At night, I want to be sure that my anchor alarm will wake me if we are dragging. For quite a while, this seemed impossible to achieve.
Having an app on my phone and then putting the phone next to the bed seemed like the obvious answer. However, due to phone manufacturer’s restrictions on power usage, the app would turn off after a few hours if the phone is unplugged. Well, that won’t work.
Some apps will sound an alarm to let me know that they are shutting down, but that wasn’t really a help either. I don’t really want to be awakened at 3AM to learn that my anchor alarm had been turned off!
Sure, I could leave my phone plugged in at the charging station. However, I worried that the alarm might not wake me. I’d slept through my morning wake-up alarms more than once!
Finally, it hit me: plug the phone in to an external battery (like this one) and keep it next to the bed. Perfect! It also solved the problem of me sleeping through a morning alarm when we needed to get underway at oh-dark-thirty.
Later, I went a step further and downloaded a klaxon “ringtone” and set the anchor alarm to use that for a drag alarm. Not only was it loud, but there was no mistaking it for any other alarm on the boat!
Here’s hoping you never drag – and that if you do, your alarm lets you know before there is any damage.
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
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