Offshore Anchoring

[tager]

Oh stuff the rules!

If you put up the black ball, you will be laughed at.

Also, it's good to have deck level and masthead lights, for people who are up close, and people who are far away.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by tager

Oh stuff the rules!

If you put up the black ball, you will be laughed at.

I consider following maritime rules to be a mark of professionalism and good seamanship. Consider how much delivery work I'm going to get if I follow the rules, or decide to worry about what the weekenders in any given bight think about a black ball.

"Sure sir, I can move your vessel across the ocean. What rules do I follow? Well, I have my own particular subset since I feel I'm in a better position to determine which ones to follow then the IMO and USCG because really what the hell do they know."

[bvimatelot]

Originally Posted by tager

Oh stuff the rules!

If you put up the black ball, you will be laughed at.

Also, it's good to have deck level and masthead lights, for people who are up close, and people who are far away.

Wow!!! Stuffing the Rules is a remarkably silly thing to do from safety and insurance points of view (just for starters) and shows a remarkably arrogant attitude. Please dont sail or anchor anywhere near me! (Unless of course the remark was tongue-in-cheek?) Tony

[Bash]

Originally Posted by bvimatelot

Wow!!! Stuffing the Rules is a remarkably silly thing to do from safety and insurance points of view (just for starters) and shows a remarkably arrogant attitude. Please dont sail or anchor anywhere near me! (Unless of course the remark was tongue-in-cheek?) Tony

We were amused to note that a US Coast Guard 47' Motor Lifeboat, anchored near us recently, didn't bother with a day shape.

So much for enforcement of Rule #30.

[kenny chaos]

Kinda like forum rules?

[AnchorageGuy]

If you go to our Sea Trek site you will find our trip along the gulf coast from the Florida Keys to Houston, actually a continuation of our trip from Central America, then from Houston to Beaufort, South Carolina, then our Trawler Beach House covers from Beaufort to the Chesapeake. And we anchored most of the time. We took a leisure cruise and found it enjoyable enough to do it twice. Have a great trip. Chuck

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Bash

We were amused to note that a US Coast Guard 47' Motor Lifeboat, anchored near us recently, didn't bother with a day shape.

So much for enforcement of Rule #30.

It's like police talking on their cell phones while driving around, speeding without lights on, or rolling through stop signs. I had a USCG boat roll up on me in "darkened ship". No nav lights, no radio contact before being 20' off my beam at midnight in a decent sea.

[Kettlewell]

I don't believe I've ever seen a pleasure vessel using a black ball while anchoring anywhere along the East Coast, and I have certainly never heard of the Coast Guard even mentioning it.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

I consider following maritime rules to be a mark of professionalism and good seamanship. Consider how much delivery work I'm going to get if I follow the rules, or decide to worry about what the weekenders in any given bight think about a black ball.

"Sure sir, I can move your vessel across the ocean. What rules do I follow? Well, I have my own particular subset since I feel I'm in a better position to determine which ones to follow then the IMO and USCG because really what the hell do they know."

I agree. I put up a black ball when anchored in daylight. I also put up a motoring cone when motorsailing. It's not that much trouble.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

I don't believe I've ever seen a pleasure vessel using a black ball while anchoring anywhere along the East Coast, and I have certainly never heard of the Coast Guard even mentioning it.

For me it's like keeping a DR plot going. It's good practice, it's something that upper tonnage vessels will do so it's good to get in the habit if you plan on being a professional mariner, and knowing the lights and day shapes makes it much easier to identify the status of other vessels.

Core components of seamanship to me are erring on the side of caution and safety. It's a black ball, it costs ~$10, it takes less than two minutes to put up. The only reason I really encounter that anyone doesn't do it is because no one is forcing them to and it's not convention amongst recreational mariners (who on a whole have a very poor working knowledge of navigation rules).

There was a guy on here who had an Alberg 37 that was t-boned and sunk by another vessel who rammed right into it while anchored near Catalina. When the accident investigation is underway (including potential civil and criminal penalties) it's conducted by the people who really know and care about the navigation rules.

I could understand not following the rules if they were that cumbersome and difficult, but seriously, a $10 ball? It's less than half the price of a bottle of bad rum.

[markpierce]

Originally Posted by Bash

We were amused to note that a US Coast Guard 47' Motor Lifeboat, anchored near us recently, didn't bother with a day shape.

So much for enforcement of Rule #30.

Richardson Bay and many other parts of San Francisco's bays, are special anchorages where anchor lights and day markers aren't required. Perhaps (hopefully) your Coasties were anchored there.

Rule 30

(a) A vessel at anchor shall exhibit where it can best be seen:

1. 1. in the fore part, an all-round white light or one ball;
   2. at or near the stern and at a lower level than the light prescribed in subparagraph (i), an all-round white light.

(b) A vessel of less than 50 meters in length may exhibit an all-round white light where it can best be seen instead of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule.
(c) A vessel at anchor may, and a vessel of 100 meters and more in length shall, also use the available working or equivalent lights to illuminate her decks.

(d) A vessel aground shall exhibit the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Rule and in addition, if practicable, [Inld] where they can best be seen;

1. 1. two all-round red lights in a vertical line;
   2. three balls in a vertical line.

(e) A vessel of less than 7 meters in length, when at anchor not in or near a narrow channel, fairway or where other vessels normally navigate, shall not be required to exhibit the shape prescribed in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Rule.
(f) A vessel of less than 12 meters in length, when aground, shall not be required to exhibit the lights or shapes prescribed in subparagraphs (d)(i) and (ii) of this Rule.
g) A vessel of less than 20 meters in length, when at anchor in a special anchorage area designated by the Secretary, shall not be required to exhibit the anchor lights and shapes required by this Rule. [Inld]

[markpierce]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

... I also put up a motoring cone when motorsailing. It's not that much trouble.

RULE 25: SAILING VESSELS UNDERWAY AND VESSELS UNDER OARS

(a) A sailing vessel underway shall exhibit:

1. 1. sidelights;
   2. a sternlight.

(b) In a sailing vessel of less than 20 meters in length the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule may be combined in one lantern carried at or near the top of the mast where it can best be seen.
(c) A sailing vessel underway may, in addition to the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule, exhibit at or near the top of the mast, where they can best be seen, two all-round lights in a vertical line, the upper being red and the lower Green, but these lights shall not be exhibited in conjunction with the combined lantern permitted by paragraph (b) of this Rule.

(d)

1. 1. A sailing vessel of less than 7 meters in length shall, if practicable, exhibit the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Rule, but if she does not, she shall have ready at hand an electric torch or lighted lantern showing a white light which shall be exhibited in sufficient time to prevent collision.
   2. A vessel under oars may exhibit the lights prescribed in this rule for sailing vessels, but if she does not, she shall have ready at hand an electric torch or lighted lantern showing a white light which shall be exhibited in sufficient time to prevent collision.

(e) A vessel proceeding under sail when also being propelled by machinery shall exhibit forward where it can best be seen a conical shape, apex downwards. A vessel of less than 12 meters in length is not required to exhibit this shape, but may do so.

[monkey]

Back to your question,

If you are going solo, here's a good read you might find worthwhile:
http://sfbaysss.org/tipsbook/SinglehandedTips.pdf

If you're not going solo,... you still might find it useful

[Kettlewell]

Must be a West Coast thing here in the USA, because like I said I've been on the water a lot for 30 years and you just don't see anchor balls on pleasure boats here on the East Coast. For that matter, I have only seen a motoring cone once or twice. If they started enforcing these rules they could spend the next summer in almost any harbor just writing tickets. All the commercial fishing boats continually show the shape for a vessel "engaged in fishing" no matter what they are doing, day and night. In fact the shapes are basically permanently hung in the rigging and never come down.

[keyspc]

Back to OPs topic.
Haveing been a fisherman on the east coast for some time. let me state,
LIGHT THAT SUKER UP! autozone flood lihts for cars work real well. dont try 10 ft or so unless your in ICW stick to ten fathom line.
Want to keep your anchor? put he shacke on the crown and sleeve a couple turns of mainline on shank. gets in a rock just get it stright up and down takeing in a little in each trough till it snaps and up she comes backwards (course haveing 2 671 detroits helps to pull) also keep a good round reb bouy and a stainless ring you can clip on the rode and do a downwind circle till your up wind and float it up.