Anchoring

[travler]

I am a rookie, just thinking about eventually doing the ICW in a small shallow draft craft. I have a question about anchoring along the ICW, and about anchoring anywhere in general, I guess. Unless otherwise posted, can a person anchor a shallow draft vessel anywhere, for example, in the upper Chesapeake Bay, or along the Virginia and North Carolina canal areas as long as it does not obstruct or endanger other vessels. Looking at nav charts, there seem to be many, many such areas where a shallow draft vessel would be able to cozy up to the bank and overnight.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by travler

I am a rookie, just thinking about eventually doing the ICW in a small shallow draft craft. I have a question about anchoring along the ICW, and about anchoring anywhere in general, I guess. Unless otherwise posted, can a person anchor a shallow draft vessel anywhere, for example, in the upper Chesapeake Bay, or along the Virginia and North Carolina canal areas as long as it does not obstruct or endanger other vessels. Looking at nav charts, there seem to be many, many such areas where a shallow draft vessel would be able to cozy up to the bank and overnight.

Yes you can cozy up along the bank but remember every vessel that passes by will give you its wake which depending on the angle your boat is at can cause quite a bit of rocking.

For a good sleep, it's always best to find a creek off the main channel, bay, creek, etc

This not to mention the weather.

If you cozy up along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay and the wind rotates to the opposite side, you could have 3'-4' swell coming into your anchorage and many times this will occur not when it's nice and sunny but like 1-2 am and you have to deal with it.

The wider the section of the bay the larger the waves can get.....

[chris mac]

Along the icw there are quite a few marked(on chart) anchorage areas. But as to your question, yes you can move into the shallows and anchor. As long as you are out of all designated channels, as marked by charts or red and green markers. And not obstructing waterways, or to close to docks or ramps.
So lots of area specific rules. Plus it is good to be far off the channel because of passing boats at night. Both for wake and possible collisions.
I would be cautious of anchoring in a canal. They are deep pretty much to the edge, so no shallows and I think they are designated as a channel for their entire length

[travler]

Thanks. Really just thinking about relatively isolated areas away from populated places and sheltered if possible (Coves, estuaries, etc). Thanks, again.

[flightlead404]

Different states will have different rules about how far off various thinks like bridges, marinas, oyster beds and so forth you need to be.