Anchoring too close to other boats?

[Chotu]

What got me in this case was it took the anchor longer to get down than I'm used to.

This boat has an electric windlass without a "spin free" setting on the gypsy. So you power the chain out as well as in. That means it's very slow compared to my usual "let er rip" method of paying out the chain.

I had drifted back more than expected before the anchor hit the seabed.

[CatNewBee]

You use probably an anchor alarm app? How close you set the alarm radius to prevent false alarms due to gps accuracy errors? If you anchor in tight places you should consider some 20..30m allowance to hear the alarm, recognise the situation and eventually run start the engine to dodge.

Also different boat swing at diffetent speed, a monohull with keel and a cat in a thunderstorm may hit each other even if not dragging if anchored too close.

When you arrive at an anchorage you have no idea where the anchor of your neighbors are, depending on scope, wind and current the anchor maybe even next to you with a long curve on the bottom.

So if your neighbor complains, there may be reason behind it.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

You are not alone. Underestimating the distance from dropping the anchor to where the boat is going to finally finish is one of the most common mistakes made.

One of these laser rangefinders is a help. They are useful for beginners that are not practised in judging the distance from other boats, but even with a lot of experience they come in handy in tight anchorages when trying to position the boat so that swing radius will safely clear obstructions such as rocks.

From the bow, when just about to drop the anchor the laser rangefinder will measure the distance to within a metre so. If you add the length of rode plus distance to the stern the exact separation between your stern and the boat behind can measured before the anchor is dropped. (If you have one of the older generation anchors especially one of the convex plow anchors you also need to add in several metres for the setting distance, but other designs set so rapidly that the setting distance can be ignored unless the substrate is very soft).

Something similar to this, although much cheaper models are available and still work well:

I do have and use one of those on occasion, but almost always have the radar on with range rings and the scale dialed way down. This has helped greatly

[CatNewBee]

Originally Posted by Smokeys Kitchen

I do have and use one of those on occasion, but almost always have the radar on with range rings and the scale dialed way down. This has helped greatly

Brilliant, thank you. I usually turn off the radar when going to an anchorage to not getting distracted by dangerous target alarms and the like and use the chart only in large zoom for depth informations and obstructions.

Usually I use the radar only at night, low visibility or on passages with guard zone alarms or to track squalls. Maybe I have to rethink it...

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

. . . One of these laser rangefinders is a help. They are useful for beginners that are not practised in judging the distance from other boats, but even with a lot of experience they come in handy in tight anchorages when trying to position the boat so that swing radius will safely clear obstructions such as rocks. . .

Radar works even better, and you might already have it . . .


Radar also makes a great supplementary anchor alarm.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by CatNewBee

Brilliant, thank you. I usually turn off the radar when going to an anchorage to not getting distracted by dangerous target alarms and the like and use the chart only in large zoom for depth informations and obstructions.

Usually I use the radar only at night, low visibility or on passages with guard zone alarms or to track squalls. Maybe I have to rethink it...

"Dangerous target alarms and the like" can be switched off


The "R" in RADAR is for "Range". This is a superior device for figuring out your range to other boats and obstacles.

[Marathon1150]

Originally Posted by Smokeys Kitchen

Another +1 to Chotu for posting this thread. There is much to be learned from it.

My biggest mistake is not getting close enough to the boat in front of me before I drop the anchor; thus ending up too far back and closer to another boat than I want to. Still a learning curve for me - but just correcting the actions as plan 'A' did not give the desired results.

Enjoying the learning on the forum here here

Still a learning curve for me too even after 30 years of sailing and anchoring. Getting up close to the upwind boat in a crowded anchorage is key to being about the right distance from that boat and the boats behind. The challenge is slightly greater however because if the wind/current change the other boats might not have out as much rode as me or they may have more. It can still be a bit of a crap shoot but it is still a good idea to get up close to the upwind boat.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Radar works even better, and you might already have it . . .

Yes, the new radars have exceptional close range ability. We have a 4G radar unit.

I still prefer a laser Rangefinder for pinpointing anchoring distances from the bow, but of course all it will do is measure distance (although the small attached telescope can also be handy) whereas radar will do far more.

[Andina Marie]

We were in a crowded anchorage in Elizabeth Harbor.
The sound of a heavy anchor chain rattling got our attention.
A 75 ft yacht had grabbed a spot right in the middle.
One of the others near it shouted "You're a little close there aren't you?"
To which they replied "Oh its OK, we're made of steel."

[wingssail]

[QUOTE=Andina Marie;2965850]We were in a crowded anchorage in Elizabeth Harbor.
The sound of a heavy anchor chain rattling got our attention.
A 75 ft yacht had grabbed a spot right in the middle.
One of the others near it shouted "You're a little close there aren't you?"
To which they replied "Oh its OK, we're made of steel."[/QUOTE

Shouting at someone whom you think is too close is poor form, I'd say, as is expecting that your territorial instincts allows you to decide what is a safe place for another to anchor.

Maybe it's Just me, but I don't assert my rights in that way.

If I think someone has anchored too close I will launch my dingy and go over to his vessel. In a friendly way I'll introduce myself and then ask him if he thinks it's OK where he's as, because I see some risk of hitting(or some such thing).

Sometimes the guy will agree and say, "Ok I'll move."

Sometimes they will say, "No, I think we'll be fine."

I don't argue. If I feel strongly, I'll move.

No hard feelings.

[Night_Sailor]

Take in some scope.

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Hey, sorry to those that didn't appreciate the thread. I thought I'd add to the "I made a mistake" genre of threads here and I guess it didn't go over too well.

I ended up doing nothing overnight but may move or shorten scope when the sun comes up.

Unfortunately, in social media, some get a kick trying to demoralize, than offer good suggestions. I typically just stop reading any posts by them, they are pretty obvious. Eventually the Admin catches up and removes them, as they should.

[AJ-SeaChange]

(Baz) First off let me say that you could simply reduce your scope and everyone gets a good nights sleep. Review the situation in daylight.


Secondly let me tell you about my very first time anchoring (after passing day skipper) in Formenterra in the Spanish Balearic Islands.


I've mentioned in a previous blog that as Australians (not coming from a big city) we're not used to crowded places. Australian beaches (Sunshine Coast) don't have hundreds of people and rows and rows of perfectly spaced sun loungers and sun shades, there's just way too much space and not enough beach goers to make them financially viable. That's not the case on the European beaches we've seen so far. But it's not just the beaches that are crowded, the anchorages are too.



On board A B Sea we have AIS (Automatic Identification System) which lets us see and be seen by other vessels fitted with AIS and as we got closer to Formentera our AIS display began lighting up like a Christmas tree. AIS is a requirement for vessels over a certain length, some charter vessels and commercial vessels which meant that what we could 'see' on our display was less than a fifth of the actual vessels that were in the main anchorage of Formentera. My stomach, once again, tied itself in knots as I tried to picture just how busy the anchorage would be.

When we finally got close enough for visuals I felt like turning A B Sea around and heading back to Javea. Boats of all types and sizes were packed together tightly, eight to ten deep along the whole 5.5 kilometres (3.4 miles) of the anchorage and small dinghies, jetskis, tenders and ribs darted here and there between the anchored vessels.

My mind raced, how the heck was I supposed to find a spot big enough for A B Sea's 46 foot length, in about 5 metres of water depth, that would allow us to drop anchor plus 25 metres of chain! We decided to start at one end and slowly motor along the length of the anchorage while searching for a parking space.


After 2 hours of searching for a spot Aannsha said "You're going to have to put on your big boy pants and get in where you can." So I did. Easing A B Sea near to a 200 foot super cruiser at the southern end near the harbour entrance, we dropped anchor in 7.5 metres (25.5 feet) of water and started paying out the chain. I was happy, but the first mate of the super cruiser wasn't. A curt whistle off to my left drew my attention to him standing on the starboard walkway of his bridge deck indicating that he thought we were too close to allow for both him and us to swing on our anchors and not hit each other. I acceded to his experienced assessment and we raised the anchor, moved slightly further away and dropped the anchor again. This seemed to please him and if he was happy, so was I.
Being new to this anchorage there were several things we didn't know. We hadn't realised how frequently the numerous ferries enter and exit the harbour. So every 20 minutes we would get pushed around by the large wake of the ferries. This rolling was the reason we'd left Javea and a quick look online told us that the main ferry companies run from 7:30am to 8:00pm 90 times per day collectively in the high season. This was not going to be enjoyable.

We also didn't know that there were a couple of anchorage supervisors in ribs that come around and looked at your anchor and chain to make sure you don't have too much chain out and that you're not laying over someone else's anchor chain. The nice lady who checked us out suggested that we re-anchor as our chain was not laid out straight. As good fortune would have it nearly 4 hours had passed since we arrived in Formentera and we learned another thing about this anchorage. There is a daily migration of smaller boats that generally come over from Ibiza for a day trip and by late afternoon the herd starts to thin out. So acknowledging the anchorage supervisor's request we upped anchor and headed slightly north. Our main objective was to put as much distance between us and the ferries. Our second objective was to find shallower water so that we didn't need so much chain out. We found a spot, well clear of other boats, in 5.5 metres (18 feet) of water directly opposite 'Es Moli de Sal' restaurant. Our Mantus anchor has worked like a champ, the sandy bottom is perfect for holding us in place.


In essence you need to anchor and scope based on the various locations, not what you were taught at sailing school. Have fun and be safe.

[parkstone bay]

First off, if you think you're a bit close , you probably *are* too close! Depending on the circumstances, give the other bloke a hail to see if he has an issue (E.g. he might be aiming to be away before the heavy weather hits; or the forecast is pretty benign; or whatever). Most boaters are, usually, fairly reasonable people. You are, and I am, and he is - at least he says he is !!
Mind you, with some anchoring I've seen, if the other boat were 500 yards (450 metres for the metric-minded) away, and downwind, that'd still be too close for me!

[sowwaninii]

I consider an anchorage like a parking lot-sometimes there just aren't any open spaces. Consequently, if you can't anchor without being on top of someone (yes, 20'), then you need to find another spot. What if the tables were turned? What would you want the other skipper to do?