How Close Is Too Close?

[darylat8750]

So... I've only buoyed my anchor a few times, mostly on brown water. In nolex77s pictures of anchors thread they use a small float on a short line that is well submerged when the ancho is set.
My question for the group is thus: Would it make sense to use something like this with the line long enough to reach the loop holding the float with a boat hook. In the places I often anchor I pretty consistently anchor in 10 to 14 ft so with a 6 ft. loop I could usually reach it with my boat hook without getting wet and if I couldn't reach it dry it would only be a shallow dive to get hold of it. And yet.... no dinghies would be snagged and it would be deep enough that it would not be in danger of getting caught on my props. Also if it was snagged on a tree I wouldn't have to dive into the branches to get a line on the anchor which can be down right dangerous in a river current.

[Tango_51]

easy way to keep other boaters away .. is to play rap music real loud... till sundown... problem solve quite night....

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by darylat8750

So... I've only buoyed my anchor a few times, mostly on brown water. In nolex77s pictures of anchors thread they use a small float on a short line that is well submerged when the ancho is set.
My question for the group is thus: Would it make sense to use something like this with the line long enough to reach the loop holding the float with a boat hook. In the places I often anchor I pretty consistently anchor in 10 to 14 ft so with a 6 ft. loop I could usually reach it with my boat hook without getting wet and if I couldn't reach it dry it would only be a shallow dive to get hold of it. And yet.... no dinghies would be snagged and it would be deep enough that it would not be in danger of getting caught on my props. Also if it was snagged on a tree I wouldn't have to dive into the branches to get a line on the anchor which can be down right dangerous in a river current.

In my opinion, it's even worse if it's submerged -- some boats have props (and rudders) which are deeper than what you can reach with a boathook, and if the float is submerged, no one can see it.

As others have commented, the hazard is not just to others but also to yourself -- if someone runs over it and snags it, they will unhook your anchor and set you adrift.

If you're in a river with logs on the bottom and the place where you are anchoring is not crowded (either with anchored boats or traffic), I would just use a normal anchor float and don't worry about it. In a river with the current going only one way, the risk of your drifting back over your anchor and snagging your own float is also reduced.

Either that, or consider running the trip line up the chain, with light cable ties, instead of a float.

Good luck.

[barnakiel]

Too many people here scared of fins and snorkel. Are we a skiing or a sailing forum?

Argghhhhhhh ... yessssssssssss ... CRUISERS and sailing forum ... ;-)

C'mon.

b.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Too many people here scared of fins and snorkel. Are we a skiing or a sailing forum?

Argghhhhhhh ... yessssssssssss ... CRUISERS and sailing forum ... ;-)

C'mon.

b.

Actually, Barney, some of us must anchor in water that is too deep for most cruisers to usefully free dive in. The anchor I had to abandon in the Gordon River last year was in ~50 feet of icy, zero visibility water flowing at around one knot. I had fins, snorkel, mask and for that matter, scuba gear. At that poiint I would have traded the lot for a trip line!

Jim

[darylat8750]

I like fins and snorkel. And I have gone swimming for fun in Lake Superior. And one time in my misspent youth I water skied in Canada's NW Territory. But 2+ knots of current, zero visibility and unknown snags in the Ohio river DO scare me.

[Paul L]

We sometimes use pearl floats to bring the anchor chain off the bottom to avoid wrapping on coral bommies.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Too many people here scared of fins and snorkel. Are we a skiing or a sailing forum?

Argghhhhhhh ... yessssssssssss ... CRUISERS and sailing forum ... ;-)

C'mon.

b.

Ok, you first barn... send us photos of your diving prowess! I can see a new thread here: photos of us, free diving (no sneaking a pony bottle) with a depth gauge and verified unsnagged anchor!

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Actually, Barney, some of us must anchor in water that is too deep for most cruisers to usefully free dive in. The anchor I had to abandon in the Gordon River last year was in ~50 feet of icy, zero visibility water flowing at around one knot. I had fins, snorkel, mask and for that matter, scuba gear. At that poiint I would have traded the lot for a trip line!

Jim

Fine. Except Gordon River icy water and 50' depth is probably not where there are so many other boats that you create any issues having a float on your anchor or even two floats if you like.

It is a different thing in Le Marin lagoon with over 1000 boats anchored there and distances between anchored boats often less than our LOA!

So to say there is a time for an anchor float and a time for not! ;-)

Cheers,
b.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Ok, you first barn... send us photos of your diving prowess! I can see a new thread here: photos of us, free diving (no sneaking a pony bottle) with a depth gauge and verified unsnagged anchor!

OK, I will, as soon as I have waterproof camera (planned for this fall).

The deepest I went down ever was 25m. That was ages ago and probably no longer viable.

Last time in the Caribbean I went easily to 9 meters. I can stay about half a minute at 7 meters doing things. This is all in clear water.

Maybe I could do better if I exercised on a regular basis. The problem is that water in the Canaries in the winter is only 19 degrees centigrade...

Cheers,
b.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

…Maybe I could do better if I exercised on a regular basis. The problem is that water in the Canaries in the winter is only 19 degrees centigrade...

That’s cute. In Lake Superior (my recent cruising ground), if the water ever got up to 19 C we were amazed and were swimming all the time. Try more like 12 to 16 C for normal ‘heat-of-summer’ temperatures. And that was only the surface water. Go down a couple of metres and it quickly drops to close to 4 to 6C.

Now, what were you saying about diving on the anchor .

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

That’s cute. In Lake Superior (my recent cruising ground), if the water ever got up to 19 C we were amazed and were swimming all the time. Try more like 12 to 16 C for normal ‘heat-of-summer’ temperatures. And that was only the surface water. Go down a couple of metres and it quickly drops to close to 4 to 6C.

Now, what were you saying about diving on the anchor .

Yep.

But I think anchorages on Lake Superior are far from congested hence a float on the anchor should be zero problem.

I think where floats ARE a problem (mostly by newcomers who have never anchored here) are the popular places in the more tropical climate. I know about the Windwards, I can imagine maybe places in Florida or Cal are like that too. Las Palmas in Canary Islands during the ARC nonsense too. etc.

So to say I think where it is tight and many stupid dinghy riders and idiot midnight comers trying to anchor on top, then we use NO floats. Sure thing, where water is cold and the anchorage is not packed full of boats, one can afford the float (if required, for I still cannot see why use a float in 6 meters, mud/sand). I sure would use a float where there is rocky / bouldery bottom ... except rock / boulders is my last choice in anchoring.

Of all the times we had any issue lifting the anchor I can remember only once I got close to cutting it lose - in N Australia. All this in HUNDREDS of anchorages in all styles of bottom, around the world. Yes, at times we had to exercise some, but we NEVER lost an anchor this far (nearly 15 years down the road).

We did use a float but only till Cabo Verde where we heard an odd noise from a passing dinghy late at night and then we woke up to no float on our anchor. (F--K) as this was my favorite piece of equipment: all cute orange and imported from Sweden.

;-)

Ever since, we go floatless, not clueless ... ;-)

Cheers,
b.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Yep. But I think anchorages on Lake Superior are far from congested hence a float on the anchor should be zero problem.

Very true, at least for the north and eastern shores of Superior - the Canadian shore (I sure miss it). But once you get down into the North Channel (Lake Huron), and places south like Lake Ontario, the anchorages can become crazy busy. Of course the water is warmer...

Originally Posted by barnakiel

...So to say I think where it is tight and many stupid dinghy riders and idiot midnight comers trying to anchor on top, then we use NO floats. Sure thing, where water is cold and the anchorage is not packed full of boats, one can afford the float (if required, for I still cannot see why use a float in 6 meters, mud/sand). I sure would use a float where there is rocky / bouldery bottom ... except rock / boulders is my last choice in anchoring.

Yup. It’s what almost everyone here has said.

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Of all the times we had any issue lifting the anchor I can remember only once I got close to cutting it lose - in N Australia. All this in HUNDREDS of anchorages in all styles of bottom, around the world. Yes, at times we had to exercise some, but we NEVER lost an anchor this far (nearly 15 years down the road).

I don’t have the breadth of anchorage as you Barn, but I’ve spent hundreds of days over the past ten years swinging from our hook. When we’re out, we anchor almost all the time. I’ve had a very few close calls where it was possible we might have had to abandon an anchor. I’m sure I will lose an anchor some day, but like all things in cruising, a little experience, patience and some luck goes a long way to avoiding problems (most of the time ).

I do use a tripline attached to a buoy when I think it is warranted. Ironically though, I have never had an anchor snag in those circumstances (at least not to the point of needing the trip line).

[sailorboy1]

I've noticed that last couple of weeks down here in the Bahamas that a lot of times other boats look too close when you look at them from the cockpit of your boat. But if you get in the dinghy and go to the beach etc. and look back you find the boats are a lot farther apart then you thought.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I've noticed that last couple of weeks down here in the Bahamas that a lot of times other boats look too close when you look at them from the cockpit of your boat. But if you get in the dinghy and go to the beach etc. and look back you find the boats are a lot farther apart then you thought.

This is surely true! Don't really understand why... something about perspective I suppose, but it does exist, and with some experience can be factored into how you place your anchor.

Jim