59° North Sailingvideo
Andy & August // Stern Anchoring
September 1, 2025 · 47 min · 222 views
What this video covers
Andy Schell and August Sandberg explain stern anchoring as practiced in Sweden and Norway — a technique where a boat drops an anchor off the stern, then motors bow-first toward shore, tying off to rocks or skerries with the anchor acting as a kedge to hold the hull off.11:51 The geography of the Scandinavian archipelago drives the practice: anchorages are deep, rocky, and lack sandy swing room, so mooring to the shore is the default alternative to a marina.11:49 A typical setup on smaller boats uses eight meters of chain in a bucket plus a 75-meter webbing reel on the stern pulpit; the reel pays out under friction as the boat moves in, keeping tension without crew intervention.12:59 Boats under 40 feet handle the system by hand; larger boats sometimes fit a transom-mounted folding roller and electric windlass.12:41 August describes a Maxi 108 incident where a crew member nearly fell overboard deploying the anchor over a reverse-raked stern.17:49 Challenges include retrieving a muddy or clay-covered anchor without a stern roller or washdown hose, and kelp-covered bottoms that prevent the hook from setting — one approach in Spica's archipelago required five attempts.26:28 When a 40-knot low-pressure system threatened to rotate wind direction overnight, August and Mia deployed the stern anchor and walked it forward to the bow cleat instead, using the same gear as a conventional bow anchor.28:16 The Orca marinized tablet and its companion Orca Core N2K hub are briefly discussed as a navigation solution installed on Eastbjorn.2:18
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