How I lost my new fine anchor

Yesterday I took my wife and youngest daughter for a small picnic on the boat. We anchored up at 10 meters and had a nice meal with fresh shrimps and everything was fine, but the spray hood was giving shade to the cockpit area, and my daughter wanted sun so she could get a tan so I moved the ancor line from the front to the back of the boat. There was a light breeze coming from west just as the sun, but it was so light that it was OK as long as the sun would keep us warm. It was 18 degrees, almost too hot for some people in Trondheim, but as the wind picked up it was getting chilly, and I wanted to start the boat and go back in. When I was mowing the anchor line from the back of the both and to the front again, I was surprised by the force the wind would push the boat sideways. When I was mid ship I could not hold the line and had to give out some. Then I could move a foot, but than I had to give out some more, but there was no more to give out and I had to let go.
I did not have the GPS or the ipad with chart running at that time, so for a second I was wondering if I should rush under deck and start the ipad to nail down the position, but I realized the wind would make us move before it was up and running, so I took a manual look around hoping to find the spot again.
Tomorrow I will go back, and try to find the anchor, but I am not sure what technique that will work best. First I will try to use the very small 1 kg anchor with four claws and drag behind the small rubber dingy hoping it will hook onto the chain line. If that will not work I guess I will have to ask some diving friends for help.

Ouch

svein, I have seen shall we say seen worse ways to loose an anchor and seeing a few lost over the years just reinforces something I was taught by my sailing budy who taught me to sail. Alway secure the bitter end. I often drop the hook here in the LA harbor for lunch or an evening BBQ and when doing so I use the "lunch hook" or my smaller stern anchor. I drop it from the stern and depending on conditions I'll stay hooked from the stern or drag some free line to the bow, secure it and then release the line from the stern cleat because of what you described.
I did once see a guy literally toss an anchor off the bow of a 45 foot catamaran only to watch the anchor and chain disappear from sight as the rode laid on the deck. I was on another cat and between the 5 cats and crews we never did find the anchor in 30 feet of clear water. It just disappeared in the eel grass.
Good luck finding it.

Dave Neptune

Good luck with that. The anchor line may make a nice large target for a diver to find, so there may be a good chance for success.

As I am sure you know, when you need to find that particular spot again, look around and quickly find two objects that line up with one another, then look in a different direction and find two more. On the return, follow the line of your first two objects back and forth until the second two line up correctly.

I once dropped my car keys overboard in 5 m of water while trying to start an outboard motor. The bottom was covered with kelp. I came back with my dive gear and found them in about an hour! But I had to find them - I was 500 km from home!

I tried with a 0.7 kg and a 2 kg anchor and fish for the chain, but I did not succeed yesterday, but I will try again today. I wish I had the GPS running, so I could have pinned down the spot. Now the search area is large, and it will take several hours just to make a sweep going back and forth 5-10 meters apart in parallel lines.

It's probably not a good idea to plow up large areas of the bottom like that. You can really mess up the flora and fauna. We've reached the point that large sections of coast line are being put off-limits to any anchoring at all.

I think the flora is very limited in this bank. It is mostly sand and a very popular spot to anchor in, so I did find some steel wire lost from someone else, and some other mess, but not my chain and anchor.
Now I will see if I can find some divers to help.

After work today a diver will try to find the anchor. The anchor is hard to see, but the 8 meters of chain and 40 meters of new white and blue rope might be easier to spot. It will be interesting to see what the day will bring. If this does to work, several divers might give a better result, but it might cost more than the anchor. I have been thinking about using a metal detector, but I am not sure if it will trigger on stainless steal. Also an underwater camera might help.

An old empty bleach bottle makes a wnderful marker bouy for an anchor. The light line to the handle slightly longer than the depth, and much less that the rode.
Good luck.

Yes, we found the anchor on the second day of diving. Instead of just swimming, we dragged the diver after a 40 meter long line, at 1-2 knots. He first found the 0.7 kg anchor I used as hook trying to hook on to the anchor chain. Than 30 minutes later he spotted the blue and white rope, and started to drag in it until he found the anchor.
The anchor and chain looked just like new after a week in the water. Even the rope still looks good,
So now it is all back in the boat ready for a small trip with the family tomorrow.

Good show. Perseverance pays.