How Close Is Too Close?

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Scorpius99eh

Put a buoy over your anchor so everyone knows where it is (and if the buoy line is tied to the anchor crown you can use it to pull the anchor out backwards should it foul). Also watch out for the boats with rope rodes. Typically they will put out much more line and swing in a much larger circle. It's a crapshoot. Getting there early, putting out lots of fenders, and having a steel boat are all comfort factors.

A dumb idea which creates many more problems and hazards than it solves. Can be lethal to dinghy occupants at night if they get spilled into the water.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

And for God's sake, don't use a second anchor (or a shore tie) unless everyone else is. That will make you swing around a much tighter circle and create conflicts with other boats.

+1

This is important. Beginners often want to "park the boat". I suspect the incorrect thinking is that if your boat is (almost) stationary then any collision must be someone else's fault. Hence the desire to set multiple anchors and anchor and/or use a short scope.

The reality is that to anchor closely together boats have to swing in a similar fashion. Be careful about deploying multiple anchors when other boats are lying to a single anchor.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Kelkara

DO you have any tricks for estimating your distance ... If I drop 50m of chain, I want about 60m of space, but I have discovered that I am very bad at estimating my distance away from shore, docks, boats etc.

so far, since getting my boat, it's been winter so I've usually had the luxury of having anchorages to myself ... but that is going to change once it starts warming up ... and just dropping the anchor in the middle of the anchorage isn't always going to be an option.

Estimating distance. If you pull up from behind the other boat this is pretty easy. Just guess the mast height, based on the size of the boat, and drop the anchor a few "masts" to one side. 1.5-2 masts might be typical--do the math. If you are anchoring in front it's a little more complicated, but if you use the GPS, 0.001 minutes = 6 feet, so 250 feet is about 0.050 minutes.

Floats are a bad idea. If no one else snags it, you may float over it an foul your own prop. Only if I really believe there are snags and I have no choice.

2nd anchor. I have shallow draft and I will do this if I am trying to use a spot at the edge, near shore. It will be holding me away from the group. But never if I need to synchronize swing. Also occasionally in very soft mud or very bad weather, but then swing is not your main problem. You better be well-spaced anyway.

I've never felt the need to ask others how much rode they have out. I figure it's either in the 5-7 range, or they wouldn't understand the question anyway.

[bvisailing32]

1. If I am near other vessels, I follow the same method of anchoring...single hook, bahamian moor, or bow and stern as the first comer.

2. if we are far off on the other side of the anchorage and no problem, I will anchor as conditions require, no problem to the other vessels.

3. Other boats already anchored, i do not pull ahead of the previous anchored vessels that are closer in to shore....I do not want to be over the top of their rode after paying out mine. I also have to think about swing room, other boats, and the shallows .

Crowded anchorage, In this case, I will locate two anchored vessels who are laying at anchor abeam of each other, with plenty of swing room, and I will draw an imignary line from one boats starboard quarter to the other vessels port quarter. That is where I lay out my anchor between their two sterns, and then drift down and set it. Plenty of swing room in shifts or calms.

We do not immediately go ashore. I write my bearings down to lighted land marks or nav aids if possible, or what ever is prominent. and note it in the log. We watch to see if we are dragging. I can also use other near by vessels.

Some of the other posters hit it right on the head. We can only take care of us, give our respect, and practice our own good seaman ship.

We have all been subject to those who do not feel as we do, or have no clue or just flat dont care about swing room , and have letters of entitlement.

In our local area, we are aware of crowded weekend or holiday anchorages, and dont anchor anywhere near them. Also we do not anchor next to or in mooring fields. Also, all boats do not swing the same, all chain; rode and chain, full keel, fin keel, power high free board, and super structure, sail plan, schooners, sloops, yawls, ketches, and power, etc. And of course mixing up anchoring methods, single hook, bow and stern and bahamian moor. And, then dancing meandering boats during slack tidal changes.

Now, even when picking up a mooring, I use two separate bow bridles to prevent chafe, and the added security of an extra line.

Yes, we are getting up there, and no longer wish to play bumper boats at 2 am, with some late comer, and even tho they anchored hours after we did, they are drunk, or are to impressed with themselves, and will not haul up and re anchor in a different location.

To prevent all of this, if possible, we just wimp out, and pay for a mooring, unless none are available. Or, if cruising, that is just not economically sensible.

One of the most amazing methods of mooring, that we have witnessed was on a 60 foot sailing vessel in the Greek Islands. They would med moor, laying out miles of scope and back in toward the warf, and tie up three deep some times four deep. We ttromped over the decks of many other vessels to go ashore. We had a highly seasoned skipper who has done this for several months for several years. Anchor lines were over and under and sideways and one hell of a mess. But, they somehow made all that work.

We were part of 3 other couples, some of who knew nothing about sailing. We originally were going to bare boat, when I told Erica, I cannot speak Greek, read greek, and have zero local knowledge in the Greek Islands. So we went on the lead vessel of a small flotilla with a Capt. and Cook/deck hand. We still got in plenty of helm time and helped as crew members, but of course , we paid. Had a great time.

If all skippers practiced good seamanship and respect as to anchoring, there would be a whole lot less of 2:00 am encounters of, " OH **** ! Bounding up and poking our heads out of hatches, and hearing that enevatable bump in the night.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by thinwater

. ..

Floats are a bad idea. If no one else snags it, you may float over it an foul your own prop. Only if I really believe there are snags and I have no choice.

. . .

Amen. But I wouldn't use a float even then. Just run the trip line up the chain, attached with a few light cable ties. If you need it, just yank it free and go for it. No anchor float, no problem. They are a plague in crowded anchorages.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by thinwater

...I've never felt the need to ask others how much rode they have out. I figure it's either in the 5-7 range, or they wouldn't understand the question anyway.

I’ve been surprised sometimes. I was in one extremely protect anchorage last season with a small boat. We were in 8’ feet and I learned they had out over 80 feet of rope, PLUS they were sitting right in the middle. Good thing I asked .

Mostly it’s just a good excuse to say hi to the neighbours though.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Please do not, actually, do this. This causes real chaos as other boats try to avoid getting your buoy line in their props. In a crowded anchorage, other boats will swing over your anchor as a matter of course. Putting a buoy in their way is just -- not good.

While I'd agree I hate seeing buoys with a mile of polypropylene line laying across an anchorage, I have used buoys for trip lines when I think there may be rocks around. I have little weights and a block under the buoy to allow the buoy to rise and fall while keeping the line straight and directly above the anchor.

[sailorboy1]

In the end boats anchored around you aren't too close unless you decide to pull yours up and move!

[buzzstar]

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were a set of rules! Absent a complete set of them, posts #2 and #3, tongue in cheek or not, are good. To them, I would add, no matter what, if you are the most recent arrival, you are too close and making someone nervous.

[ranchero76]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

If my boat is 40' of steel while the intruder is 25' of high gloss varnished wood - nothing is too close.

LOL Then, I'm afraid, that other boat might think you're too close

[buzzstar]

The neat circles in some of the prior posts cause me to make one added point, local knowledge, wind an current forecasts, and a tide table can help. But now we are moving rapidly toward the human anchor watch, with a regular "look see" mandatory, even if there is insufficient crew for a full time watch schedule.

[alctel]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Aristotle said that true wisdom is knowing what you don't know. Good on you, Kelkara.

Yes, the naked eye tells you hardly anything this case. I know one guy who uses a golf rangefinder. I use -- radar. Seriously. It's incredibly useful to have a bird's eye view of how boats are laid out in an anchorage, with exact distances. The Navico CW radars, which don't have a main bang, and can give you accurate distances down to 10 meters or less, are ideal for this.

I was going to say this, till you beat me to it.

If I'm not sure (at night is especially deceptive) I'll fire up the Lowrance 3G radar and check the distance.

[wcapital]

Originally Posted by Paul L

As far as I can tell it is nationality dependent.

Haha, yeah - like I think for French charter boats in the Eastern Caribbean, the right distance seems to be as close as possible. Maybe it's something about being able to share wine and women.....

But I always try to be as far away as possible from them, if for no other reason than so I don't have to look at bodies in Speedos who really should be wearing togas!

[JPA Cate]

At Christmas time, one year, in New Zealand, we came into Smokehouse Bay, and anchored well off a Dutch boat, in about 45 ft. (~15 m) water. No one in sight. Along about 4:00 in the afternoon, local boats, out to enjoy the Christmas holidays, began to enter the anchorage.

The first group anchored in about 10 ft., close to shore, and they filled up in tidy rows, till we were engulfed by boats. Finally, inevitably, someone anchored what we felt was too close, and while Jim was working himself up to ask them to move, someone came in between them and us!

"I think you're a little too close," said Jim, seriously.

"Why don't you come over and have a drink, and we'll talk about it?"

"Welllll, okaaay".

As it eventuated, we drank their rum, they gave us dinner. When it was time to go home, I climbed out of their cockpit over our bow pulpit, didn't need the dinghy. So, he took up scope. [!!!!!!]

As it happened, we did bump in the night. And, surprisingly, it was okay, because by now, we were friends.

I think it is the strangers we are more likely to feel are impinging on our anchoring space.

Ann

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Please do not, actually, do this. This causes real chaos as other boats try to avoid getting your buoy line in their props. In a crowded anchorage, other boats will swing over your anchor as a matter of course. Putting a buoy in their way is just -- not good.

OK, that's your opinion nothing more. It's a request from one individual. If someone wants to or feel the need to use a buoy, that is their right to do so.

In general, the first boat in the anchorage gets to "make the rules". It's everyone else's responsibility to anchor so as to not interfere with boats already anchored.