First overnight anchoring

We are heading out to North Anclote Island for our first overnight anchoring. We have made several short trips but have tied up in marinas with shore power. This will be the first time without the umbilicus. We are preparing for the Great Loop, both the boat and ourselves and hope to become proficient at sharing our evening time between marinas and anchorages.

Yes, yes, yes. Go for it. You really haven't experienced the real joy of boating until you sleep out at anchor, under the stars, miles from obvious civilisation, and wake in the morning to that beautiful, almost eerie, stillness that early morning about sunrise brings. That is something you can really only experience out on the water. Staying in marinas overnight is just not the same. A very poor second, for sure.

Peter B said:

Yes, yes, yes. Go for it. You really haven't experienced the real joy of boating until you sleep out at anchor, under the stars, miles from obvious civilisation, and wake in the morning to that beautiful, almost eerie, stillness that early morning about sunrise brings. That is something you can really only experience out on the water. Staying in marinas overnight is just not the same. A very poor second, for sure.

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Cannot agree more!

Go for it BUT big winds coming this weekend. Watch your timing.

Most important, make sure you have good ground tackle and make sure you know how to set your anchor. Your chart plotter probably has an anchor drag alarm so set it as well. Make sure you can hear the alarm from where you're sleeping.


The first time we anchored overnight, we were with a raft up of other boats. That was comforting. Since then, we've spent hundreds of nights anchored.


As for staying in marinas, there are advantages to this. Electricity and water to start. Unlimited hot showers, going to town, restaurants, stores, etc. without a dinghy, etc. We mix it up on our cruises.

Peter B said:

Yes, yes, yes. Go for it. You really haven't experienced the real joy of boating until you sleep out at anchor, under the stars, miles from obvious civilisation, and wake in the morning to that beautiful, almost eerie, stillness that early morning about sunrise brings. That is something you can really only experience out on the water. Staying in marinas overnight is just not the same. A very poor second, for sure.

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Lovely, poetic description of something that can only be experienced.

WesK wrote;
"Most important, make sure you have good ground tackle and make sure you know how to set your anchor. Your chart plotter probably has an anchor drag alarm so set it as well. Make sure you can hear the alarm from where you're sleeping."

Yes and for basic anchoring refer to Chapman's Piloting book.

Going to a marina is like staying at a Hoilday Inn, anchoring is like camping, peace and solitude.

BTW. I'm a sound sleeper and use a CPAP so I had my electronics guy but in a remote alarm on my Garmin in my cabin (made it loud) plus I use Drag Queen on my phone so if I drag (only once) I wake up. LOL

MakinMemories said:

We are heading out to North Anclote Island for our first overnight anchoring. We have made several short trips but have tied up in marinas with shore power. This will be the first time without the umbilicus. We are preparing for the Great Loop, both the boat and ourselves and hope to become proficient at sharing our evening time between marinas and anchorages.

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Have fun and don't worry. Pick a nice sheltered anchorage for you first time. Read up on it in your local sources and Active Captain. As others have said, anchoring out is very pleasant.

Thank you, one and all for the great advice. We have anchored several times in the same location but only during the day and returned home. This will be the first overnight. Great advice on the drag alarms, weather, and ground tackle. Light winds and a clear sky predicted for this evening (a little cold, though...low 60's). Checked and replaced a broken anchor light yesterday and spoke lovingly to my batteries (still learning about house needs and capacity). Fuel polished, new filters in the racors, generator belt tightened and new raw water pump installed, charts onboard....what could go wrong...LOL!

MakinMemories said:

Thank you, one and all for the great advice. We have anchored several times in the same location but only during the day and returned home. This will be the first overnight. Great advice on the drag alarms, weather, and ground tackle. Light winds and a clear sky predicted for this evening (a little cold, though...low 60's). Checked and replaced a broken anchor light yesterday and spoke lovingly to my batteries (still learning about house needs and capacity). Fuel polished, new filters in the racors, generator belt tightened and new raw water pump installed, charts onboard....what could go wrong...LOL!

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You are all set. You will find that you will likely wake up frequently during the night at every little sound or movement of the boat. That improves with time.

As for what can go wrong... It is a boat. All the stuff that you fixed can fail and all the stuff that was working perfectly is just waiting for the most inconvenient time to deliver an unpleasant surprise. I usually appease the boat Gremlins by making sure I always have a few things that need to be fixed at any given time.

But, if you have the wrong anchor you will stay awake all night worrying about the rocks on the shore approaching.

The captain never sleeps soundly at anchor.

Alormaris

You have not been around many catains who drink very heavily. LOL

alormaria said:

The captain never sleeps soundly at anchor.

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Based on my limited overnight stays, I sadly find this to be true.

I sleep very well at anchor.

Peter B said:

Yes, yes, yes. Go for it. You really haven't experienced the real joy of boating until you sleep out at anchor, under the stars, miles from obvious civilisation, and wake in the morning to that beautiful, almost eerie, stillness that early morning about sunrise brings. That is something you can really only experience out on the water. Staying in marinas overnight is just not the same. A very poor second, for sure.

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Dotto!

WesK said:

I sleep very well at anchor.

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+1
If it's not blowing what's to worry about?

And re the magic of laying at anchor is oversold IMO. However most of my staying overnight away from home port has been in SE Alaska towns and small cities. I find towns more interesting than anchoring out. But that does vary w towns and anchorages. I can much more easily think of wonderful towns to tie up for the night than wonderful anchorages. Lucky me though I've seen a lot of both. Also most of my "anchoring out" has been en-route to a destination. Not always the best anchorage. Most of the time down here I'd rather anchor out than stay at a marina, especially if town is a long walk. But we like Friday Harbor and Nanaimo. We don't do Friday Harbor in the summer though.

bigsfish said:

alormaris

you have not been around many catains who drink very heavily. Lol

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+1. Lol

Our best times boating have been "on the hook". You will especially remember those nights where you are the only one in the anchorage and you are sitting in your cockpit or aft deck watching the moon rise or the sun set having dinner or a glass of wine.

WesK said:

I sleep very well at anchor.

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Ever since I got rid of the plough and got an oversized Supreme so do I.
Having recently been through a few 50+ and one 80+ storm without dragging helps with the confidence.

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.

Scale 1 to 10:


Anchor out 9.96


Dock queen 2.78


There are my "exact" feelings. I know it adds up to over 10... but, who cares!! - LOL

Simi 60
+1 on the Supreme. But mine is modified and undersized.
And on the crowded anchorages. I once anchored in 85' of water to avoid an overcrowdwd anchorage .... Forward Hbr. I got yelled at for anchoring too close in False Bay but I didn't think I was. I moved though. Didn't feel like asking to raft. That would have been the safest assuming he knew his anchoring.

Art I've never tied to a dock. Love those floats though. And my boat is Willy ... not up for queen.

Please let us know how is goes.
I'm 2 years behind you in my boating adventures.
Retirement is 7/1/18 and I'm bringing the boat
down the ole Miss via, Tenn Tom to Fl.
Taking a Piloting class at Southwest Yacht school in Feb.
I have a lot to learn.
I've heard a 40ft Bayliner twin diesel is a little different to captain
than a 20 ft Pontoon boat.

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

Simi 60 said:

Ever since I got rid of the plough and got an oversized Supreme so do I.
Having recently been through a few 50+ and one 80+ storm without dragging helps with the confidence.

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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Ditto on the anchor too close. The worst for me was someone in a Moorings charter who must have kissed my boats transom before dropping anchor. Of course that was the one evening that week that we experienced the infamous Coromuel winds in the La Paz area of the Sea of Cortez. The wind blew like "stink" all night and my all chain rode was stretched to the max and I was up all night keeping anchor watch. After that event I made sure that I personally respected other's anchor space and also had no problem suggesting to someone else that they were a bit close.

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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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.

sunchaser said:

But, if you have the wrong anchor you will stay awake all night worrying about the rocks on the shore approaching.

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By the way what is the right anchor?

ctbarbarian said:

Please let us know how is goes.
I'm 2 years behind you in my boating adventures.
Retirement is 7/1/18 and I'm bringing the boat
down the ole Miss via, Tenn Tom to Fl.
Taking a Piloting class at Southwest Yacht school in Feb.
I have a lot to learn.
I've heard a 40ft Bayliner twin diesel is a little different to captain
than a 20 ft Pontoon boat.

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You may find the 40Ft with twins is ALOT easier to handle. Training is always a good idea.

"By the way what is the right anchor? "

No, No, don't do it!!