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Anchor Alarm on a Garmin Marine Device

Several Garmin  chartplotters allow a user to set an anchor drag alarm to sound when the vessel exceeds a specified drift distance while anchored, this is especially helpful anchoring at overnight. It is important to know that when setting the alarm, the GPS location for the alarm is based on the location of the chartplotter, not the location of the anchor. The radius is set by the user from preset options to a custom distance.  


Many Garmin watches have an Anchor App that serves the same purpose. This app allows the user to simulate the dropping of an anchor at the same GPS location as their real-world anchor and receive an alert when the anchor's location drifts farther than the drift radius preset by the user.

When opening the app, the user must wait for the GPS signal and then he may set the drift radius and update interval from the app's "Setup" menu, after which he can select the "Drop Anchor" option to place the anchor at the current GPS position. The application will alert the user when the anchor drifts farther than the selected drift radius. The update interval is customizable in order to save battery life in situations where alarm response time is not as critical.

When the Anchor is dropped the watch displays two numbers, one above a line and one below. The top number is drift and the number below the line is the drift radius the user set.


For specific instructions on setting the anchor drag alarm or using the Anchor app on a watch, refer to the device’s owner’s manual, Finding the Owner's Manual for a Garmin Device.