Anchoring in tidal stream

[bouncycastle]

My cousins 37 foot 1986 shallow keels prout cat in 4 knot tidal current river in France at anchor was simple the boat pointed always in the direction of tidal current even if the wind as strong as force 7 . In cross winds there was bit of angle from side forces . At the last hour and first hour of the tides boat would tend to swing in compromise position between wind and tidal current .

I assume shallow draught motor boats or center board sail crafts would act in similar ways.
The issue there was to check the rudders were not impacted in between tidal changes but seemed to never happen as it was anchored in center river ~20 feet deep at low tides

Mono hull snatching issues for under 25 ft boat can be solved with a 5 gallon container filled with about four gallons of water . The container is attached to the anchor chain at about the water surface point where the container can still float on the surface. When the boat pulls hard it lifts the heavy container out of the water and that acts like a shock absorber stopping the snatch impact forces . This also seems to help to keep the chain further away from boats when wind and tides change . Larger boats might need to more containers or larger than 5 gallon containers

[Idlegreg]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

..... take the Beaulieu River, for example, where you're allowed to anchor in the outer reach beyond the moorings. There's hardly a boat length between the main channel and the bar. Strong changing tide. I used to anchor there all the time. In practice there is no problem with a single normal anchor -- the tidal stream does not move in the direction of the bar, so you are carried back and forth in parallel and never touch the bar nor impinge on the main channel -- it's fine. Now if a Norther were to blow up pushing you onto the bar, that would be a different story
.

I thought we had something in common when it came to anchoring :-)


A very fine spot and one of my favorites. I can confirm your description, the boat can lie close to the steep edge of the channel and the stream will keep her off the mud even in quite strong winds. This seems to work even when the bar is covered and the ebb runs fast, some of it directly out the side of the channel to the Solent. I tested one dark night when I misjudged the edge when manoeuvering to anchor and suddenly found myself carried sideways onto the mud. The gods smilled (well the engine proved powerful enough) and I was saved the embarasment of being stuck on my ear in the morning when the stream of locals come motoring out of the river. I suppose it is only a small portion of the flow that spills over the edge and just a short distance away the primary flow is along the channel.

[Sos]

No more anchoring allowed in the Beaulieu River - great shame since it was a great spot!!

[Idlegreg]

Originally Posted by Sos

No more anchoring allowed in the Beaulieu River - great shame since it was a great spot!!

Damm that is really bad news for me I love it there - not only is the expense of a buoy annoying but there is a special magic down near the entrance. A moonlit night with the bank covered at high tide it feels quite special.


I do hope the various enviromental justifications for increasinly restricted anchoring are genuinly justifed and will help preserve the beauty. It is tempting to suspect there is a blanket approach that says yachts do harm where it might not always be true.

[Idlegreg]

I fear I have wandered off topic slightly - to address the OPs question I am with those who suggest in most cases just live with it. Generally in my experience if the boat is lying between wind and tide with the anchor rode against the hull there there is little force on the anchor and it is unlikely to let go so the problem is how much you care for your topside gloss.


Have you tried a bow fender like this ?


https://www.force4.co.uk/item/Majoni...se&stock=22934