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defjef · 21-11-2008, 19:36

You should gather all the information about your destination from cruising guides and charts. general anchorages are marked as are the bottom condition and the soundings. You should also consider the prevailing, current and predicted wind speed and direction for your stay. If you intend to go ashore, be aware of the landing for your dink or dock to come along side for fuel or water, prepare your lines and fenders for that well before you are to dock.

As you enter "read" the other boats and how the harbor is organized. Is there a local non coast guard channel marked with buoys? Is there a speed limit sign or buoy with a speed warning. When dropping your hook make sure you are well clear of any marked channel and won't swing into it with a wind or shift in the currrent. Taller masts mean deeper keels so you probably will see them in the deeper parts of the anchorage. If the harbor provides protection from the winds, it will be calmer and a smoother ride in close, but it's shallower there as well. If the anchor is crowded you can almost gauge the depth by the spacing of the anchored vessels based on a 5-7 scope and swing room. Chanes are that anchore between two boats in a crowded anchorage where you are closer to other boats than the others are to each other means you are in the wrong place.

A good approach is to drop your hook a boat length or more behind an anchored boat and then fall back on the 5-7 scope. Moored boats are on shorter scope so be advised that they will swing differently and anchor in a tight mooring field in not advisable as you can swing over and foul on a unoccupied mooring or into a moored boat!

Listen on your VHF on 16 or use the local chanel that the yacht club or launch used to communicate with anchored and moored boats. Find a break in conversation to ask them your questions about anchoring or other features of the harbor.

And finally make sure you have your anchoring techinique down pat. Dragging through an achorage can be a costly and embarrassing experience. If you don't feel completely comfortable with your anchor set, re anchor until you do. That's good semanship.

21-11-2008, 19:36	#7
defjef Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: up from NYC Boat: Shiva - Contest 36s Posts: 1,879	You should gather all the information about your destination from cruising guides and charts. general anchorages are marked as are the bottom condition and the soundings. You should also consider the prevailing, current and predicted wind speed and direction for your stay. If you intend to go ashore, be aware of the landing for your dink or dock to come along side for fuel or water, prepare your lines and fenders for that well before you are to dock. As you enter "read" the other boats and how the harbor is organized. Is there a local non coast guard channel marked with buoys? Is there a speed limit sign or buoy with a speed warning. When dropping your hook make sure you are well clear of any marked channel and won't swing into it with a wind or shift in the currrent. Taller masts mean deeper keels so you probably will see them in the deeper parts of the anchorage. If the harbor provides protection from the winds, it will be calmer and a smoother ride in close, but it's shallower there as well. If the anchor is crowded you can almost gauge the depth by the spacing of the anchored vessels based on a 5-7 scope and swing room. Chanes are that anchore between two boats in a crowded anchorage where you are closer to other boats than the others are to each other means you are in the wrong place. A good approach is to drop your hook a boat length or more behind an anchored boat and then fall back on the 5-7 scope. Moored boats are on shorter scope so be advised that they will swing differently and anchor in a tight mooring field in not advisable as you can swing over and foul on a unoccupied mooring or into a moored boat! Listen on your VHF on 16 or use the local chanel that the yacht club or launch used to communicate with anchored and moored boats. Find a break in conversation to ask them your questions about anchoring or other features of the harbor. And finally make sure you have your anchoring techinique down pat. Dragging through an achorage can be a costly and embarrassing experience. If you don't feel completely comfortable with your anchor set, re anchor until you do. That's good semanship.