First overnight anchoring

Please, please. Don't go there. SMH

Lou_tribal said:

By the way what is the right anchor?

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The one nearest the front of the boat

Lou_tribal said:

By the way what is the right anchor?

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Well now that you ask, the one on the front of Delfin. Carl needs to chime in though on its virtues. This I know, it is big and spit polished.

Surprise. . .

I awoke at dawn the very first time we anchored out behind Bucksnort Marina. As I stood in the head, business in hand I was distracted by motion outside the port window. There, outside was the shore, rubbing on the hull, quietly sliding by. . . . . .stumbling first then picking myself up I ran to the deck. I'm freaking beyond out. Lunging out the door I see this enormous island of water hyacinth floating alongside the boat. Then it slides astern and continues along, riding the gentle tidal flow. And now, finally, my heart started beating.

That cup of coffee on the bridge was interrupted with a lot of head shaking laffs.

You will love it. We sure do.

CPseudonym said:

The one nearest the front of the boat

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Good answer lol

That would sure ruin a morning whiz. ��

A friend of mine told me this tale:


He was anchored for the night with a couple other boats. A hot, bikini clad young woman walked out on the foredeck of one of the other boats. My friend was getting pretty worked up until she dropped her bikini bottom and proceeded to take a dump into the water.

I will say nothing about what is the right anchor. Just one profound statement to a newbie at anchoring make sure the bitter end of your anchor line is secured to something really solid in the rode locker. If its a new boat to you get in there and check it out.

WesK said:

A friend of mine told me this tale:


He was anchored for the night with a couple other boats. A hot, bikini clad young woman walked out on the foredeck of one of the other boats. My friend was getting pretty worked up until she dropped her bikini bottom and proceeded to take a dump into the water.

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very classy

In the same vein, while having a glass of wine on the aft deck in the early night I saw a neighbour at marina coming out of his boat, going at the end of the finger and pee in the middle of the marina... Very classy too!

eyschulman said:

I will say nothing about what is the right anchor. Just one profound statement to a newbie at anchoring make sure the bitter end of your anchor line is secured to something really solid in the rode locker. If its a new boat to you get in there and check it out.

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Excellent suggestion - don't ask

Apart from using good technique, get to your chosen anchorage area in plenty of time to set the anchor in daylight, with no hurry, with time to observe, and to check the set as best you can.
A probable reversal at some time, due to tide current or breeze, is a real test. It`s why Steve/SV Panope included reversals in his testing published on TF.
I like to (relatively gently) power set/test my anchor set.
If you are willing to try, and you gain confidence, anchoring offers great places to enjoy.

Simi 60 said:

.....The one thing that does put me off is fools who anchor to close.
My boat appears to be a magnet for them.
I deliberately anchor as far away as possible from others to allow for all situations, even find myself totally deserted spots and sure as eggs, someone will turn up and want to drop anchor within spitting distance, with a tiny anchor and no scope.

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Bigsfish said:

Simi 60

I thought I was the only one. In the Bahamas I can find a beach 300 yards long and it's empty, I anchor 50 yards from one end and every boat that come along will anchor 30 FEET from me, soon I have 6 boats I can toss a sinker into, I move to the other end and two hours later I have another 4 boats really close. SMH

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rjwilliams11741 said:

I probably have been guilty of that myself on occasion when I was fairly new to spending time at anchor. You go into a strange anchorage and think, gee, there's several boats at that end of the anchorage so that must be the best place to anchor.

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ha ha...yes...I've noticed this tendency myself, and I think rj is right. Folk come into an anchorage, expecting to see boats randomly scattered...see one or even several clustered down in one place and think..."Ok, I'd really like to not be near others, but if they are all there, and there's this big clear part over here, what's wrong with it..? Do they know something about the bottom or weather forecast I don't..? Better go with the flow."

Going with the flow can sometimes get you in trouble. In the days before GPS everyone ran a time and distance compass course so one heading from Bimini to the Berries (Chub Cay) I was traveling along and after an hour into the trip I realized I had three smaller (outboard boats ) following me. I ran out my time and Northwest Channel light was not to be found so I ran another 30 or 40 minutes. And stopped, the boats came up to me and wanted to know where we were I didn't know. I asked them where were they going and they said following me. LOL.

As it turned out my jewel in the compass had a small crack that would only hang up if turned in a certain direction. I ended up finding a new way to Little Harbor across the banks. I recognized Little Harbor and told the boats following me where we were and where to head for getting to Chub. Going with the flow didn't turn out bad but it could have.

A possible reason for bunching is boats sometimes anchor where they are afforded protection from breeze actual or forecast. But as Earl Hinz says in his excellent book "The Complete Book of Anchoring and Mooring" says, subsequent boats have to respect the boat(s) already at anchor.

One thing I've observed is people tend to congregate in reasonably shallow areas not requiring a lot of rode. Often times there's an equally good area adjacent but just much deeper. Other times the crowd will gather at the area closest to a dock. In both these situations we would just go to the deeper or further area. I recall at the Dry Tortugas, the boats crowded in the anchorages closest to Garden Key and the Fort. We anchored by ourselves in Bird Key Harbor.

Iv'e had sailboats that come close and anchor next to me and then at night complain about about my generator (the old ones were a little loud). My answer can't be published.

Just the opposite when these guys are at a free dock.....they spread out so that 3 boats take the room that 6 could enjoy.

LMFAO. You met them too?

I recall one area there were about a dozen boats all in 8-12' of water. In 30' of water, we were alone. Now we were just anchoring for a couple of hours and someone else might have come after we left.

Outside Glacier Bay, there were boats crowded into an area of 14-20' depth. We anchored in close to 70' of water all to ourselves and better protected.

rjwilliams11741 said:

had no problem suggesting to someone else that they were a bit close.

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A few nights ago I woke to the sound of rattling anchor chain from a boat that left it till the last second to find a spot for the forcasted 30knot wind change that came through around 2am.

They dropped it about 50ft from me and were struggling with gloworm torches so I decided to unleash "The Sun" and light them up with our spotlight which looks like something from a guard tower in Hogans Heroes.

I did hear a shreik of fright, some yelling and would like to think a whiff of burning flesh but they did get the message and pulled it up and moved away.

BruceK said:

........... But as Earl Hinz says in his excellent book "The Complete Book of Anchoring and Mooring" says, subsequent boats have to respect the boat(s) already at anchor.

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The don't have to and you can't make them. The reality is, they will anchor where they choose to anchor. You might try something like standing buck naked on your bow or turning the stereo up and playing rap.

Last summer, I pulled into a well known anchorage on the AICW (Mile Hammock Bay). I was the first boat so I chose a spot. An hour or so later, another trawler pulled in and chose a spot closer than I would have liked, but far enough away for safety.

Another hour went by and a sailboat pulled in, circled the anchorage a couple times and then anchored in a perfect line between me and the other trawler!

This anchorage can hold 15-20 boats easily.

A guy came in in a small boat pulling his kids on a tube round and round making noise and wakes. I put on my speedo and stood in the aft cockpit. He left.

You must be a sight in a speedo? LOL

with some of us and the middle age spread....it is difficult to distinguish the difference between wearing a speedo and nothing at all.....


a very BAD visual

Judging distance over water is tough, so I got a handheld rangefinder normally used for hunting...me-thinks it would be handy for making sure of distances between boats while anchoring as well.

We don't have crowded anchorages around here; the rangefinder helps in figuring out where to drop anchor between drying flats near estuaries and steep drop offs to deep water.

Bigsfish said:

You must be a sight in a speedo? LOL

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A friend and slip neighbor in his 70s, short with skinny legs and a large chest and belly wears his around the docks in the summer time. Me, I only wear mine away from people but this time I had a purpose.

I'll wear it if I want to take a shower in the cockpit and there are other boats or people around. Otherwise, I take a shower naked like most folks do. It's black. I wonder if they make flesh colored ones?

Captwill

That gives a new meaning to "done lap". SMH

WesK

I don't worry so much mine ain't big enough to to see if five yards away. LOL

I've thought of rigging a shower curtain in the cockpit for privacy. I can shower inside of course, but it's simpler outside. Nothing to move and no cleanup.

Most of the year, living in south Florida, I shower with Joy and water from the area behind the platform on the platform. After soaping up I jump in a rinse off then back to the platform for a 2 minute rinse of less with fresh. I feel like a daisy all clean and smelling like Joy (the soap).

captwill said:

with some of us and the middle age spread....it is difficult to distinguish the difference between wearing a speedo and nothing at all.....


a very BAD visual

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I resemble that remark. OTOH, I have lost 5 pounds so far in 2017. Just another 35lb. To go.

Having been an active sports person and avid weightlifter since 6th grade my problems have become joint and tendon binds as well as muscle cramps. Food groups play a big part in overcoming these items. Potassium in bananas is a blessing... I eat two a day, every day.


Due to my workout regime... Speedo looks pretty good! At near 65, 6'1 (actually I've shrunk - 6' 1/2" now) and weighing in at 240 lbs., I'm still maintaining a 38" trim waste. Days of benching 400 lbs. in "World Gym", Kentfield CA are long gone (those were in my 30's). Now I have gym in room down hall from my home office. Good set up of several exercise equipment types. "BodyCraft" exercise platform is the center piece. Can do nearly anything on that I could do in full-on gyms years ago.


BodyCraft Platinum Elite Home Gym