Can you anchor in 10ft of water?

[nimblemotors]

How limited in locations to visit and anchor would you be if 10ft was the maximum depth of water you could anchor in?
Asked another way, can you find 10ft of water to anchor in if you had to?

[sailorboy1]

For the most part for, me at least, 10 foot of water wouldn't cut it. It isn't that I can not do it (as long as it is calm and I'm not going to be pitching), but I would be so close to the shore that I could not risk the swing.

Now if it was calm out and I could swing 360 degrees I wouldn't have a problem anchoring in 10 foot with my 6'4" draft boat.

You have a cat that I assume as a 3-4' draft, if you couldn't anchor in 10' what is the point?

[Sailmonkey]

When cruising Belize or the Bahamas you routinely anchor in water that's only inches below your keel.

I usually like to keep 1-2' below the keel but have anchored a few times with as little as 4". This won't work if the anchorage gets "waked" or a storm whips up.

[skipmac]

Not sure what you're asking. 10' as the maximum depth you can anchor in??? The only maximum limit on anchoring is based on how much anchor line you carry. If you have 400' of chain you could anchor in as much as 80' depth.

As far as the minimum depth, depends on the draft of your boat and the tidal range. If your cat draws 3' and the tide runs 5' in the area then at low tide I would shoot for a minimum depth on the fathometer of about 5'. If at high tide then look for at least 10' on the gauge so when the tide goes out you still have 5' or 2' under your keel.

Of course you also have to take into account swinging room and how deep or shallow it might be if the wind or current changes and you drift off in another direction.

[midnightmail]

Don't know where you're planning on going but there are plenty of places with tide ranges greater that 10 feet.

[44'cruisingcat]

It would depend on your location, but if 10' was the MAXIMUM you could anchor in, it would certainly limit your options.

[Hudson Force]

My average anchoring depth is 12 to 15 feet. I've anchored for two huricanes in 6 feet with a 250' rode. I've been in water that was 10 feet deep more than four miles from shore. I keep my capability to anchor in water that is over 30 feet and still have enough chain for a 7:1 ratio for my rode. It all depends on where you cruise. I spend a lot of time in the Bahamas and the East US Coast.

[Ryan H]

As I understand it the farther from the equator you get the larger the tidal range you have to factor in. The tidal range in boston harbor regularly goes from 10+ ft above lwl to 3 ft below. If you anchored there you'd either wind up with 20+ft water under you or you'd be in 3ft of mud. Why is the 10ft mark so important to you?

[Dsanduril]

Originally Posted by Ryan H

As I understand it the farther from the equator you get the larger the tidal range you have to factor in.

Doesn't have anything to do with the Equator, and everything to do with where you are in the ocean basin. Perfect example is the Panama Canal, on the Colon (Atlantic) side tidal range is a couple of feet, at the Balboa (Pacific) end it can be 20 feet. There both pretty much on the Equator, but in completely different ocean basins.

We frequently try to anchor in less than 10'. That much less rode to have to pull up later. But it all depends on where you are. Alaska and you'll have a hard time finding water that shallow and the tidal range is greater than 10'. As noted, Belize, Bahamas, parts of the South Pacific you could anchor in that depth all the time (as long as your boat will fit there).

[RainDog]

On the Gulf of Mexico, you would have a hard time finding a place with more than 10' of water to anchor in. Prob not so much in CA.

[barnakiel]

4ft draft here anchored in way below 10ft of water countless times. Mind the tide range.

b.

[Richard5]

I think the OP is in the delta of a fresh water system which is influenced by semi-diurnal ocean tides to some degree. As for anchoring in 10', sure, why not? The largest hazard would be getting stuck in the viscous fine grain mud. The further away from tidal influence the lesser your options of freeing yourself of the mud. I guess wind waves and/or the wake of a passing vessel would be your option in that case. Kedging is always an option.

[Richard5]

Originally Posted by RainDog

On the Gulf of Mexico, you would have a hard time finding a place with more than 10' of water to anchor in. Prob not so much in CA.

Think estuary.

[midnightmail]

In Passamaquoddy Bay where the tidal range is about 40 feet, I had to put out so much scope for high tide that I was worried about swinging into shallow water if the wind changed. So I had to anchor out even deeper and put out even more scope, etc etc. It was an interesting challenge, but I had plenty of chain and nylon rode.

[Kettlewell]

I think the OP is asking how limited you would be if you could only anchor in water of 10 feet or less. In other words, apparently he plans on carrying only enough chain and line to safely anchor in 10 feet of water, for some reason.

The answer depends hugely on where you are going, what the tides are, and what your draft is. Try anchoring in 10 feet of water up in New Brunswick and you'll have a long walk to the water's edge at low tide. In Florida and the Bahamas, no problem.