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Free anchorwork workbench

Drop, veer, and watch the transit

Choose a permitted candidate drop, approach under control, lower the anchor, calculate a starting cable length, set progressively, then corroborate the shore transit.

Anchorwork module

Anchorwork

Laying an anchor

Choose a candidate drop in a fictional cove, approach under control, calculate a starting cable length, set progressively, then corroborate the transit.

Link to this tool
WindCove mouthChurchBeaconCharted cable — do not anchorBare sand · candidateMud · candidateWeed · uncertainRock · foul riskCable · no-goScope6 m down4.0 : 1 · 24 m4:1 guide met
Bare sand or suitable mud may be promising; no bottom guarantees holding.Approach into the wind, lower, then fall back as you pay cable.A transit shows motion across its line; corroborate it with another cue.

Drop

Sand shelf

4 m HW + 2 m bow = 6 m. Chain starts near 4:1.

Guide here: 4:1 is 24 m

Turn the bow into the wind and motor up to the drop.

Direct answer

Approach against the dominant force when hazards permit, stop, and lower the anchor. In this RYA-style moderate-condition model, start near 4:1 for all chain or 6:1 for warp with short chain, using maximum bow-to-seabed depth. Set progressively, corroborate a useful transit, and keep monitoring.

Best for
Day Skipper anchorwork
Includes
Holding, scope, swing, transits
Format
Free fictional-cove simulator
Sources and factual review

Reviewed 20 August 2026. The 4:1 and 6:1 ratios are RYA-style starting guides, not universal minima. A single transit has a directional blind spot, seabed labels do not guarantee holding, and the simulated result must be corroborated aboard.