Using an Anchor Buoy in a Tight Anchorage?

[noelex 77]

People unduly fear losing their anchor. In almost six thousand nights at anchor in many countries I have never lost any ground tackle. The risk is not great. The last time I used an anchor buoy was probably a decade ago.

The amount of anchor fouling has greatly decreased with the development of new generation anchors that set in a very short distance and are less likely to drag. Modern good quality anchors can set in a couple of feet in even hard packed or weedy substrates. Some of the convex plow designs can take 30 feet or more in the same seabeds, giving them a much higher chance of encountering some debris and fouling.


In the rare anchorages with known high fouling risks (such as those with disused mooring chains) I think using an anchor buoy can be justified, especially if the anchorage is in a remote area and you are unlikely to inconvenience anyone else. This is quite different to using an anchor buoy to mark out your territory in a crowded anchorage. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon.

There are other solutions rather than using an anchor buoy such as using a trip line attached to the chain, or sliding a length of chain (or ring) down the chain to pull out the anchor backwards, but these options are less effective.

The picture below is a typical anchor fouling situation:

[noelex 77]

If you are using an anchor model that sets quickly, the risk of the chain being trapped is higher than the anchor becoming caught. Unfortunately, in these cases an anchor buoy is usually of little help.

[noelex 77]

A powerful anchor winch is also a good defence against losing an anchor. Debris can often be winched up to the surface. This was a steel rudder and rudder post (presumably from an old shipwreck) that became tangled around our chain in Madeira.

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by RafaCorfu

Great, I am at anchor, with my buoy, you arrive and drop the iron INTO my circle, and the problem is mine...?

I'm not sure I understand. In tight anchorages, it it often assumed that all boats will swing more or less the same way and it's necessary to set anchor within someone else's swing circle. Obviously it's better if everyone keeps outside each others' circles, but that could result in far fewer boats being able to use the anchorage. To me, that would be even more rude.

[boatpoker]

[QUOTE=CaptTom;3916818]I'm not sure I understand. In tight anchorages, it it often assumed that all boats will swing more or less the same way.

1. Thats a naive assumption.

2. In a very calm anchorage I have many times had my anchor well astern of the boat or off to the side. I have had to warn people "You're going to drop your anchor right on top of mine".

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by RafaCorfu

Great, I am at anchor, with my buoy, you arrive and drop the iron INTO my circle, and the problem is mine...? The rude one is myself...??? If you dont respect the distance is ok, but dont cry. If I need to go, and you are on top of my anchor, without buoy of course, what...???

It is a mistake to assume yachts do not have a right to end up positioned inside your swing circle. In crowded anchorages this is common. Providing everyone is sensible, this is not an issue. This is why trying to defend your swing circle with an anchor buoy is considered rude.

Dealing with boats that end up positioned on top of your anchor when you want to leave is just part of cruising life.

This does not mean boats can never anchor too close. There is a minimum safe distance. Boats that violate these rules could also be considered rude, but mostly this is down to inexperience and poor judgement. Below is an example of a yacht that anchored too close to our previous yacht. The fact that I have no more recent photos than this example taken in 2013 shows that fortunately this is not common. Normally the best course of action is to move.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by RafaCorfu

Great, I am at anchor, with my buoy, you arrive and drop the iron INTO my circle, and the problem is mine...? The rude one is myself...??? If you dont respect the distance is ok, but dont cry. If I need to go, and you are on top of my anchor, without buoy of course, what...???

"Your circle"? You don't own a circle of seabed as long as your chain. Typical rookie misconception. In crowded anchorages, swinging circles intersect considerably.



Anchor buoys interfere with proper functioning of a crowded anchorage as other boats may not only motor into them, pulling up your anchor possibly immobilizing their prop, causing pure mayhem in the anchorage, but may also SWING into them, likewise pulling out your anchor.


Using an anchor buoy in a crowded anchorage is not only extremely rude, it is extremely unseamanlike.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

It is a mistake to assume yachts do not have a right to end up positioned inside your swing circle. In crowded anchorages this is common. Providing everyone is sensible, this is not an issue. This is why trying to defend your swing circle with an anchor buoy is considered rude.

Dealing with boats that end up positioned on top of your anchor when you want to leave is just part of cruising life.

This does not mean boats can never anchor too close. There is a minimum safe distance. Boats that violate these rules could also be considered rude, but mostly this is down to inexperience and poor judgement. Below is an example of a yacht that anchored too close to our previous yacht. The fact that I have no more recent photos than this example taken in 2013 shows that fortunately this is not common. Normally the best course of action is to move.

This.

[boatpoker]

This photo of my plastic milk jug on flimsy twine near my stern shows how foolish it is to assume that someones anchor is in front of their boat

[boatpoker]

My plastic milk bottle and flimsy twine will not not immobilize anyones prop... but like the one in this photo, 90' off my stern it will prevent them from dropping their hook on top of mine.

I think is "unseamenlike" not to let people know where your anchor is.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

My plastic milk bottle and flimsy twine will not not immobilize anyones prop... but like the one in this photo, 90' off my stern it will prevent them from dropping their hook on top of mine.

I think is "unseamenlike" not to let people know where your anchor is.

Are you sure the twine is so flimsy that it won't foul a prop? Or pull up your anchor?

[Dockhead]

Good reading on the subject: https://www.practical-sailor.com/sai...rowded-harbors

[Dockhead]

"When we reach the right spot, we stop the boat and begin dropping the anchor as we fall back. Ideally, this spot will be right behind or just alongside the vessel in front of us. Then we deploy and set the anchor normally. "



https://justalittlefurther.com/just-...ing-in-a-crowd


Lots of good advice and sound technique in this article.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

If you are using an anchor model that sets quickly, the risk of the chain being trapped is higher than the anchor becoming caught. Unfortunately, in these cases an anchor buoy is usually of little help.

The chain is probably more vulnerable than the anchor to fouling.

-Just yesterday, anchored outside of St George, Grenada, we got up early to leave, had a cup of joe and hauled up the anchor - or rather didn't haul up the anchor. got about 10 meters of chain in and the winch stopped. Ok, been there done that, let out 5 meters and tried again. Nada. five six tries alter it was obvious it wasn't coming up. 9 meters of water and I am not able to free dive that
Got out the BCD and tank, flippers etc dove down.
Chain had somehow sawed its way between to massive coral heads and was now underneath the one. It simply would not saw its way back out.
Lots of head scratching and I thought about detaching the chain from the anchor and pulling the chain through under the coral head.
BUT, two issues. Usually I have to heat the bolt holding the swivel to loosen it and worse, once I detached the chain from the anchor, nothing would be holding the boat.
I could have lightly set our spare anchor, but we did something different.

I tied a rope from our clamp down to the anchor, now we were free to work.
I ended up running out all 100 meters of chain then pulling all that through under the coral and finally was able to bring the bitter end back up and mount it on the gypsy

chain and anchor now came up without issue.

Took almost 4 tanks of air and about an hour and half down there.

we were not happy campers

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Franziska

I understand that it's annoying to some, but if anchoring in a rocky place and deeper than what I can freedive, I do deploy a buoy. A new anchor and chain is far to expensive not to.

Might be selfish, but it's not worth the risk not to.

As others have said, if you are in a remote place with a rocky bottom, without a lot of other boats around, this is a completely different situation and no one will criticize you for that