Anchoring incidents do not always develop slowly.
In March 2026, marine insurer Gard made a striking point in its loss-prevention guidance on heavy weather at anchor: in some cases, less than 20 minutes separates the moment an anchor drags or is lost from the moment a vessel reaches the first hazard.
Gard’s conclusion is clear. Positional awareness and early detection matter because once an anchor problem develops, crews may have very little time to react. Even in lighter conditions, Gard notes, recovering an anchor can take tens of minutes before a vessel is free to manoeuvre away from danger.
Twenty minutes is not a rule. Every vessel, every anchorage and every set of conditions is different. But it is a useful reminder of the most important resource available to anyone responsible for a vessel at anchor: time.
When the window becomes very small
A case study published by The Swedish Club in February 2026 shows how quickly that window can close.
Two bulk carriers lay at anchor as the weather deteriorated. At about 16:30, the officer on watch aboard one vessel noticed that it had begun to drag slowly. At 17:34, it started dragging fast towards the second ship, accelerating first to one knot, then to two.
At 17:53, the vessels collided.
Nineteen minutes separated the accelerated dragging from impact. The Swedish Club identified delayed engine response and ineffective manoeuvring among the factors behind the casualty.
These were commercial vessels, not superyachts. Their size, equipment and procedures are different. But the challenge facing the person in command is the same: once an anchoring situation begins to deteriorate, how quickly can you recognise what is happening, weigh the options and act?
Different vessels, the same finite resource
On a merchant vessel, preparing engines, recovering an anchor and manoeuvring a very large ship can take considerable time.
On a superyacht the circumstances differ, but the sequence is familiar: recognise the problem, alert the crew, assess surrounding traffic and hazards, prepare propulsion, decide whether to recover or release the anchor, and choose the safest course of action.
On a leisure boat, the vessel may be smaller and quicker to manoeuvre, but there may also be fewer people available to respond.
In every case, the earlier reliable information arrives, the more options stay open.
A superyacht captain’s experience
Captain Camilla Rothe lived through this off Mykonos.
Her yacht had been safely at anchor for three days in steady winds of around 25 knots when it began, unexpectedly, to drag. The crew reacted quickly, but she later described the incident as a close call.
Her reflection afterwards says a great deal about the value of time:
“Now I know AnchorGuardian would have given us a few extra minutes or even some additional seconds to react and we would have been safer.”
Minutes matter. Sometimes seconds matter.
Earlier information, more time to decide
Bridge systems tell a crew a great deal about the vessel. But once the anchor drops below the surface, its actual behaviour has always been far harder to observe.
AnchorGuardian monitors the anchor itself. It reports what is happening below the surface and alerts the captain when a developing situation needs attention.
It does not replace seamanship, the anchor watch or the captain’s judgement. Its purpose is to put better information in front of the decision-maker, sooner.
Because the real value of an early warning is not the warning. It is what a captain can do with the time it buys.
