then get one of those bracket to hang your anchor off the pulpit - then everything is forward already.

It MAY be possible to build a proper anchor locker in the bow if you're comfortable with working with fiberglass and have the nerve to cut into your boat!

Lots of options, as you can see!

[smackdaddy]

cruise - below is a pic of my anchor set-up on my C27. There is a small, capped opening below the jib bag that goes directly into the chain locker forward of the v-berth. I assume yours has the locker space as well - but not the deck opening? Seems like it would be pretty easy to install a cap if you wanted to.

It sure has been an easy set-up for anchoring.

[smackdaddy]

That thing's called a hawsepipe fitting? Thanks Faster. At least I didn't call it a "thingy".

[Sailnakked]

I have a 1973 Catalina 27 Hull # 863. It sounds like our fore-deck configurations are exactly the same. I have the anchor rode in a milk crate I keep bungeed on the deck in the nook leading into the V-berth just forward of the head. When I anchor singlehanded I lead the rode straight up and out of the forward hatch and have the chain and anchor connected and ready on the foredeck.
When I get to the anchor spot, facing into the wind I secure the tiller midships give about 3 "potatos" worth of idle backing, just enough to get going, return to neutral then smoothly and smartly head up to the foredeck and release the anchor hand over hand securing to a forward cleet.
I've been doing it this way for about 4 years now it's been my experience that the 27 responds just right. Not too much swagger either way and when the anchor sets she's light enough that the bow stays pointed just right.

My biggest concern about adding an access to the forward void would be one more thing possibly compromising the watertight integrity up front.

I hope this helps...

[nightowle]

I was solo sailing all summer on my 27' O'Day in the San Juans and Gulf Islands and dropped my anchor from the aft holding the rode tight. I would cleat it off aft and walk the rode to a forward cleat. Then come back aft to release the rode portion I had tied at the aft; this way I felt comfortable that I wouldn't lose my anchor and rode if my grip slipped or I took a mis-step moving forward. I kept the chain and rode in a milk crate that was mostly bungeed to the mast at the foredeck. It was too much of a hassle getting it in and out of the lazarette. Anyway, I plan to do as SD and Faster say, and install a howser for my Danforth that is hooked to the forward pulpit. I was using my Delta all summer, which worked fine. All you have to do is try it a couple times and you'll get used to it. But bend your legs so you don't bust out your back hauling that thing up!!!!!!!

[RainDog]

You could also just anchor from the stern. There is no reason you have to anchor from the bow. It is a bit unconventional, but it works. Some claim it makes far more sense: Jordan Series Drogue - Mooring and Anchoring

[AdamLein]

I sail a 1972 C27 with the same setup that Smack describes, except my anchor bracket is a bit more primitive. I have not tried feeding the rode through the hawsepipe since

a) the wiring for the running lights is not well-secured in that space and I would expect the rode to occasionally snag it, and

b) rode is wet and there's nowhere that I can see for water to drain to.

I keep the rode in a mesh bag which I just lug up to the bow when I want to anchor and I have somebody in the cockpit to mind the vessel. Recently I tried anchoring singlehanded and, more or less, did as was suggested by Faster. The part about moving the rode forward was pretty easy. Anchoring from the stern when singlehanded seems natural in the C27, since her bow tends to blow of downwind anyway.

I also don't have a bow roller. I took some measurements and I feel like it would be pretty crowded on the foredeck if I were to add one. However, Catalina Direct (Catalina Direct: Welcome to Catalina Direct Online

) sells forestay retrofit kits with attached bow rollers, which I have been eyeing for a few months now. I wonder if any C27 owners have installed one of these?

[cruiseco]

Thanks for the great ideas! I'm kind of liking the idea of the hawser pipe to feed the chain down into the smaill chain locker at the forepeak. That ceratinly solves one problem if I can confirm that these's some sort of drain arrangement up there. I'll have two anchors anyway -- one at the stern -- and may also try anchoring from the stern a few times to see how that feels. I think part of my problem is that I've always had a set routine and I'm not comfortable with changing it unless I have to. Takes a while to get my confidence level up with a new-to-me procedure.