Anchoring etiquette

[boatman61]

Never knew there were 'Rules' for anchoring..
Must be an American thing, however a Bing search threw this up about Etiquette..
The cardinal rules of anchoring etiquette, therefore, are quite simple, and we hope that, at the very least, you will take these to heart:

(1) The first boat sets the precedent.

(2) Once anchored, treat others as THEY would like to be treated…with respect.

So the OP is complaining and thus breaching the etiquette.. and so are many others here.
4 x depth to me is 20 metres in 5m, fine for a lunch break but, if I am planning a few nights on the hook it'll be 30metres plus depth if my boats 10metres.
Don't like it.???
Tough titty..

[Mike OReilly]

The other problem with this 'first in' rule is: how the heck are the next boats supposed to know what the "first" person has set? Unless they're there to yell at you, or have a big sign up, all the next boat can do is try to match rode types, and lay a reasonable amount of length out.



The only ettiquete that makes sense to me is, anchor safely for the conditions, but don't try and hog the whole space for yourself. An anchorage is a common resource, not your private property. Be kind to others.

[skenn_ie]

I wonder: Did he actually have that much rode out or was he just being an arsehole. No way of knowing unless you swim over and look.

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

CaptTom we have a guy at our marina who deliberately parks over the white line so he has two car parks. I imagine it is so no one dings his car.
Cheers

I have two $100k+ cars and don't do this. Its utterly wrong and inconsiderate. I also have a complete POS dinged up, hasn't been washed in 10 years old truck. When I find someone like this I park as close as I possibly can to her drivers side door. Millimeters if the side mirrors will let me.

I don't care if she dings me deliberately, there's a million dings there under the dirt anyway. I find satisfaction in knowing she's got to go in through the passenger side or through the sunroof if I can find a like minded buddy to go on the other side. I (probably futilely) hope she will figure it out and stop being a jerk.

[skenn_ie]

Originally Posted by flightlead404

I have two $100k+ cars and don't do this. Its utterly wrong and inconsiderate. I also have a complete POS dinged up, hasn't been washed in 10 years old truck. When I find someone like this I park as close as I possibly can to her drivers side door. Millimeters if the side mirrors will let me.

I came across a note that someone else left on a car "I hope you don't **** like you park, 'cause you'd never get in.

[merrydolphin]

Having cruised extensively for 25+ yrs and almost exclusively living on the anchor I know that things can get weird in the anchorages. I have had boats anchor so close, that they could step over to my boat for coffee. And I don’t mean rafted, but that would have been better. I found this especially true in the eastern Caribbean. Sometime when they had topless ladies in bikini bottoms on deck it wasn’t so bad ha ha. But in seriousness, yeah it can be tricky. I had this happen in a fairly crowed anchorage in the Sea of Cortez. He insisted that I was over his anchor. I dove it and saw that I was not. Even though he had a lot of scope out. I put a Kellet on my rode and called it a night.
This is a wonderful way to shorten scope without loosing holding power. I just use a scuba weight belt as I have a lot of them. Slide them down the chain on a small line to approximately the center of the catenary, and done.

[goboatingnow]

HInz bible on anchoring suggest 10x is needed for shallow anchorages

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by guitarrich

The rules state 4 x depth of water. They used to say 3 x depth, and in those days anchors were vastly inferior to boot.

Where are these rules written?
I punched that into the chainsim app on my phone, with 10mm chain, 20m out will be completely lifted off of the seabed in any wind over 11 kts. At 20 kts, the chain would be angled 12.5º, with a significant amount of the force actually lifting the anchor.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

Where are these rules written?
I punched that into the chainsim app on my phone, with 10mm chain, 20m out will be completely lifted off of the seabed in any wind over 11 kts. At 20 kts, the chain would be angled 12.5º, with a significant amount of the force actually lifting the anchor.

Lunch time sailor..

[guitarrich]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

Where are these rules written?
I punched that into the chainsim app on my phone, with 10mm chain, 20m out will be completely lifted off of the seabed in any wind over 11 kts. At 20 kts, the chain would be angled 12.5º, with a significant amount of the force actually lifting the anchor.

Not sure where you’re based Lodesman, but in the uk we have the RYA which delivers training and qualifications to amateur sailors, and the MCA for professionals. I happen to be the latter these days, with a current licence to captain up to 3000gt

I looked through some old literature to confirm my memory of those courses from decades ago, though I’m not sure when the recommendation (for chain rode) was upped from 3 to 4 times depth.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

Where are these rules written?

I punched that into the chainsim app on my phone, with 10mm chain, 20m out will be completely lifted off of the seabed in any wind over 11 kts. At 20 kts, the chain would be angled 12.5º, with a significant amount of the force actually lifting the anchor.

Correct far more scope is needed in shallow water to ensure a horizontal pull

In Greece for example I will run out 35 metres in 4 metres

[Q Xopa]

Originally Posted by letsgetsailing3

Seriously, 50 meters is a half a football field.


10:1 scope seems excessive under these conditions.



But if you can't work it out, it could be a long night.

Not counting for depth it could be an area of 2.5 square kms. That is quite a 'generous' claim stake.

But I agree that trying to negotiate with someone that ambitious is not likely to be successful.

My father would often tell me if we are arguing with an idiot, we have two idiots.

He is right of course, but I am still an idiot more than I care to admit.

[Fore and Aft]

Flightlead 404 the funny thing is the cars 20 years old. Admittedly it's pretty tidy, but it's passed the point of being worth much.
I am with boatman, I like to have a fair bit of chain out.
Cheers

[thinwater]

The case law on this does not say you need to keep outside the swing circle of the first in (which several implied), or only that you cannot foul his anchor (which someone said), it says that you cannot create a foul berth for the for the first in, which means you can't cause a collision or foul his rode. You can overlap swing circles, so long as this does not result in the above problems.


First in has these rights. However, the moment first in starts to drag, the rights are forefit. For time he was dragging, he was not anchored.



The greatest practical problem is often proving that you did not drag or the other guy did. A practical impossibility for both of you in the real world.


How much space do you need to give other boats? Lots of variables and it's not going to get settled here.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by thinwater

The case law on this does not say you need to keep outside the swing circle of the first in (which several implied), or only that you cannot foul his anchor (which someone said), it says that you cannot create a foul berth for the for the first in, which means you can't cause a collision or foul his rode. You can overlap swing circles, so long as this does not result in the above problems.


First in has these rights. However, the moment first in starts to drag, the rights are forefit. For time he was dragging, he was not anchored.



The greatest practical problem is often proving that you did not drag or the other guy did. A practical impossibility for both of you in the real world.


How much space do you need to give other boats? Lots of variables and it's not going to get settled here.

Given places like fiscardo where you basically can’t anchor without fouling anchors , I think k we can forget the fouled anchor rule.