Anchoring Your Boat In Remote Places To Go Ashore

[SunDevil]

How often do you anchor your boat someplace off the beaten path and travel ashore(with no one else onboard)? Would you feel comfortable leaving your boat overnight someplace remote if you go camping and hiking for a few days? Do you feel afraid of your boat disappearing or getting a fine/tow from the Coast Guard or local harbor patrol? Do you worry about the weather changing or the anchor not holding? I'm also worried about the cost of the boat and piracy (but I doubt it is common), and any repair bills if something happened.

Are there many signs and regulations against living on the hook while cruising from one place to another every few days? I understand it is needed in major cities, and other busy areas, but it is something I haven't seen much. http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/9284/noboats.jpg

Well, I have seen it in California, but those were in areas that anchoring out was allowed in. Maybe it is the best place to anchor... But in Michigan or the panhandle of Florida, I haven't come across any boats outside of a marina that weren't actively sailing. Not that I really spent any time looking. I don't get to the coast very much. I need to work on that.

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by SunDevil

How often do you anchor your boat someplace off the beaten path and travel ashore(with no one else onboard)? Would you feel comfortable leaving your boat overnight someplace remote if you go camping and hiking for a few days? Do you feel afraid of your boat disappearing or getting a fine/tow from the Coast Guard or local harbor patrol? Do you worry about the weather changing or the anchor not holding? I'm also worried about the cost of the boat and piracy (but I doubt it is common), and any repair bills if something happened.

Are there many signs and regulations against living on the hook while cruising from one place to another every few days? I understand it is needed in major cities, and other busy areas, but it is something I haven't seen much. http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/9284/noboats.jpg

Well, I have seen it in California, but those were in areas that anchoring out was allowed in. Maybe it is the best place to anchor... But in Michigan or the panhandle of Florida, I haven't come across any boats outside of a marina that weren't actively sailing. Not that I really spent any time looking. I don't get to the coast very much. I need to work on that.

You worry too much to be happy cruising. I suggest you find a different hobby.

[Nicholson58]

We see boats anchored out in may of the Michigan West coast harbors and connected lakes. In the wave expansion ponds behind the break walls of Muskegon and Ludington and on White Lake, Muskegon Lake, Manistee, Sturgeon Bay, Lake Leelanau, Travers Bay, Bay De Noc, the entire North Channel - it is common. In the bigger metro areas you may be required to take a mooring in a designated field. I have found some docks and harbors reasonable and some places like Chicago obscene. The mooring field in Milwaukee is impressively high too.

You will only find serious trouble if you are in a channel or designated large ship basin. check your charts.

[Bash]

I think we all worry about leaving a boat untended on the hook. From my perspective, it's kind of like sailing at night. If you sit there and worry about hitting a semi-submerged shipping container that you'll never see, it will freak you out... at least for a few hours until you suddenly realize you've gone hours and hours without actually dieing.

Yeah, a lot of bad stuff could happen to a boat when it's on the hook untended. But it rarely does. My solution is to take reasonable precautions and have a fabulous insurance policy. Whatever I do, I'm not going to let the fears ruin the fun. My motto has always been that if I lose the boat, all I'm really losing is the deductible.

And so far I'm pleasantly surprised not to have lost a boat.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by SunDevil

How often do you anchor your boat someplace off the beaten path and travel ashore(with no one else onboard)?
Often.
Would you feel comfortable leaving your boat overnight someplace remote if you go camping and hiking for a few days? Depends on where. Near a big city, maybe not, in the outback? maybe yes.
Do you feel afraid of your boat disappearing or getting a fine/tow from the Coast Guard or local harbor patrol? Not if anchored in a correct place.
Do you worry about the weather changing or the anchor not holding? Yes
I'm also worried about the cost of the boat and piracy (but I doubt it is common), and any repair bills if something happened.

Are there many signs and regulations against living on the hook while cruising from one place to another every few days? I understand it is needed in major cities, and other busy areas, but it is something I haven't seen much. http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/9284/noboats.jpg Never seen it posted.

Well, I have seen it in California, but those were in areas that anchoring out was allowed in. Maybe it is the best place to anchor... But in Michigan or the panhandle of Florida, I haven't come across any boats outside of a marina that weren't actively sailing. Not that I really spent any time looking. I don't get to the coast very much. I need to work on that.

Dont worry, be happy!

[Nostrodamus]

I had the same fears as you but as marinas become more and more expensive you have to find ways to cut back and not going in them saves a fortune.

We have been on the hook for the last eight days in various places and will go into a marina tonight just to top off with water and give the batteries a days rest. The more you do it the easier it becomes.

Think of a time not to long ago when marinas did not exist. Boats used anchors everywhere and to be fair they didn't even have the advantage of the modern high holding anchor we have.

Now if you had an old square rigged boat with no electrical windlass, no engine, no decent charts to show you what the bottom was like, and a fisherman's anchor for all types of bottom then you may have a few worries.

[daddle]

Marinas are far worse for theft and damage. More riff-raff. More boat traffic. Cruisers leave their boats in all sorts of odd places. It's normal, common, and relatively safe with the right precautions.

[Wotname]

Just get really good ground tackle and know how to use it.

When you anchor up somewhere and stay on board for a few days or a week without ever having to touch the anchoring system, then you know that it would have been fine even if you weren't on-board.

And yes, I think it is normal to be concerned any time you are away from the boat but don't let concern become a mindless fear; or, as others have suggested, find another passion.

[Hud3]

We never left our boat unattended overnight while anchored, but there was no need to. Where we cruised in the Chesapeake Bay, Bermuda and the West Indies, there was plenty to do ashore without having to spend the night away from the boat. Hiking, sight-seeing, shopping, and sampling the local restaurants can all be done in the course of a day, and we were never worried about leaving the boat once we had it securely anchored.

The only restrictions on anchoring I've seen are designated swimming areas and navigation channels.

I think it's normal to have questions and apprehensions about this sort of thing, since it's unknown territory to you. But after you get out there and do some cruising you'll find that it's not nearly as daunting as your imagination conjures up.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Bash

I think we all worry about leaving a boat untended on the hook.

Indeed. I am a nervous wreck. I usually leave someone on board (or mostly, stay on board myself). If I leave the boat alone, I try not to get out of sight of it. If I get out of sight of it, I admit that regularly ping the boat with a DSC position request from my handheld VHF to assure myself that it hasn't moved. And I would never leave it overnight.

I admit that this is somewhat irrational considering the fact that I have very good ground tackle, and more importantly, very good insurance.

Possibly I was traumatized once in the Windward Islands when a catamaran I had chartered starting drifting out to sea right out from under our noses as the whole crew had dinner on shore.

[svBeBe]

Originally Posted by SunDevil

How often do you anchor your boat someplace off the beaten path and travel ashore(with no one else onboard)? Would you feel comfortable leaving your boat overnight someplace remote if you go camping and hiking for a few days? Do you feel afraid of your boat disappearing or getting a fine/tow from the Coast Guard or local harbor patrol? Do you worry about the weather changing or the anchor not holding? I'm also worried about the cost of the boat and piracy (but I doubt it is common), and any repair bills if something happened.

Are there many signs and regulations against living on the hook while cruising from one place to another every few days? I understand it is needed in major cities, and other busy areas, but it is something I haven't seen much. http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/9284/noboats.jpg

Well, I have seen it in California, but those were in areas that anchoring out was allowed in. Maybe it is the best place to anchor... But in Michigan or the panhandle of Florida, I haven't come across any boats outside of a marina that weren't actively sailing. Not that I really spent any time looking. I don't get to the coast very much. I need to work on that.

We have never left our boat unattended overnight at anchor and would never consider doing so. Too many unforeseen things could happen. We do leave the boat berthed in a marina -- always either paying a marina employee to look after the boat or having a friend also berthed in the same marina to look after the boat.

As for signs and regulations regarding anchorages, those differ by country and by state and even by locality within a state.

Judy

[svBeBe]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

.....snipped.....

Possibly I was traumatized once in the Windward Islands when a catamaran I had chartered starting drifting out to sea right out from under our noses as the whole crew had dinner on shore.

We have twice rescued charter boats in the Caribbean floating out to sea while whole crew was ashore for dinner and drinks. Once in the BVI and once in Martinque.

Cruising friends almost lost their boat in Vava'U when winds kicked up one night while they were playing in a band ashore. Several of us on other cruising boats had left the bar early and were back on our own boats when the winds kicked up. We watched their boat drag anchor completely across Neiafu Bay before we could reach it with our dinghy. We could not reach it in time to be of any assistance. Luckily their boat re-anchored herself just short of the rocky lee shore. Just sheer luck.

Judy

[Nostrodamus]

You can also get an anchor App on the I pad that will ring or text your mobile if the boat goes out of a pre determined circle. (just might give you time to watch it drift nicely onto the rocks).

If you are asleep on board it sets of an alarm.

[Tony B]

There were many times that I anchored in a small hole somewhere for a few days rest on a long trip. On several occasions there was another boat in there and abandoned. Not abandoned in like someone left it for good but abandoned like they are gone for a few days. Anyone could have helped themselves to anything they wanted but apparently, no one did. Whenever I see another boat like that, I usually keep an eye on it.

[John A]

In ten years of cruising solo in Central America and the Caribbean, I never stayed in a marina (except once in Mazitlan) and used a mooring only once while I returned to the states for two months. At other times I've left the boat on the hook for over a week with no problems.