Using an Anchor Buoy in a Tight Anchorage?

[carstenb]

We've used an anchor buoy in Polynesia where you need to use a stern anchor Generally you mark your stern anchor.

Naturally, a boat sailed behind us and picked up the buoy line in his rudder yanking our stern anchor out and taking it with him.

This really wouldn't have been a big issue. I donned my diving gear and swam over to cut it loose and retrieve it. But the skipper was incensed and screamed at me that it wasn't his fault (no one tried to apportion blame). Since I was u tangling the buoy line from his rudder, I asked him if you would turn his rudder back and forth a bit - his answer was "say please and I will think about it."

I did say please and without his help got the line free.

He did get his cosmic comeuppance though. He had anchored right where Aranui (the supply ship) needed to drop his hook to lay onto the pier. Normally I would have told him that he was in the wrong place but after being yelled at I decided to just let know find out himself.

Sure enough, the next day (he had gone ashore) Aranui came in, had to launch their big supply barge, tie some lines to his boat and drag him off to sit somewhere else. Aranui was not amused and when he returned they had some choice words with him. The area to be left free for Aranui is clearly marked on the charts

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Dave_R

I know many (most?) boaters do NOT use an anchor buoy. I rarely have.

However, several times, in a tight anchorage, I have had people anchor seemingly where their boat sits right over where my anchor lies. In case of emergency, I would not be able to pull anchor without the other boat moving.

Of course, this is judged by appearance only, since its hard to know exactly where your anchor is without a buoy.

Once, when I knew I would be pulling anchor in the morning, I approached a large boat that appeared to be right over my anchor. The owner was polite, and said he'd be leaving before me in the morning--did I really need him ro re-anchor? I let him be, he was gone in the morning, no problem.

My hesitancy to use an anchor buoy in a tight anchorage is the possibliity of somone catching the buoy in their prop, creating a problem for both of us. People sometimes don't see a crab pot, and may not see an anchor buoy, particularly if anchoring after dark.

So, what's the consensus of the forum? Is it bad form to use an anchor buoy in a tight anchorage (assume a popular but small anchorage on the ICW) because it is an additional hazard for tangling?

Or is it a polite and safe thing to do, because it lets other boaters know where your anchor is, and helps them avoid crossing your anchor chain, for example?

Don't ever use an anchor buoy in a crowded anchorage. It's a hazard to navigation. I've seen more than once how a boat got tangled in someone's anchor buoy, pulling out the anchor and setting the other boat adrift, causing mayhem in the anchorage. Just. Don't. Do it.


A boat lying above your anchor is not a problem. It happens all the time in crowded anchorages. If there is someone on board, just ask them to pull in some anchor chain while you get your anchor up. Or, if no one is on board, just gently push the boat aside as you pull in your chain, and Bob's your uncle.


No need to create mayhem with an anchor buoy.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by carstenb

We've used an anchor buoy in Polynesia where you need to use a stern anchor Generally you mark your stern anchor.

Naturally, a boat sailed behind us and picked up the buoy line in his rudder yanking our stern anchor out and taking it with him.

This really wouldn't have been a big issue. I donned my diving gear and swam over to cut it loose and retrieve it. But the skipper was incensed and screamed at me that it wasn't his fault (no one tried to apportion blame). Since I was u tangling the buoy line from his rudder, I asked him if you would turn his rudder back and forth a bit - his answer was "say please and I will think about it."

I did say please and without his help got the line free.

He did get his cosmic comeuppance though. He had anchored right where Aranui (the supply ship) needed to drop his hook to lay onto the pier. Normally I would have told him that he was in the wrong place but after being yelled at I decided to just let know find out himself.

Sure enough, the next day (he had gone ashore) Aranui came in, had to launch their big supply barge, tie some lines to his boat and drag him off to sit somewhere else. Aranui was not amused and when he returned they had some choice words with him. The area to be left free for Aranui is clearly marked on the charts

This anecdote shows one of the main hazards of anchor buoys -- if someone gets tangled in the buoy line, and anchor usually gets pulled out. If it's your bower anchor, you'll be set adrift. Do you need that?


Stern anchor is obviously less hazardous in this regard, and there is an argument for marking a stern anchor in case it's not obvious that you have one out (i.e. not everyone is using one). Even so, it's a risk, as this story illustrates.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Don C L

. . . By the way, if you are going to use one, you need to have a set-up to keep the buoy over the anchor and not trailing any loose or floating line. I have a line that goes through a block that hangs from the buoy and goes to a weight so the line is always over the anchor and the line is held straight down. In my own case I only used this for a trip line when I thought I was in a place where the anchor may get fouled. Now I run a trip line back to the boat.

Indeed, N.B.


An anchor buoy without a setup like this is worse than useless, as it will not actually show where the anchor is at all.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

... I've seen more than once how a boat got tangled in someone's anchor buoy, pulling out the anchor and setting the other boat adrift, causing mayhem in the anchorage. Just. Don't. Do it.

This. I understand you are afraid of losing your anchor, but in a crowded harbor this is the greater risk. And it's not just the cost of anchor, it is damamge to multiple boats.



A float can be find in remote harbors, but not in a crowded place for the purpose of marking your space, which was the OP's point. More likely to cause a serious problem than to prevent a minor nuisance.



In clear water with minimal tidal flow a naked yellow polyproplene line that is 6-8 feet below the water surface can work. Dive just a short distance and clip on a recovery line.

[Dave_R]

Thanks for the replies. Got the message.

I had not considered moving someone else's boat, if I need to leave and they are over the anchor. But I can see how that could easily be done, probably without even waking anyone, with judicious use of fenders and fending off.

[JPA Cate]

We have used an anchor buoy in two separate situations, years apart. One time it was fouled on a cable, and we buoyed it till we could come back and dive on it to get it free, at slack water the next day.
Fortunately, it was in an area with little to no night time traffic.

The other time, we were first into a hurricane hole, and as we planned to swing with the changing wind, we buoyed the anchor so that others could see where it was. No one complained. One guy said it was a help. We buoyed it with a fender that had our name on it, not one of the little red buoys with an anchor painted on it. As it happened, the cyclone involved went elsewhere!

Ann

[PeterBernard]

Not a direct repsonse to the question, but an additional thought that may help you work out if someone IS actually sitting above your anchor.

When I drop my anchor, I always place a waypoint on the chart at the moment that I start the drop (I also turn on my anchor alarm at that same spot, with 20% greater distance than the amount of scope i'm laying out).

I then focus on keeping the anchor roller directly above the spot that I started the drop until the anchor hits the seabed (depending on conditions this may not be perfect, but usually it's close enough for the following to help).

After this I motor very slowly astern to help lay the chain along the seabed.

Once I've backed down on the anchor and it's holding, and before I knock the revs back to neutral, I then place another waypoint on the chart to show the maximum extent of our swing room (at least in that specific direction).

I then have a visual cue on the chart of my likely swinging circle which, coupled with the anchor alarm, allows me to check at any point to see if I'm dragging.

If someone subsequently drops anchor and then settles in to a spot whch feels like it may be above my anchor, I can switch on my radar (which overlays on my chart) and see how they're sitting in relation to where I marked my anchor.

Many times I'm convinced by sight alone that it's going to be problem, only to discover by radar that actually they're further away from my anchor spot than I thought and I have nothing to worry about.

+1 for those that suggested a gentle nudge with fenders or someone leaning over the puplpit and pushing their stern usually solves the problem on the odd ocassion when there actually is someone in the way.

[Amapola]

I don't use an anchor buoy. Some jurisdictions prohibit it which is fine with me.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Amapola

I don't use an anchor buoy. Some jurisdictions prohibit it which is fine with me.

Please post a link. I've never heard of such a thing.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by PeterBernard

Not a direct repsonse to the question, but an additional thought that may help you work out if someone IS actually sitting above your anchor.

When I drop my anchor, I always place a waypoint on the chart at the moment that I start the drop (I also turn on my anchor alarm at that same spot, with 20% greater distance than the amount of scope i'm laying out).

I then focus on keeping the anchor roller directly above the spot that I started the drop until the anchor hits the seabed (depending on conditions this may not be perfect, but usually it's close enough for the following to help).

After this I motor very slowly astern to help lay the chain along the seabed.

Once I've backed down on the anchor and it's holding, and before I knock the revs back to neutral, I then place another waypoint on the chart to show the maximum extent of our swing room (at least in that specific direction).

I then have a visual cue on the chart of my likely swinging circle which, coupled with the anchor alarm, allows me to check at any point to see if I'm dragging.

If someone subsequently drops anchor and then settles in to a spot whch feels like it may be above my anchor, I can switch on my radar (which overlays on my chart) and see how they're sitting in relation to where I marked my anchor.

Many times I'm convinced by sight alone that it's going to be problem, only to discover by radar that actually they're further away from my anchor spot than I thought and I have nothing to worry about.

+1 for those that suggested a gentle nudge with fenders or someone leaning over the puplpit and pushing their stern usually solves the problem on the odd ocassion when there actually is someone in the way.

To know the position of your anchor correctly and for the anchor alarm to work correctly, the waypoint needs to be on the anchor position.

Most GPS aerials are near the stern of the yacht and this creates enough error to prevent setting a tight anchor alarm if the wind or current direction changes significantly.

Next time try displacing the position by the distance between the bow and the GPS aerial. This is usually easy to do, especially if the system is recording a track plot as you anchor.

[PeterBernard]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

To know the position of your anchor correctly and for the anchor alarm to work correctly, the waypoint needs to be on the anchor position.

Most GPS aerials are near the stern of the yacht and this creates enough error to prevent setting a tight anchor alarm if the wind or current direction changes significantly.

Next time try displacing the position by the distance between the bow and the GPS aerial. This is usually easy to do, especially if the system is recording a track plot as you anchor.

Most perhaps, but not mine. Mine is forward of my main mast, approximately 5 metres aft of the bow roller, mounted on top of one of my dorade boxes (don't ask why - it's a long story).

I figure those 5 metres dont matter so much given the challenge of keeping the anchor roller directly above the anchor on a 15 metre boat, plus the fact that I set my alarm radius at 20% greater than my scope.

But as a general rule, yes, it's a good idea to take into account the location of your GPS antenna when arming your anchor alarm.

[motion30]

I have lived at anchor full time for the past 7 years or so. I have used an anchor buoy a handful of times and every single time it has caused me a problem. Whether it was somebody running over it and unsetting my anchor and tangling my chain or the anchor itself getting tangled in the rope causing it to drag. I found it just is not worth the problems

[PippaB]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

To know the position of your anchor correctly and for the anchor alarm to work correctly, the waypoint needs to be on the anchor position.

Most GPS aerials are near the stern of the yacht and this creates enough error to prevent setting a tight anchor alarm if the wind or current direction changes significantly.

Next time try displacing the position by the distance between the bow and the GPS aerial. This is usually easy to do, especially if the system is recording a track plot as you anchor.

At least some the AIS vendors seem to have considered this. The AIS static data entered into the unit includes the location of the GPS antenna in relation to bow/stern and port/starboard. Since you are slowing to a stop when anchoring it has to assume the bow is last heading from antenna, and it also assumes anchor is at the bow, but ours does a pretty good job of marking the actual anchor position > 95% of the time.

[PeterBernard]

Originally Posted by PippaB

At least some the AIS vendors seem to have considered this. The AIS static data entered into the unit includes the location of the GPS antenna in relation to bow/stern and port/starboard. Since you are slowing to a stop when anchoring it has to assume the bow is last heading from antenna, and it also assumes anchor is at the bow, but ours does a pretty good job of marking the actual anchor position > 95% of the time.

Actually good point. I have my GPS antenna location programmed into my plotter (1m to port of the centre line, 5m aft of the bow). I'd forgotten about that, but you're quite right - this ensures my anchor waypoint is about as accurate as it's possible to be, subject only to trying to keep the bow in the same place between commencing the drop and the anchor hitting the seabed.