Marking your anchor location

[noelex 77]

Welcome to the forum Thailand Bound. This is an old thread, but your question is still valid.

The mistake you are making is to assume it is unsafe for someone else to anchor so that they may swing over your anchor location. It depends on the circumstances, but normally this is both safe and done very frequently in crowded anchorages.

By using an anchor float you are denying other boats the opportunity to do this and so unfairly restricting where they can anchor.

It is a little like taking up two spaces in a parking lot.

That is not to say that anchor floats can never be used, but they need to used with caution rather than routinely, with an appreciation for the restriction you are placing on other boats. The other factor to take into account is that you are creating a hazard for boats that may be entering at night. The anchor float is an additional (usually unlit) object that other boats need to avoid.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

That is not to say that anchor floats can never be used, but they need to used with caution rather than routinely, with an appreciation for the restriction you are placing on other boats. The other factor to take into account is that you are creating a hazard for boats that may be entering at night. The anchor float is an additional (usually unlit) object that other boats need to avoid.

Two photos that show the value of my milk jug anchor float on very light twine.
1. The jug is at my port side stern.
2. The jug is about 75' behind my stern 1/2hr. later.

Anyone dropping their hook behind me is going to cause a mess without that float.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Two photos that show the value of my milk jug anchor float on very light twine.

It is important to always know the position of your anchor. This is easy to do with modern GPS systems. Anchor alarm apps will track your anchor position continuously. No float is needed.

If someone wants to anchor close in a crowded anchorage with light and variable winds, where a conflict may arise, it is sensible to ask the location of the anchor.

Crowded anchorages where this type of conflict may occur is the time when it is a little antisocial to take up more room by using an anchor float. Light variable wind is also a time when you need to be careful if deploying an anchor float. It possible to drift over your own anchor float and tangle this with your own rudder or stern gear.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

It is important to always know the position of your anchor. This is easy to do with modern GPS systems. Anchor alarm apps will track your anchor position continuously. No float is needed.

If someone wants to anchor close in a crowded anchorage with light and variable winds, where a conflict may arise, it is sensible to ask the location of the anchor.

Crowded anchorages where this type of conflict may occur is the time when it is a little antisocial to take up more room by using an anchor float. Light variable wind is also a time when you need to be careful if deploying an anchor float. It possible to drift over your own anchor float and tangle this with your own rudder or stern gear.

So if we are not aboard at the time, how do they find out where our anchor is ? How do we know where our anchor is without a float. My light twine will break readily and not entangle anyone. In over 30 years, my all chain rode has never touched my hull or running gear.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

So if we are not aboard at the time, how do they find out where our anchor is ?

In most situation it easy to estimate the anchor location of neighbouring boats. In light variable wind if no one is on board I agree this can be a challenge, but if it is not a crowded location in these conditions it is normal to allow plenty of distance between boats, so this is not an issue. If it is crowded location I think the extra space you take up by deploying an anchor float is more annoying than the little extra information supplied by the float.

Originally Posted by boatpoker

How do we know where our anchor is without a float.

You can keep track of this electronically. You should always know the location of your of your own anchor. For example I am anchored at the moment and my anchor is 32m away on a bearing of 98°.

Originally Posted by boatpoker

My light twine will break readily and not entangle anyone.

Light twine is help, but this can still wrap around a sailboat or outboard prop and disable the engine. There is no way for other boats to know what type of line is used on your anchor float so when choosing an anchor location they would likely feel the need to anchor so there was no danger that they could swing into this float. Thus the float is restricting the anchoring area available to other boats.

Originally Posted by boatpoker

In over 30 years, my all chain rode has never touched my hull or running gear.

The danger is not from your all chain rode, but the anchor float and the line attached to the float. This can become entangled around the rudder, or the prop. The danger is not only to other boats, but if you swing over your own anchor you can tangle your own anchor float. Using a light line helps. If the prop is not spinning the line will likely break before causing harm or dislodging the anchor, but this negates using the anchor float to dislodge a stuck anchor. If the prop is spinning such as boat entering the anchorage at night even a light line can cause problems such as damaging saildrive seals, or even stopping the engine if multiple wraps occur.

[Mike OReilly]

Poor internet connection, but noelex is right. There are good reasons to use a float, but definitely not for routine anchoring. In 20 years of NOT using one, I’ve never had a problem. But I’ve certainly run into the occasional user. I just take them for inexperienced cruisers.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Poor internet connection, but noelex is right. There are good reasons to use a float, but definitely not for routine anchoring. In 20 years of NOT using one, I’ve never had a problem. But I’ve certainly run into the occasional user. I just take them for inexperienced cruisers.

My inexperience has been affected by a deep draught sailboat crashing into my stretched out chain rode as it crossed my bow and an incident of another vessel dropping their anchor and dragging across my rode and creating one helluva mess. I appreciate others right to differing opinions but my limited experience is very different than yours. If it makes others wary about anchoring near me it's doing it's job and I'll stick with it.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

It is important to always know the position of your anchor. This is easy to do with modern GPS systems. Anchor alarm apps will track your anchor position continuously. No float is needed.

If someone wants to anchor close in a crowded anchorage with light and variable winds, where a conflict may arise, it is sensible to ask the location of the anchor.

Crowded anchorages where this type of conflict may occur is the time when it is a little antisocial to take up more room by using an anchor float. Light variable wind is also a time when you need to be careful if deploying an anchor float. It possible to drift over your own anchor float and tangle this with your own rudder or stern gear.

I agree completely. We've had this discussion a few times, but worth saying again how antisocial anchor floats are, and potentially dangerous to others and oneself.


Someone said "like taking up 2 parking spots" -- actually it's like taking up 10 parking spots.


It's remarkable how densely you can pack boats into an anchorage without any actual interference with each other. Because they tend to swing alike, at least roughly alike, and that's enough. In the really extreme case of a dead calm where boats might drift in different directions from their anchors, the forces are so small that a couple of fenders will deal with any interference, but I've never seen boats touch each other even in these conditions.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

My inexperience has been affected by a deep draught sailboat crashing into my stretched out chain rode as it crossed my bow and an incident of another vessel dropping their anchor and dragging across my rode and creating one helluva mess. I appreciate others right to differing opinions but my limited experience is very different than yours. If it makes others wary about anchoring near me it's doing it's job and I'll stick with it.

BP, a float is unlikely to have helped in either of these examples. You can’t fix, or fully guard against, stupid.

It’s all been said before. Anchor floats are generally a bad idea; bad for the deploying boat, and bad for those around them. In crowded anchorages it is selfish.

If you really want to avoid other people, do like I do, and cruise in lightly travelled areas [emoji6].

[Don C L]

It is rare that I hook up the anchor buoy/trip line, but I have in the past in spots where I was concerned about fouling the anchor. Personally I would not consider merely a float to mark the anchor location though folks occasionally do here and I actually find it helpful. BUT this is in small anchorages where we are anchored bow and stern; there is no swinging. You can set a trip line that follows the rode back to the bow (and/or stern,) and this avoids setting a buoy, but a lot of line is needed for that in my case because I allow for falling back on one rode to pick up the other. If I set a buoy over the anchor, it is to hang a stout trip line from it, in the weighted way Mike mentions. I haven't needed to in a few years but I wish I had done it just the other day when I anchored near our breakwater to fish and snagged a big cable dropped by a dredge apparently. A trip line would have made life so much easier... and safer.