First time in a really long time... in fact, the first time ever
outside our home waters... we stayed at anchor in a lovely cove all
day yesterday instead of moving on. The charts & cruising guides did
not show any place that looked good to stop until getting into the
next town.

How does everyone pick an anchorage? Charts can show good shelter but
generally give only vague hints about holding ground, shoreline
property/development, etc etc. Most cruising guides give the *BEST*
anchorage for a long way and don't mention any alternates (indeed,
some "cruising guides" don't mention anchorages at all).

Today while running upriver we saw two nice creeks that probably would
have been fine for an overnight stay, and closer by a few hours to
today's destination.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

On Oct 22, 2:29 pm, wrote:
First time in a really long time... in fact, the first time ever
outside our home waters... we stayed at anchor in a lovely cove all
day yesterday instead of moving on. The charts & cruising guides did
not show any place that looked good to stop until getting into the
next town.

How does everyone pick an anchorage? Charts can show good shelter but
generally give only vague hints about holding ground, shoreline
property/development, etc etc. Most cruising guides give the *BEST*
anchorage for a long way and don't mention any alternates (indeed,
some "cruising guides" don't mention anchorages at all).

Today while running upriver we saw two nice creeks that probably would
have been fine for an overnight stay, and closer by a few hours to
today's destination.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Many a time, we have taken "alternative" anchorages. We drop hook and
feel it out; test out the holding. Then keep and anchor watch till we
feel comfortable that we are holding. Granted, we feel the need to
regularly check on how we're doing and where we are. But it gives us
more variety in where we can anchor.

Regina
http://www.schoonerboudicca.com

wrote in message
oups.com...
First time in a really long time... in fact, the first time ever
outside our home waters... we stayed at anchor in a lovely cove all
day yesterday instead of moving on. The charts & cruising guides did
not show any place that looked good to stop until getting into the
next town.

How does everyone pick an anchorage? Charts can show good shelter but
generally give only vague hints about holding ground, shoreline
property/development, etc etc. Most cruising guides give the *BEST*
anchorage for a long way and don't mention any alternates (indeed,
some "cruising guides" don't mention anchorages at all).

Today while running upriver we saw two nice creeks that probably would
have been fine for an overnight stay, and closer by a few hours to
today's destination.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Yes, we like to find secluded anchorages and these do not always agree with
those quoted in crising guides as _best-. People have different criteria and
ours do not include close proximity to shore facilities for example. Shelter
is indeed the primary concern and it is always important to assess whether
the weather is going to make your sheltered anchorage into a lee shoreduring
the night. You can assess shore conditions when you get there and move on if
you do not like what you see. The holding ground is often a bit vague on
charts but the only thing to do is drop anchor and go astern and see if it
bites. If it does then well and good.
Last year we found a nice secluded bay of reeds about 2 miles from a crowded
marina and had the night there all by ourselves. In the morning a boy in a
boat on the way to holiday homes on a nearby island came along and asked us
if we wanted today's newspaper!

wrote in message
oups.com...
First time in a really long time... in fact, the first time ever
outside our home waters... we stayed at anchor in a lovely cove all
day yesterday instead of moving on. The charts & cruising guides did
not show any place that looked good to stop until getting into the
next town.

How does everyone pick an anchorage? Charts can show good shelter but
generally give only vague hints about holding ground, shoreline
property/development, etc etc. Most cruising guides give the *BEST*
anchorage for a long way and don't mention any alternates (indeed,
some "cruising guides" don't mention anchorages at all).

Today while running upriver we saw two nice creeks that probably would
have been fine for an overnight stay, and closer by a few hours to
today's destination.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King



In addition to what Edgar said, we tend to ask locals... you can't discount
local knowledge.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jwd32yTxFY

"Pantomime Princess Margaret" wrote
in message ...
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jwd32yTxFY
|
|

Hey, Capt. JG, did you see anything familiar? Was Groucho morphing
into a lizard?

Greg, the Hutt

wrote in message
oups.com..
..


How does everyone pick an anchorage?

I look for a spot where there's no powerboats.

SBV

On Oct 23, 7:25 am, "Scotty" wrote:
wrote in message

oups.com..
.



How does everyone pick an anchorage?

I look for a spot where there's no powerboats.

SBV

Add enough room to swing,deep enough to not be on bottom at low tide,
and shallow enough that a ship would run aground before hitting you.

Doug also be aware anchoring in areas with barge traffic.. try to
stay far enough out of the way, that a tug boat will ground it's props
as an empty can float in 12" of water, up a creek with a bend is the
best on the ICW here. The shallow water runover rule is null and void
in barge areas..I bet there are many small sailboats and trawlers
smashed deep into the mud that no one knows about.

Joe

wrote in message
oups.com...
| First time in a really long time... in fact, the first time ever
| outside our home waters... we stayed at anchor in a lovely cove
all
| day yesterday instead of moving on. The charts & cruising guides
did
| not show any place that looked good to stop until getting into
the
| next town.
|
| How does everyone pick an anchorage? Charts can show good shelter
but
| generally give only vague hints about holding ground, shoreline
| property/development, etc etc. Most cruising guides give the
*BEST*
| anchorage for a long way and don't mention any alternates
(indeed,
| some "cruising guides" don't mention anchorages at all).
|
| Today while running upriver we saw two nice creeks that probably
would
| have been fine for an overnight stay, and closer by a few hours
to
| today's destination.



The best advice I can give you is when you do find and explore a
possible good anchorage with your dinghy and find it to your
satisfaction and even desirable then LEAVE as soon as possible and
go look for another or do something else like anchoring in a crummy
place somewhere close by to cook some dinner until about ten
minutes before dark. Then when it's getting dark return and anchor.
If you anchor too soon in the afternoon, the chances are good some
jerk(s) will come along and see you and say, "Oh look, a good place
to anchor." Then they will barge in and anchor right on top of you
acting like they own the place and they're doing you a favor.
They'll run a generator all night long, they'll play loud music,
they'll have a dog or two that barks constantly, they'll have a
couple kids who'll go round and round in the outboard powered
inflatable until you want to ring their necks, they'll have one or
more of those obnoxiously noisy wind generators. In other words,
they will ruin everything. If they were TRYING to ruin everything
they couldn't be a better job of it.


Wilbur Hubbard

How does everyone pick an anchorage?

"Scotty" wrote:
I look for a spot where there's no powerboats.


Me too.
Also no French people.

Joe wrote:
Add enough room to swing,deep enough to not be on bottom at low tide,
and shallow enough that a ship would run aground before hitting you.


What about using a stern anchor in a tight spot? Or tying off to shore
to minimize swing?


Doug also be aware anchoring in areas with barge traffic.. try to
stay far enough out of the way, that a tug boat will ground it's props
as an empty can float in 12" of water, up a creek with a bend is the
best on the ICW here. The shallow water runover rule is null and void
in barge areas..I bet there are many small sailboats and trawlers
smashed deep into the mud that no one knows about.


Doesn't do much good to anchor in a shallow spot if the tow is 8x4 and
one of the empties runs you over before the tug's props hit ground.

Anyway, we haven't had any problems finding anchorages out of the
channel; we have had problems finding anchorages with sufficient swing
room or good holding.

In fact that's a subject worth discussion all itself... we anchor in a
number of places with a reputation for "poor holding" and find that we
can get an anchor set very securely. With very soft mud, or worse,
grass/weed over soft mud, the trick is to put get the anchor to sink
in and keep only a light strain on it for some time, while it digs in
deeper. Too hard a pull too soon will just yank it out.

We had one anchorage with difficult holding a few nights back... don't
know what the bottom was but I suspect it might have been like peat,
or perhaps a very very hard clay. The anchor came up with nothing on
it, no grass or weed. Wouldn't sink in or take any bite no matter what
we tried. Finally after literally an hour of light strain on 10:1
scope, it sunk in deep enough to hold well enough.

Anchoring on the rivers here is like anchoring in a tide, except when
the current swings it reverses directly and doesn't flow nearly as
strong.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King