Anchoring Quiz

Anchoring is a giant part of the boating experience and we have to know how to do it well. Here’s a little anchoring quiz we’ve created from ASA’s Coastal Cruising Made Easy and Bareboat Cruising Made Easy. Answer wrong and you may have to suffer a wisecrack! Good luck!

• Which of these names is not the name of an anchor type?
  1. Bruce Bruce actually is an anchor type. And isn’t it nice to be on a first name basis with your anchor?
  2. Plow It’s kind of farmy but it is an anchor type.
  3. Rake You got it!
  4. Danforth Sorry, Danforth is a popular anchor type.
• What is an anchor’s rode?
  1. Its weight You, sadly, are not correct.
  2. Its holding ability Although it comes down to holding ability, rode doesn’t mean holding ability. Try again.
  3. The line or chain that holds the anchor to the boat But of course!
  4. The distance an anchor can acceptably drag Sorry, not right. By the way, the distance of acceptable drag while at anchor is none at all.
• “Weigh anchor” means to
  1. Raise the anchor into the boat Yup! Good work!
  2. Lower the anchor into the water Nope!
  3. Double check the holding strength of an anchor that has been lowered That is a good idea, but that is not what “weigh anchor” means.
  4. Prepare the anchor for deployment It’s actually the opposite but you’re in the ballpark!
• What’s a windlass?
  1. A winch used for raising the anchor Indeed!
  2. A device that measures wind in relation to anchoring considerations Nope. You fell for the “wind” part of the word…we understand. Hit the books.
  3. A very small sail that helps stabilize the boat while at anchor Afraid not. And sadly, you’re not even close. But you’re here and that’s good!
  4. An antiquated brass ornament that resembles an anchor, but now symbolizes fair winds and good luck. Incorrect – we made that up out of thin air.
• Navigation rules demand that a sailboat at anchor display what?
  1. A Black ball Very good!
  2. A Yellow flag Nope – so sorry!
  3. Flag with a green dot in the center Incorrect – perhaps a review in one of the ASA texts is in order.
  4. Purple light That’s not right but no one can blame you for wanting to display a cool purple light, but don’t.
• A “Forked Moor” is?
  1. Two boats sharing one anchor No, that’s probably not a great idea.
  2. Using a fore and aft anchoring set up Not right, think about the “fork” part of the question.
  3. Anchoring using a forked Danforth type anchor Your wrong answer is rooted in some sort of logic so that’s a good thing. Try again.
  4. Two anchors set from the bow Yes! 60-degrees apart.
• What is a “Bahamian Moor“?
  1. Using a cinder block or other non-traditional means to anchor a boat No, ASA likes real anchors.
  2. Two anchors, set from bow, 180-degrees apart Yes! For use in a reversing current.
  3. Four anchors set off each quarter of the boat for heavy weather situations. Umm, no.
  4. An anchor that is too small for the weight of the boat but is acceptable because of perfect underwater terrain and outside conditions. That is not right, too small an anchor is no bueno.