clubhauling

[Ixneigh]

So I was over in the shoal area practicing extreme shallow sailing with the board up in about 2 feet of water. Of course the boat will not tack like this. The main was even reefed. After trying to paddle the bow around and failing, I hit on dropping the anchor just enough to get her pointed on the other tack, and pulling it up quickly. In shallow water at low speeds this is easy to do and nearly gurrantees she will come about. This had been one small gripe about the boat, that she sailed pretty well with no board but coukdnt tack. Jibing takes a lot of room, and offers less control.
and old salt acquaintence informed me the anchor business was called clubhauling. Old ships would occasionally do it. I had never heard of the term before, nor tried it. Add that to the box with the henweigh, xd100 oil and the hasp.
Ix

[March]

Yeah, like they do in "Battleship," that atrocious 2012 movie that I happened to catch a glimpse of yesterday.

[fishheadbarandgrill]

You must have skipped that cinematic masterpiece Battleship where they dropped the anchor and spun the ship around so they could put the main batteries on the aliens.

[fouz]

Or Pirates of the Carribean.

[Russ]

You must have skipped that cinematic masterpiece Battleship where they dropped the anchor and spun the ship around so they could put the main batteries on the aliens.

I will never get those 2 hours of my life back. Should have asked for a refund of the money too.

Pirates of the Caribbean movie had clubhauling scene also. Much better movie.

[Chinook]

I ran across the term in one of Patrick O'Brian's novels on the exploits of Captain Aubrey (Master and Commander). Better yet, though, I saw it expertly and surprisingly demonstrated by a charter schooner on the coast of Maine. We had gone ashore at Stonington, on Deer Isle, for a lunch stop and a look around town. We returned to the boat and began making our way out of the harbor. The wind was 15 knots with higher gusts, out of the south. I'd spotted a small island on the chart, a few miles to the east, which featured an attractive looking cove on its north side. It looked like just the place to anchor for the night. As we began sailing down the channel toward this island, my wife looked astern and pointed out a beautiful schooner (I believe her name was Freedom). She was rapidly gaining on us, under full sail. I rolled up our jib and moved toward the side of the channel, so we could enjoy the sight of this schooner as she clipped along past us. It looked like she was headed through an opening between two islands and out to sea. The island on the upwind side was the one with the cove which we were headed for. We watched as the schooner, still under full sail, reached a point in line with the center of the cove. What happened next was amazing. That schooner snapped to the right with an incredibly sharp, almost right angled turn, and zipped right into the anchorage, where she dropped anchor. We did find room to anchor off to the side, in the cove, and later that evening we were invited aboard. I asked the captain how he'd managed that turn, and he told me he'd clubhauled her, by lowering her starbard side ship's anchor until it hooked bottom, then turned the wheel hard to starboard, and once the turn was effected, quickly raised the anchor again. Needless to say, he knew the waters, and the bottom, and had done this maneuver before. It was truly amazing to see, and all done under sail, with no motor assist. Given the location and size of the cove entrance, and the size of the schooner, the maneuver actually made pretty good sense.

[Ixneigh]

well, my little M and I can feel quite shippy, over there in two feet of water at three knot, knowing we are in the company of schooners from Maine, and pirates, and battle ships saving the Earth from aliens, every time we exercise this maneuver. I expect to do it a lot, since what's largely kept me from these waters is the yachts hesitency to come about. I shall even bring aboard a new kit, called a tacking hook. otherwise known as a lighter anchor that's easier the handle. :p
Ix

[Freedom77]

No sailboat (with few exceptions) will come about easily with the keel up because there is no lateral resistance to the water. You discovered a very old technique used before there were engines. Many a boat ended up on the rocks because they couldn't tack away from a lee shore. Fair winds and full sails...Old Salt

[Russ]

This technique seems to be complicated. For one, what if the anchor gets set in very deep, you have to exert a lot of effort to unset it and retrieve it. Also, while you are handling the helm and sails, how to you also deal with the anchor. I'm thinking the effort of crew to perform this. Possibly snapping the rode or pulling a cleat out.

I guess I don't sail in such shallow water. If I feel the need to get her about quickly (like another boat in the way), I'll fire up the iron genny and get her outa there or I'll jibe around the other way. I just can't imagine walking up on deck and dealing with an anchor.

However, it appears to be an interesting and useful technique for some in certain situations.

--Russ