first time overnight anchoring?

M

mattnj

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 Jul 2007
Messages
1,362
www.red-data.co.uk
So, we have been cruising the solent for 5years, but never actually anchored overnight.
Can someone advise the best place to give it a go for the first time and what we need to do ( specifially) and what to look out for, i guess i just dont like the thought of the tide turning and pulling out the anchor :-)
 
mattnj said:
So, we have been cruising the solent for 5years, but never actually anchored overnight.
Can someone advise the best place to give it a go for the first time and what we need to do ( specifially) and what to look out for, i guess i just dont like the thought of the tide turning and pulling out the anchor :-)
Click to expand...

I can't comment on the Solent but make sure it's a calm night in a sheltered spot with no swell otherwise you won't get a wink. Do you have a gps with anchor watch?
 
I don't know the area, but pick a tide that turns at 7-8pm-ish HW (err & am :D) & anchor up early so you know it resets fine. The overnight turn will then happen at LW & the chances are that the chain (set up for HW) will have plenty of slack & the loop on the bottom will hold without the anchor actually needing to reset. You should also be awake ready for the next HW change - just in case, but probably won't have any problems. Why should you? Not many people do, you know.
 
The best place to anchor will depend on the wind direction, so study your weather forecasts, your almanac will advise you on which anchorages are good for which wind direction.
I have an app on my iphone that tells me if my anchor is dragging/boat is moving more than a preset distance from the anchor point, it gives me peace of mind.
 
Be a bit more specific on where in the Solent you would like to be and and I'm sure we can help. Over the next few days almost anywhere should be OK ..... assuming that is you have a suitable anchor etc. Why not try first in a sheltered muddy harbour such as Chichester/Langstone/NewtownCreek ?

Vic
 
Osbourne Bay, as close to the shore as your tidal calculations will allow has a very good heavy mud bottom that will grip your anchor very well. You'll be sheltered from anything apart from N and NE. There can be some swell from shipping but I've never found it too bad. I sail singlehanded and have always felt very safe there.
 
I think you'll find lots of people will give you different advice which overlaps in part and is diametrically opposite in others!

I agree with the advice so far except I wouldn't bother with the GPS anchor alarm - if you get it too sensitive it will wake you up needlessly and not sensitive enough and it won't do its job unless you have a lot of dragging space. My tips:

1 (I assume you've done this already but it's worth mentioning because some people don't) make sure your anchor is of a good pattern (don't get forumites started on that one - I just mean any well established yacht anchor pattern), heavy enough and with enough chain or chain and rope of type and length widely recommended in the books. Also of course pick a good night for it as far as weather forecast goes.

2 When you anchor, pick the right spot and let the anchor down to the bottom and then pay out the rode slowly rather than letting the crew dump it in a heap on the anchor.

3 When you've paid out enough rode (again see textbooks) secure the rode to something very solid and then put the engine astern to set the anchor. I reckon to increase my astern throttle more or less to full and then watch a transit at right angles on the shore. If you stop going back under steady throttle setting, the anchor is set - and a good transit will indicate the slightest movement. If you have a motor boat I guess you might not use all 1,000 horsepower and have to take it steady on the throttle! But with sail I reckon if the anchor will hold on full astern it will deal with all normal weather conditions. If it drags when going astern, you should raise it and repeat from step 2.

4 A hidden benefit of step 3 is that in most bottoms it will bury the anchor so it won't snag on the chain when the tide turns.

5. When you turn off your engine and before going to bed take another transit so you can check for movement in the night if you want. Inevitably the boat is going to move around a bit even before the tide turns, and you needn't worry about that. It's prolonged movement downtide or downwind (and possibly near continuous scraping and vibrating in the anchor chain when you put your hand on it) that tells you you are dragging rather than just roaming around a bit.

6. Finally before going to bed work out what you will do if the wind gets up and/or changes dangerously or to the point of serious discomfort- usually that means raising the anchor and clearing out - so have you chart, engine keys, torch etc ready for a quick departure. This is unlikely but best to be ready just in case.

7. Then sleep soundly and wake up at a time to suit you. If you are conscientious and/or nervous, set the alarm clock for the time the tide is changing or the middle of the night, then pop up the companion way to check everything is OK before going back to bed. More than 99 times out of a 100 things will be absolutely AOK and you can go back to bed and sleep easy.

I hope things go well. It should be easy and painless once you've done it a couple of times. No need for warps, fenders, crew leaping about and complicated manoeuvring . . it's the low effort way to stop for the night.
 
A good spot is the lower end of the beaulieu river, Ok you may get asked for a fiver to keep Lord montague going but it is a small price to keep the river unspoilt. There is plenty of space at the edge of the channel, sheltered, not as crowded as newtown and nice thick mud!

Newtown is great but try midweek when more space, can get fun on summer saturdays when different boats swing at different rates.

Try outside Newtown, off Hurst spit or east or west of Yarmouth, Thorness bay also, all depends on wind direction.

Osbourne and Priory bay in the east solent good for lunchtime stops but can roll if traffic overnight.

Not quite the solent but Chi harbour good, East head fine if you want the beach but my fav is of Pilsey island.

There are lots of good spots for over night summer anchoring, just pick the spot and weather and get settled in well before dark and all should be well.
 
jbweston`s advice is very sound about having torch, engine keys, chart etc to hand. Most of the solent bays are simply a case of heading into deeper water. sleep soundly and it is always a pleasant surprise to find yourself in the same spot in the morning! In the sort of calm weather you will want to anchor in foe the first time, the wind usually drops right off once the sun goes in, so we arent talking about riding out gales in hurricane holes !
 
mattnj said:
So, we have been cruising the solent for 5years, but never actually anchored overnight.
Can someone advise the best place to give it a go for the first time and what we need to do ( specifially) and what to look out for, i guess i just dont like the thought of the tide turning and pulling out the anchor :-)
Click to expand...

OK, once you get the hang of it, its easy, and the best way to spend a night, but until then you have to gain confidence in your anchor and the way you deploy it. First night you wont get much sleep, but that is only natural, after a few nights at anchor, it will seem natural.

It depends which end of the Solent you want to be, and as Chrisse says, and very important to, watch the weather. Osborne bay can be as safe as houses, unless it blows anything with a north in it for instance. There is not too much on the mainland side if it does blow from the north except Buelieu and that can be a very pleasant place to be, just past the two visitors bouys, on the south side of the river, thats were we spent last Sat night. If you want to go to the western Solent, Totland bay in a SE blow is a haven, despite the tide running at 3 knts past Hurst!

If you are tempted by Newtown, the tide runs strong in there and the sea bed is a ploughed field, holding is not as good as you might expect.

Wherever you anchor, the way you deploy the hook is key to a peaceful night. Arrive early, so you have more daylight to get used to the anchorage. Motor around in the area you intend to anchor and check for consistency of depth, you may anchor in 5 metres, but if the wind blows the boat toward a shore it could be only 2 metres, which when at low water could leave you dry! Work out the scope of warp/chain you need and prepare it. Once you select the spot where you are going to drop release the anchor slowly, when its estimated that its on the bottom, start to reverse slowly, so that as the chain/warp pays out, you are not dumping it in a pile. Once you have dropped all the chain/warp, leave the engine in tick over in reverse until the chain/warp lifts and tightens. At this point I will look at a transit to the side of me to see if we are dug in, if we are, a further 3 secs blast of half power will really dig the hook in. Into neutral, let the boat settle. This technique has worked for me countless times.

Enjoy. And do let us know where and how you get on.
 
Julian's advice, especially about setting the anchor in full reverse, is one of the most neglected items by people who anchor out.

Why not consider this: find a spot you want to stay the night, but get there earlier and PRACTICE anchoring a few times in broad daylight.

Then you'll get the hang of it by trying it a few times. Like docking!

I "trained" my crew by doing it four or five times in one afternoon.

Oh, and when I first started, we anchored, anchored, anchored in one day to learn how to do it.

Don't know what experience you have, but by asking this question, you might try this out, and if you haven't already, there are tons of books or stuff online for the techniques in addition to Julian's superb description.

Have fun, be safe.
 
Where abouts in the Solent are you hoping for ?

Chi Harbour has some good anchorages - but don't try at EastHead for the first time - go round towards Itchenor - bottom of Bosham Creek - iirc it's good muddy holding ..

Thorney Channel is another good spot - as is Pilsey Island ...

Our first time was round the back of Poole - loads of deep mud and dug the anchor well in with loads of reverse and a little too much chain for the depth!
 
fireball said:
Where abouts in the Solent are you hoping for ?

Chi Harbour has some good anchorages - but don't try at EastHead for the first time - go round towards Itchenor - bottom of Bosham Creek - iirc it's good muddy holding ..

Thorney Channel is another good spot - as is Pilsey Island ...

Our first time was round the back of Poole - loads of deep mud and dug the anchor well in with loads of reverse and a little too much chain for the depth!
Click to expand...

Yes
south side of the channel below the Itchenor moorings.

east side of Pilsey island

Thorney channel below the moorings . Above the moorings towards Nutborne and Prinsted creeks is a very quiet spot although not really sheltered

Keep clear of the yellow racing marks

Chichester lake opposite the entrance to Chichester marina is another possibility. It is possible to get a bit of shelter there from a west wind.


Newtown, but not on a busy weekend.
 
Last edited:
A lot of good advice on this thread.

It would be helpful to know your type of boat & where based.

I'd suggest a very good spot is right at the western side of Emsworth Channel in Chichester Harbour, a fair way down - and exhibit a light but it's very quiet.

2 tips I'd like to contribute;

I don't have GPS anchor watch, but do have depth sounder anchor watch as a lot of boats do.

It has 2 alarms, set one 'if it gets this shallow we'd have to move or risk going aground'.

The other alarm 'if it gets this deep the anchor may drag'.

In reality you shouldn't get near, especially the deep alarm if anchored in mud.

2/

You'll have heard of the sea-breeze; the land heats up in the day, hot air rises, cool sea air rushes to replace it, giving the onshore wind - usually noticeable at Hayling foreshore.

IN NIGHT, this reverses.

The wind turns 180 degrees ( if no other strong wind ) and blows offshore; a lot of people get caught out and anchor just blown offshore at dusk, to find things change.

In reality it shouldn't be anything more than a nuisance at worst wherever you go in the Solent, but another thing worth bearing in mind.

You'll find it's actually very pleasant indeed, much simpler than it all sounds here, have fun !
 
Years ago when I did "Competent Crew" with Southern Sailing we anchored the first night near Farleigh (?) Power Station. (Down the Hamble, cross Southampton water and up a muddy creek). It wasn't pretty, but it had good holding and there was plenty of space.

Others will know the area far better than I do and will be able to tell you whether that is a good spot for you to loose your anchoring virginity. Good luck!

Great course with Southern Sailing!
 
Rigger Mortice said:
Years ago when I did "Competent Crew" with Southern Sailing we anchored the first night near Farleigh (?) Power Station. (Down the Hamble, cross Southampton water and up a muddy creek). It wasn't pretty, but it had good holding and there was plenty of space.

Others will know the area far better than I do and will be able to tell you whether that is a good spot for you to loose your anchoring virginity. Good luck!

Great course with Southern Sailing!
Click to expand...

Fawley power station. Probably in Ashlett Creek.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top