Calculate anchor chain length, scope and insurance cover when anchoring

To calculate the chain length when anchoring, veer three times the water depth in calm weather,

five times under normal conditions and seven times in strong winds as a rule of thumb,

in each case the depth plus the height of the bow above the water;

that scope also matters for your insurance.

The chain does not hold by weight alone but by the low, horizontal pull it puts on the anchor shank. Veer too little chain and it will break the anchor out of the seabed. That is why you work with a multiple of the water depth, and that means the depth plus the distance from the waterline up to the bow roller, not just what the echo sounder reads.

Anchoring is where the good policy wordings are sorted from the bad. Many policies require the boat to remain attended, or they exclude unattended anchoring off an open coast. Yet that is precisely where the losses happen: the anchor drags during the night, the boat goes aground or drifts down onto a neighbouring vessel.

Check whether your cover includes unattended anchoring, off an open coast as well. A lost anchor together with its chain counts as equipment and is covered under the hull cover, unlike simply cutting the chain for convenience, which no insurer will pay for.

Worked out for your type of boat

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