Sailing off the anchor

This week, we practiced for the first time, sailing off the anchor. I was at the helm, Dick raised the staysail. With no engine running, I turned the rudders to do short tacks as we moved slowly up to the anchor.

If we were really going to go anywhere, when we were directly over the anchor, Dick would pull it up, and off we would go. This time, we got to the anchor, dropped the staysail and let the boat drift back into its "happy place."

We'd like to perfect this skill. It takes a lot of sailing skill, is very useful and not often used by sailors who tend to rely on the power of their engine.