If you've ever been on a small cruising boat that dragged its sailboat anchor and ended up on the beach, you won't want to go through it again! I was recently crew on a boat that did just that, and it sank within 20 minutes. Looking back, one thing we could have tried early on was to use a weight called a "sentinel."

When you have to put out a marine anchor on a short scope--such as in crowded anchorages--you will want to keep the anchor rode horizontal to the bottom. When the tide rises or swells cause the bow to pitch up and down, it places enormous shock loads on the rode.

This creates a vertical pull on the anchor which can cause the flukes to pull out of the bottom. That means your small cruising boat will drag. A sentinel consists of a weight, suspended about halfway down the rode. This helps push the anchor line closer to sea bottom to keep the anchor buried. Follow these three easy steps:

1. Make up your sentinel

Place heavy chain, shackles, or any other suitable weights into a strong bag with handles. Any amount of weight works, but try to combine weights equal to the weight of your anchor for the best holding power.

2. Rig your sentinel for action

Pass a snatch block over the rope part of the anchor rode. Clip the bag handles onto the block's snap shackle. Attach a long line (with a length equal to your rode) to the snatch block. If you don't have a snatch block handy, or if using all-chain rode, substitute a large loop of line or an oversize screw-pin shackle.

3. Send down the sentinel

Ease the weight down the rode with the long line. With rope-chain rode, send the sentinel down until you feel it stop where the rope rode joins the chain rode. Pull it back a few feet and cleat it off. With all-chain rode, send the sentinel down until it contacts the top of your anchor shank. Pull it back about half way up the chain and cleat it off.

Use these three easy steps to keep your sailboat anchor flukes buried deep beneath the seabed in crowded anchorages or stormy weather. You will rest well, knowing that you have a trusty sentinel on watch, working all night long to keep you and your sailing crew safe and sound.