Marking your anchor location

[Don C L]

I think most fouled anchors won't come out unless the trip line is pulled either from directly above or, better yet, from ahead, i.e. upwind, of the anchor. If there is any current or wind don't you need at least a little goose of the engine to get out ahead of the anchor?

[SV__Grace]

Originally Posted by Don C L

I think most fouled anchors won't come out unless the trip line is pulled either from directly above or, better yet, from ahead, i.e. upwind, of the anchor. If there is any current or wind don't you need at least a little goose of the engine to get out ahead of the anchor?

Don, so far, in my experience, if a trip line is installed on the leading edge of the shank or anchor crown, using a winch and some patience will back it out.

I haven't had to use the engine yet, though I imagine it may be necessary some day, but if you can't winch it out I don't have much confidence the engine will make a difference and might just make the problem worse unless you know how it's fouled and what's needed to get it out (I look forward to using an underwater camera drone in the future for that purpose, the technology exists, it just has to come down in price, this one looks cool).

But thankfully I haven't had that experience yet.

I'd love to learn from the experiences of others though! Anyone care to chime in?

[SaltyMetals]

I still think my solution works best (Post #22). whatever the depth and whatever the rise/fall of tide my anchor buoy remains exactly where it should be; above the anchor. In addition not only does my boat have the ability to drop/weigh anchor from the cockpit but i can drop the anchor buoy from the cockpit as well. OK, so when weighing the anchor i hv to go fwd and fish out the anchor buoy with a boathook but that is all very straight forward. It all makes the operation v simple and can be done solo.
Andrew

[fred4936]

I am intrigued by all this! There has been two occasions when a boat swung around and sat on top of our anchor. I bought a float at a local swap meet with the thought that I was solving a problem. After reading these responses, I now am not so sure. Is there a better way to insure that another boat does not anchor in such a way that they won't land over your anchor?

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by fred4936

I am intrigued by all this! There has been two occasions when a boat swung around and sat on top of our anchor. I bought a float at a local swap meet with the thought that I was solving a problem. After reading these responses, I now am not so sure. Is there a better way to insure that another boat does not anchor in such a way that they won't land over your anchor?

Really, there is NO way to insure such an outcome, and the anchor marking buoy certainly does not do so. But in reality, having a boat over your anchor is not an uncommon event in many crowded places, and it isn't a serious matter. If one wishes to weigh anchor under such conditions, asking the offending boat to move up whilst you get the anchor will nearly always work. And if the vessel is unoccupied, a little patience will usually find the boat swinging a bit away, allowing the rapid retrieval of the last bits of rode and the hook.

Yep, it is an inconvenience, but one that isn't the end of the world. Learn to deal with it when it crops up, and don't stress about its possibility... or don't frequent crowded anchorages!

Jim

[Badsanta]

I know a guy that uses a Duck decoy for this.

Originally Posted by Argyle38

Well look at the big brain on Mike!

Seriously, love this idea.

I also have a small float (fishing pot float, so it doesn't get mistaked for a mooring buoy), would only deploy if a trip line was definitely needed, and not in a crowded anchorage.


Edit: Oh, and if you do set one, don't use floating line.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by fred4936

I am intrigued by all this! There has been two occasions when a boat swung around and sat on top of our anchor. I bought a float at a local swap meet with the thought that I was solving a problem. After reading these responses, I now am not so sure. Is there a better way to insure that another boat does not anchor in such a way that they won't land over your anchor?

As Jim says, it's simply not a problem. There is no issue with a boat swinging over your anchor. In the unlikely event that you want to leave just when they are exactly over your anchor, a simple bit of communication solves the problem. I really don't get all this angst. Talk to people...

An anchor float creates far more problems than is solves. Besides that, most cruisers view it as rather rude. You are claiming an exclusive space that is far more than is needed. It's similar to anchoring differently that everyone else in a crowded anchorage; it just screws everyone up.

The solution for people who need their anchor marked is to ensure you anchor by yourself. I do this most of the time by cruising in areas where few care to venture .

... But I still almost never deploy an anchor buoy .

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by fred4936

I am intrigued by all this! There has been two occasions when a boat swung around and sat on top of our anchor. I bought a float at a local swap meet with the thought that I was solving a problem. After reading these responses, I now am not so sure. Is there a better way to insure that another boat does not anchor in such a way that they won't land over your anchor?

People will anchor in a way that their boat may drift over your anchor, I don't imagine there is any way to prevent that. The bigger issue is, if they are anchored upwind of you, did they anchor properly with enough scope and setting their anchor well? If you are in doubt you can politely ask they try doing it over (unlikely they will, but you never know) or moving yourself out of their way if you think they will drag in blustery weather. I have had someone drag on top of my anchor, and my anchor held both of us for a short time. That was a bit of a hassle to deal with but we both managed to do it without fisticuffs and they were apologetic.

[SaltyMetals]

I agree w Jim & Mike. Happens quite often that another boat swings to sit over yr anchor when the wind or the current changes. Only prob;em is if you plan to leave early the next morning and they are intending to lie-in. I usually fix arrangements the night before and the discussion often ends up w a drink onboard. Not a problem at all.

While there are opposing schools of thought on this, there is an advantage in having laid out an anchor buoy bec each boat can then see if they end up lying above your anchor. Without the anchor buoy it is guesswork.
Andrew

[fred4936]

Thank you Jim, Mike, and the rest of you. I am the last person in the world that would want to get anyone upset, and always do my best to set the anchor correctly and appropriately. It did not dawn on me that the anchor bouy would cause any concern, so thank you for letting me know! The two times it happened the other boats were unoccupied and we needed to go to catch the tides or weather window. We made it work, so that must be the appropriate answer. I like the idea if the trip line! So far I have not needed it, but I know it is a matter of time until I wish I had. So I will re-evaluate, and maybe leave the bouy home. Thanks again!

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by fred4936

Thank you Jim, Mike, and the rest of you. I am the last person in the world that would want to get anyone upset, and always do my best to set the anchor correctly and appropriately. It did not dawn on me that the anchor bouy would cause any concern, so thank you for letting me know! The two times it happened the other boats were unoccupied and we needed to go to catch the tides or weather window. We made it work, so that must be the appropriate answer. I like the idea if the trip line! So far I have not needed it, but I know it is a matter of time until I wish I had. So I will re-evaluate, and maybe leave the bouy home. Thanks again!

Good on you .

[sailcrazy]

Knowing where your anchor is...is really pretty straightforward. Just to a position fix on your chartplotter when you drop it, and the waypoint shows its location. And IF you need to leave and your anchor is under their boat, either delay your departure , or get the horn out! The bigger issue, though, is how do you pull out a stuck anchor......and that's why we often attach a line and float to the opposite end of the anchor from the shank. The line needs to be heavy enough to actually pull out and support the anchor (so much for the Elastitether-I know I've got one I'll sell cheap!)...and we've had to use that line on occasion! and while having a floating buoy in the water MAY be a restriction in an anchor field, maybe it might keep someone from ramming you as they spin/drift differently from you. I know-we've been bumped into twice now by cats, despite my request that they move because they were to close when they dropped their anchor! The idea of a block on the buoy and weight on the tail of the line, so the buoy is always over the anchor with no loose line, however, sounds like a really good idea!

[Don C L]

So this may apply to only a small fraction of cruisers out there, but in my neighborhood where we anchor bow and stern, I'm usually more concerned folks know where my stern anchor is since the temptation is to anchor directly behind a boat in an anchorage. It is easy to drop your bow anchor on top of someone's stern hook and then big problems ensue. When someone comes in and they are wondering about good spots to anchor I'll suggest and encourage they drop their bow anchor right NEXT to me. That way we'll all know where their bow anchor is and there is less likelihood of dragging over my stern hook. And when they fall back 150 feet or so, their boat is probably adjacent to my stern hook of course, which is ok with me. I prefer it, even if it means having to wake them up or push them out of the way a bit when I leave. But many folks are reticent to anchor so close to right under another boat. And some folks don't want to be woken up so they'll anchor farther away. I've had folks wake me up when they are leaving, it's absolutely no problem for me. Having someone pull up my anchor with theirs when they leave? (And that has happened more than once) THAT will tick me off
Anyway, as has been mentioned, friendly communication with others in a new anchorage, prior to anchoring, ALWAYS pays dividends and makes friends!

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

What purpose does an anchor float serve? I’ve always wondered that and can’t come up with a good answer.

It serves the very important purpose of fouling the props of other boats, and causing chaos in the anchorage. A bonus function is pulling up your anchor when the other boat can't clear the float line, creating a hilarious YouTube video op.


Other than that -- zero purpose whatsoever. Want to know where your anchor is? Mark it on GPS. Want to be able to pull the anchor up if it's fouled? Run a ring down the chain and over the anchor shank. Or if you're really anal, rig the trip line with light cable ties up the anchor chain, which will break if you need to use the trip line.



Oh, I forgot the second purpose of the anchor float -- to point out the biggest fool in the anchorage -- the skipper of the boat which deployed it

[carstenb]

We never use an anchor buoy except on two occasions. In the Hiva Oa anchorage in the Marquesas, the anchorage is very small and you MUST use both a bow and stern anchor. Here you need to mark you stern anchor so anyone else setting their stern anchor will know where yours is.

The same is true on Ou Pou - here the anchorage is again so small that you MUST set a stern anchor- Having said that, when we were there an idiot sailed around the back of us and picked up our chlorox bottle and line in his rudder. He kept going and yanked our stern anchor out. It was a major hassle with him refusing to cooperate in getting things right (he claimed that we shouldn't have been using a stern anchor - but he got his cosmic comeuppance when the supply ship hooked his boat up to their barge and dragged him halfway across the harbor - because he had swung (no stern anchor) in front of the pier the supply needed to use.

Generally people who use trip lines are not well-liked in anchorages. We saw one dinghy get hooked up on a trip line when they were coming back to their boat late at night. They ended up having to paddle the rest of the way because the line was wrapped tightly around their prop