[Omatako]

My wife really hates rolly anchorages. I mean like it is an obsession for her, she simply will not tolerate it.

I'm with your wife on this.

I can't stand a rolly anchorage and will move even if it's 2:00am. I plan my anchorages well in advance and try to get the weather right but sometimes it changes in the night. Here's what I look for:

• Obviously the number one is the quality of the holding. Try for mud, next is sand, next is shale. I avoid rock and anything that grows.
• Obviously as well, look for an offshore wind.
• Always anchor amongst boats similar to yours. A motor boat will react differently to wind and current than a yacht and when things change his movement relative to yours will be different. If you have a multi hull you're probably better off amongst the motor boats.
• Look for a shoreline with trees. Avoid grass paddocks, the wind races down those with careless abandon. Avoid cliffs - any swell coming in also goes back out.
• If there is little wind and a swell coming into the anchorage, I set a stern anchor as well and point my boat directly at the incoming swell. A pitch is better than a roll, less dramatic and stops much quicker.
• If that doesn't sort it, I leave. I'd rather sail through the night looking for another anchorage than have my boat thrown around by an unruly sea.