On Sat, 06 Mar 2004 21:42:59 GMT, wrote:

Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e. a
means for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate
speed and direction to the helmsman without having to yell it out?

This would be for my wife and I where she is typically at the helm
while I am on the bow. She's not real experienced at the helm so a
clear set of signals would be helpful, especially when retrieving the
anchor with the wind up, crowded anchorage, etc.

Thanks.

Some people start out with hand signals and revert to well known
finger signals. :)

Regards
Gary

Minimum signals, but other captain worked the anchor when it was
smaller so knows what needs to be accomplished. Almost all is done at
idle speed unless severe conditions warrants more.
Pointing direction of where anchor is, continue pointing if more power
is warranted, hand palm facing back to confirm I want it in neutral,
she usually has already put in neutral, thumb up when anchor is broken
out, she can get under way at idle speed while cleaning anchor and
until I leave foredeck.
She knows that in crowded conditions, she has control of boat once
thumb is up.

Gary Schafer wrote in message . ..
On Sat, 06 Mar 2004 21:42:59 GMT, wrote:

Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e. a
means for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate
speed and direction to the helmsman without having to yell it out?

This would be for my wife and I where she is typically at the helm
while I am on the bow. She's not real experienced at the helm so a
clear set of signals would be helpful, especially when retrieving the
anchor with the wind up, crowded anchorage, etc.

Thanks.

Some people start out with hand signals and revert to well known
finger signals. :)

Regards
Gary

Minimum signals, but other captain worked the anchor when it was
smaller so knows what needs to be accomplished. Almost all is done at
idle speed unless severe conditions warrants more.
Pointing direction of where anchor is, continue pointing if more power
is warranted, hand palm facing back to confirm I want it in neutral,
she usually has already put in neutral, thumb up when anchor is broken
out, she can get under way at idle speed while cleaning anchor and
until I leave foredeck.
She knows that in crowded conditions, she has control of boat once
thumb is up.

Gary Schafer wrote in message . ..
On Sat, 06 Mar 2004 21:42:59 GMT, wrote:

Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e. a
means for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate
speed and direction to the helmsman without having to yell it out?

This would be for my wife and I where she is typically at the helm
while I am on the bow. She's not real experienced at the helm so a
clear set of signals would be helpful, especially when retrieving the
anchor with the wind up, crowded anchorage, etc.

Thanks.

Some people start out with hand signals and revert to well known
finger signals. :)

Regards
Gary

Get a pair of FRS radios with headsets. Your life will get much better when you
can just have a simple conversation. Or, if you have two cell phones with free
minutes on the weekends ...



wrote in message
...
Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e. a
means for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate
speed and direction to the helmsman without having to yell it out?

This would be for my wife and I where she is typically at the helm
while I am on the bow. She's not real experienced at the helm so a
clear set of signals would be helpful, especially when retrieving the
anchor with the wind up, crowded anchorage, etc.

Thanks.

On Sat, 06 Mar 2004 21:42:59 GMT, wrote:

Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e. a
means for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate
speed and direction to the helmsman without having to yell it out?

This would be for my wife and I where she is typically at the helm
while I am on the bow. She's not real experienced at the helm so a
clear set of signals would be helpful, especially when retrieving the
anchor with the wind up, crowded anchorage, etc.

Thanks.

My suggestion would be to ask you wife what hand signals she wants to
use for different anchoring tasks/commands. Then YOU memorize her
signals.
The signals she comes up with, she will recognize easier because the
are more instinctive for her.
Mark E. Willliams

Best suggestion I'veseen in a long while. And of course once you have an
agreed set of signals, you will practice the exercise a couple of times well
away from everyone else ... That way you will stay friends.
DF

"Maynard G. Krebbs" wrote in message
news
On Sat, 06 Mar 2004 21:42:59 GMT, wrote:

Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e. a
means for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate
speed and direction to the helmsman without having to yell it out?

This would be for my wife and I where she is typically at the helm
while I am on the bow. She's not real experienced at the helm so a
clear set of signals would be helpful, especially when retrieving the
anchor with the wind up, crowded anchorage, etc.

Thanks.

My suggestion would be to ask you wife what hand signals she wants to
use for different anchoring tasks/commands. Then YOU memorize her
signals.
The signals she comes up with, she will recognize easier because the
are more instinctive for her.
Mark E. Willliams

Good point. We sat down and came up with ours as a team and there has never
been a cross in our communications. The thumb up and down was a result of
the direction of the shift lever.

My suggestion would be to ask you wife what hand signals she wants to
use for different anchoring tasks/commands. Then YOU memorize her
signals.
The signals she comes up with, she will recognize easier because the
are more instinctive for her.
Mark E. Willliams

Best suggestion I'veseen in a long while. And of course once you have an
agreed set of signals, you will practice the exercise a couple of times well
away from everyone else ... That way you will stay friends.
DF

"Maynard G. Krebbs" wrote in message
news
On Sat, 06 Mar 2004 21:42:59 GMT, wrote:

Does anybody have a good system of hand signals for anchoring, i.e. a
means for the person on the bow handling the anchor to communicate
speed and direction to the helmsman without having to yell it out?

This would be for my wife and I where she is typically at the helm
while I am on the bow. She's not real experienced at the helm so a
clear set of signals would be helpful, especially when retrieving the
anchor with the wind up, crowded anchorage, etc.

Thanks.

My suggestion would be to ask you wife what hand signals she wants to
use for different anchoring tasks/commands. Then YOU memorize her
signals.
The signals she comes up with, she will recognize easier because the
are more instinctive for her.
Mark E. Willliams

Good point. We sat down and came up with ours as a team and there has never
been a cross in our communications. The thumb up and down was a result of
the direction of the shift lever.

My suggestion would be to ask you wife what hand signals she wants to
use for different anchoring tasks/commands. Then YOU memorize her
signals.
The signals she comes up with, she will recognize easier because the
are more instinctive for her.
Mark E. Willliams

My suggestion would be to ask you wife what hand signals she wants to
use for different anchoring tasks/commands. Then YOU memorize her
signals.
The signals she comes up with, she will recognize easier because the
are more instinctive for her.
Mark E. Willliams

Good suggestion.

We tried to keep signals as few and intuitive as possible:

pat head = ahead
pat bum = reverse
arm vertical = neutral

point right, left, forward, etc. = steer that way.
when raising anchor, point in direction of anchor rode

thumb up/down = more/less throttle, only when setting the anchor

- We also took turns anchoring so that we each knew what the other would do
in a given situation.
- We anchored so often that my wife (who usually was at the helm) would feel
the anchor start to bite and swing the bow around and knew to ease off the
throttle at that point etc. For weekend cruisers, this wouldn't be
applicable.

--
Evan Gatehouse

you'll have to rewrite my email address to get to me
ceilydh AT 3web dot net
(fools the spammers)