Anchoring East Head - Overnight

[alnunn]

Hello all,

I've been boating for about 7 years but not done a lot of anchoring. I really want to anchor overnight (probably East Head) as it is not too far to pop out from Chichester Marina.

What do I need to consider? My worry is that I will spend a night worrying, not sleep much, and not enjoying the experience.

In my mind I need to let out enough scope for high water (3x) do I want more for a night stay? (5x)?

I am worried about drifting, do you just check you are well anchored, go to sleep and hope for the best? Do many boats end up hitting each other? Do you use an app as an anchor watch?

What are the top things to do/watch out for so I can have an enjoyable night? How close can you go to the shore? I feel a bit wimpy and would choose to stay away from the shore - is there a general rule (stay 25 metres from shore and you'll be fine, but don't go too far west). How close it too close to other boats?

 

[jfm]

Hello all,

I've been boating for about 7 years but not done a lot of anchoring. I really want to anchor overnight (probably East Head) as it is not too far to pop out from Chichester Marina.

What do I need to consider? My worry is that I will spend a night worrying, not sleep much, and not enjoying the experience.

In my mind I need to let out enough scope for high water (3x) do I want more for a night stay? (5x)?

I am worried about drifting, do you just check you are well anchored, go to sleep and hope for the best? Do many boats end up hitting each other? Do you use an app as an anchor watch?

What are the top things to do/watch out for so I can have an enjoyable night? How close can you go to the shore? I feel a bit wimpy and would choose to stay away from the shore - is there a general rule (stay 25 metres from shore and you'll be fine, but don't go too far west). How close it too close to other boats?

I know East Head from passing it a few times but I have no more knowledge than that, so I wont comment specifically on it. However in general I do not go to sleep on 3x. At 5x I might if I'm happy with the weather, but I find that anchorages empty at night even in busy Med hotspots so I often let out say 8x, I mean 40 metres of chain in 5m of water

I have a plotter by the bed so I can see wind, any drift, radar and camera. You can do most of this with an App if you don't have it hard wired

I leave plenty of lights on outside. All the side deck lighting for example. Not just the anchor light. These days it is all LED so the battery drain is nearly zero

 

[Pinnacle]

We were there ( not overnight ) on Sunday. It was quite busy. Because of the strength of the ebb and flow of the current, you will swing quite a bit during the course of the night. Holding is generally good but my concern would be some idiot arriving after you and parking too close. This happened to us on Sunday lunchtime. It was (apparently) fine when he arrived, but as high tide arrived we both swung more into the wind and we ended up about 30feet apart. He had taken to the beach in his tender, so there was no one on board. We curtailed our visit and left before the two boats touched.

If you do overnight, as jfm said, try and choose a calm night....you will get more sleep!

 

[superheat6k]

If you want to increase your confidence in whether the anchor is holding sufficiently for an overnight then I would suggest getting to your chosen spot a full tide before you want to settle for the night i.e 12 hours earlier, then veer say 3x give a decent pull astern to get a good grip, then let the boat settle then veer a further 2x (assuming all chain). I always approach parallel to other boats already laying at anchor to gauge the settled direction.

Remember the etiquette of anchoring is he who anchors first moves away last if some later craft arrives, and it is worth taking a panoramic photo just after you arrive to establish just who is around you, should you later find someone in your swing circle. If your swing circle is 20m diameter and his is only 10m because he hasn't veered enough cable then you could easily run him over if he anchors too close, but he will be stupid enough to blame you when this happens, so this is where the photos on arrival come in - you can prove your case. Happened to me at last years Bournemouth air festival, and an idiot in a 22' sailing boat got proper shirty when my 40' lump was nearly sitting on his foredeck, until I bluntly explained I had arrived first and had photos to show precisely who at that time were my neighbours, none of whom was I fouling.

During the first 12 hour session enjoy your relaxation with a good book, but periodically note the attitude of the boat, drag direction of the cable, and that your chosen transit lines are static, plus verify this on the plotter, so when you review it in the dark when the transits are not available you can trust it. Remember if you are going to drag it will be away from the direction of the chain. Also note how strong the current gets, because one tide later it will be about the same, subject to no massive variation in wind conditions.

Set your plotter or App to your position with an acceptable drift zone taking due account of your likely swing circle. If you don't drag in the first 12 then you are unlikely to during the next 8. Then for a precaution set your alarm to wake you 3 hours in to the sleep time, have a brief look, a quick wee if you around my age anyway, and then relax for the remaining 4 hours, and then after that check you can have a further two hours snoozing before you get up. I am sure 9 hours will do.

I have anchored at East Head several times during the day, and the swing circle there will only be at most 180 degrees as the tide will simply run partly one way or the other and at slack water the wind will be in charge between the two extremes. Note your depth and tidal height at arrival and compare this to the likely range up to HW and down to LW,and leave yourself at least 2m spare.

 

[Garold]

Perhaps consider, what's the worst? Dragging for a few metres, and get close to another boat. Put out a couple of fenders.

Dragging usually results in a change of position rather than a sinking.

And with enough scope, maybe 5x on a still night and more if there's a wind, dragging is unlikely.

So, just do it. It will go wrong once in a while, but hopefully not too soon.

Most people who anchor a lot, make the occasional mistake. It rarely results in catastrophe.

Cheers

Garold

 

[alnunn]

Thank you all. I think that was the sort of encouragement I needed.

So basically if I have 5x chain out at high tide IF the boat dragged, it would not be much - although must keep an eye on movement. Plus this can be confirmed with an app / GPS plotter.

The etiquette point is interesting and both useful. Are there any other rules of Anchoring Etiquette? I read that you should attempt to find out from your neighbours what scope they have put out.

Generally, if it was to go wrong, what is the likely attitude of fellow boaters? I've met some really nice people, but I imagine they are probably not so amicable if you slowly drift into each other at anchor...

 

[Tempus]

Sorry to jump in on a MOB forum re etiquette, but one slight word of warning. Anchorages like East Head get very very busy in the summer. If everybody put out 5x chain there would be no space. If you are anchored inshore (which you should be in a shallow draft MOBO) ie out of the current and the wind is light then etiquette would suggest, but not require, that you lay to 3x chain rather than the full 5x to give more space to others.

Superheat6k (above) is technically right but my experience is that bumping other boats on the turn is 20x more likely than dragging for fine weather anchorers and that really only happens when some boats are lying to much more scope than others. If we arrive late we try to ask what scope people are lying to and do likewise unless we are convinced they are wrong - in which instances we move on!

Comparing photos at 3am when trying to fend off 2 boats swinging against each other requires a larger crew than we normally carry!

So my advice is, go for it, make sure your anchor is well dug in - you should read up on how to do that properly, don't just drop and hope and enjoy. It's a fantastic feeling.

 

[alnunn]

Thank you, that too is very useful. Would people typically still lay 3x if they were staying overnight. Are we saying that you want to turn up, lay 3x, then when / if it gets quieter, lay out more to 5x (high tide) for the night, or look to anchor overnight on 3x too if busy?

That is the other thing that concerns me, I see all the boats (some quite big, I'm 32ft, so >32ft) anchored right up close to the shore. I can see on the charts that the depth suddenly drops but I would worry that in an attempt to get close to the shore I'll get too close. I guess one approach would be to arrive at high tide, get close-ish based on the echo sounder, anchor, lift the legs, and not worry too much. One presumes that on seeing all the boats anchored quite close, I am pretty safe to do so, or is it better to stay away from the shore for a night anchorage?

 

[Tempus]

Simple answer.. It depends. Calm day, slight offshore wind, sheltered anchorage then anchoring closer to shore is fine. Onshore wind then it's a no no as you'll swing towards the shore on the turn. But remember your anchor is holding you so the critical issue is depth and scope not dragging room. You should work out how much the tide will drop when you anchor, doing a tidal curve if necessary and make sure you still,have enough water at low water. At East aHead with a southerly wind you'll be blown off the shore and swing through 180deg with the tide. The problem is that as a mobo you'll swing with the wind sooner than a yacht will which because of tis keel will lie to the tide for longer. As a result you'll start to move first. If you are on a very long scope you'll scythe across the whole anchorage. Letting out more scope at night is fine though and v sensible if it's quietened down

 

[fireball]

Unless you're going for a week day night then I'd look at alternative anchorages - Pilsey Island is good as is Thorney Channel (south end). Pilsey is a bit more sheltered from the SW winds and both offer good (mud) holdings. Pilsey can get busy, but there's normally plenty of room in the channel.

There's some good anchorage around in Emsworth channel too and if it's blowing then just south of Cobnor is sheltered.

 

[alnunn]

OK, so that all makes sense. Southerly wind then certainly stay away from the shore. Must bear in mind that sailing yachts will take with the tide slightly more than MOBO's.

I think I may be overly cautious, and unless I try it, I'll never overcome any apprehension...

So I should
1) Stay away from the shore (probably my best bet)
2) Make sure I have 3x scope at high tide (ideally increasing to 5x at night)
3) Arrive somewhat early to ensure a good hold
4) Monitor movement with GPS
5) Allow for swing of other boats - allowing for differences between power and sail
6) Remember he who anchors first moves last in the event of a close encounter... (is this well respected?)

Whats the worst that could happen eh??

 

[KevB]

Hi alnunn,

We're based in Chi Marina and anchor regularly in the harbour. I would suggest anchoring somewhere else other than east head first to get your confidence up. Try the designated anchorage just past itchenor on the left going out. Generally much less tide runs passed there and nothing but muddy banks to bump into.

 

[alnunn]

We are talking about the area highlighted on the attached? Doesn't that dry out with each tide?

 

[KevB]

Yes, that's it. Just anchor making sure if you swing in towards the shore you stay a few yards outside the withies.

 

[Elessar]

Hello all,

I've been boating for about 7 years but not done a lot of anchoring. I really want to anchor overnight (probably East Head) as it is not too far to pop out from Chichester Marina.

What do I need to consider? My worry is that I will spend a night worrying, not sleep much, and not enjoying the experience.

In my mind I need to let out enough scope for high water (3x) do I want more for a night stay? (5x)?

I am worried about drifting, do you just check you are well anchored, go to sleep and hope for the best? Do many boats end up hitting each other? Do you use an app as an anchor watch?

What are the top things to do/watch out for so I can have an enjoyable night? How close can you go to the shore? I feel a bit wimpy and would choose to stay away from the shore - is there a general rule (stay 25 metres from shore and you'll be fine, but don't go too far west). How close it too close to other boats?

Use more than 3 for sure, 5 is good. It is unlikely to be crowded at night, even at east head. But suggestions of other places are good.
People get hung up about swinging room, but if you anchor where you will nearly touch bottom at low water, you will only need 25m of chain - 2 boat lengths.
Most yachts won't be able to go as close in as you - (beware southerlys!) - but fender your quarters just in case if you like.
Advice about deck and cabin lights is very wise, an anchor light on its own is easy to miss.
I never bother with alarms, I check the anchor with a transit and sleep soundly once I'm happy it's held. The sleep at anchor (unless it is a forced anchor because of the weather) is always the best IMO.

 

[Elessar]

OK, so that all makes sense. Southerly wind then certainly stay away from the shore.

don't understand that conclusion at all!

 

[stuartwineberg]

Similar to above but additionally - have found it relatively difficult to get holding here as the bottom is sand rather than mud so make sure you are well bedded in. Agree completely about making sure you have enough water at low tide. On the subject of it being busy we had a remarkable experience of wrestling for space as described and then about 6pm the world left - in an hour it went from chaos to seclusion and a lovely sunset and of course ashore is a great place for a BBQ. I do use the anchor alarm built into most plotters - if you are an ipad navigator try "drag queen" for the same alarm function

 

[alnunn]

don't understand that conclusion at all!

Brain said northerly, fingers typed southerly. Thanks for the spot of my madness

 

[alnunn]

So one more silly question, and then I'll be gone... until the next one...

So on the charts there is an area of the east head anchorage that reads about a metre above low low water (looking at the navionics app). Looking at the tides it reads for friday 1.4 metres low water and 4.2 high. So in that area IF you were to venture into it you'd have 1.2 minus the ~0.6-1.0???? So potentially 20cm of water...? As you near a spring low tide we are talking it being pretty much at the height of the data on the chart?

 

[Elessar]

So one more silly question, and then I'll be gone... until the next one...

So on the charts there is an area of the east head anchorage that reads about a metre above low low water (looking at the navionics app). Looking at the tides it reads for friday 1.4 metres low water and 4.2 high. So in that area IF you were to venture into it you'd have 1.2 minus the ~0.6-1.0???? So potentially 20cm of water...? As you near a spring low tide we are talking it being pretty much at the height of the data on the chart?

forget the chart.

look at the rise of tide at the time you arrive, and the predicted next low water which you say is 1.4m.

so lets say the rise of tide is 2m when you arrive, you will go down by 0.6m by the time you reach LW.

Then allow the draft of your boat and add, say. 0.5m. So you need 1.5m at low water. The 1.5 you need, plus the 0.6 you go down makes 2.1m.

Anchor in 2.1m on your echo sounder and Bob's your uncle.