Why can't people anchor?

[Nostrodamus]

I had two firsts for me the other day in anchoring.

a) A French boat shouted across to me that I was too close to him to anchor. I could have understood this if I had actually been anchored but it was still in the roller and no one was on our deck to let it down. I was doing the usual Brit thing for padding around the area looking at depths, swinging room and the best place to anchor. Now I have to say I was wrong here but he **** me off so much I had to anchor closer to him than I would normally have done.

b) A day or so later we went into a anchorage and assessed where to drop the hook in relation to the other boats and was quiet happy where we were. Later the wind picked up and we swung. The one boat that seemed miles away initially was then very near us, so much so that I moved. I later learnt that he had dragged badly a few days ago so was sat in the middle of a small anchorage with 60m of chain out expecting all the other boats around him to move. I was not the only one who had to find somewhere else.

 

[ribrage]

I had two firsts for me the other day in anchoring.

a) A French boat shouted across to me that I was too close to him to anchor. I could have understood this if I had actually been anchored but it was still in the roller and no one was on our deck to let it down. I was doing the usual Brit thing for padding around the area looking at depths, swinging room and the best place to anchor. Now I have to say I was wrong here but he **** me off so much I had to anchor closer to him than I would normally have done.

b) A day or so later we went into a anchorage and assessed where to drop the hook in relation to the other boats and was quiet happy where we were. Later the wind picked up and we swung. The one boat that seemed miles away initially was then very near us, so much so that I moved. I later learnt that he had dragged badly a few days ago so was sat in the middle of a small anchorage with 60m of chain out expecting all the other boats around him to move. I was not the only one who had to find somewhere else.

Massively frustrating thing when I'm anchored in the middle of freaking Wyoming with no boats around and one after another they pile in as close as possible - why ?

I've spent the night with the swell on the beam rolling like a fat bloke on drugs because I can't turn into the swell and drop a second anchor - so no sleep - engine running all night in and out of gear avoiding the boat astern of me who stands on his bow and watches like an old woman behind a set of curtains.

The skies are black, every time a front comes through the wind picks up and he veers off to do yet another tango else where, if he's still here tomorrow I'm getting the generator and grinder out , hiding all the dogs toys and playing the stereo on full volume !

 

[Trident]

I might modify this thread title to "Why can't people anchor and why do jet skis think anchored boats are a slalom course". Now I know the real reason the Yanks all want to carry guns on board ...

 

[RobbieW]

I might modify this thread title to "Why can't people anchor and why do jet skis think anchored boats are a slalom course". Now I know the real reason the Yanks all want to carry guns on board ...

I've long thought that jet skis would be a great substitute for clays, so much more challenging especially when they realise theyre being shot at

 

[Trident]

Sharpening the tip of my boat hook as we speak for my new game of "harpoon jet ski darts"

 

[Nostrodamus]

We find that cheese wire between two boats about head height tends to swat them quick quickly

 

[ribrage]

Tonight's entertainment a charter boat ahead of me a charter boat astern of me all crew ashore partying hard.

Both boats moving different to me as I'm long keel and 25 tons they are fin keel and maybe half the weight, I told them both when they rocked up - TOO CLOSE !

If I shorten my scope I'll hit the knob in front , if I don't I'll hit the knob astern , I'm leaving at sun rise and REALLY want to wake them up when I leave as one of them is over my anchor for sure.

It was nice here in April !!!!

Pics here :

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/blown-away/index.php?show=gallery&aid=33843&pid=705150

 

[Thedreamoneday]

Tonight's entertainment a charter boat ahead of me a charter boat astern of me all crew ashore partying hard.

Both boats moving different to me as I'm long keel and 25 tons they are fin keel and maybe half the weight, I told them both when they rocked up - TOO CLOSE !

If I shorten my scope I'll hit the knob in front , if I don't I'll hit the knob astern , I'm leaving at sun rise and REALLY want to wake them up when I leave as one of them is over my anchor for sure.

It was nice here in April !!!!

Pics here :

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/blown-away/index.php?show=gallery&aid=33843&pid=705150

Crazy pics!

 

[SamanthaTabs]

"Herding instinct", empty bay, anchor, storm a brewing and hey presto tons of boats anchored very close by. Communicating by holding a piece of paper up stating we had x amount of chain out and were letting more out actually worked!

 

[Trident]

Ribrage - the 4 boat pic is the stuff of my nightmares! Soller is pretty crazy all the time - we left last week because even though we moved out to anchor in 13m to keep away from the crazy we still then had a Russian boat anchor right in front of us with only 2m to spare and head straight ashore despite my protests. Combine that with the swell coming in the next morning and despite being the most beautiful town on Mallorca we up anchored and went...

 

[Caladh]

Your very right Charles , we have all been there and some time in the future we all will be there again ,

+1

 

[ribrage]

Trident.

Where are you now ?

I loved soller in April - no one there plenty of space , we were pretty shocked at the number of boats tucked in there now.

The following morning we upped and left and at 06:00 had to wake up four other boats and the majority of the residents to get our anchor up.

18 hours later we are back on the mainland away from the madness. We will head back in October when it quietens down and again in December for a month over Christmas.

 

[Trident]

Ribcage: I just had a lovely 8 knot spinnaker reach back across to Ibiza to meet some friends this week and then hiding out somewhere on the mainland for a few weeks till mid September when the crowds go away and then back to Formentara and Mallorca. Right now in Portinax for the night.

 

[ribrage]

Sounds like a great plan - keep an eye out for the (T)rusty old ketch come and say hi

 

[Sarnia]

Seen in Vlhio in June, sitting in the club house which has a view of the boats at anchor, when a boat (no names no packdrill) went slowly past, the owner was quickly told, he said "can't be mine I have 40m of chain out" the reply was classic, "pity you didn't put the anchor out with it"
It was clear to see his anchor had snagged in his snubber, not noticed by his wife as it was near the waterline, but she had let the chain out unknowing!

 

[Chris_Robb]

Seen in Vlhio in June, sitting in the club house which has a view of the boats at anchor, when a boat (no names no packdrill) went slowly past, the owner was quickly told, he said "can't be mine I have 40m of chain out" the reply was classic, "pity you didn't put the anchor out with it"
It was clear to see his anchor had snagged in his snubber, not noticed by his wife as it was near the waterline, but she had let the chain out unknowing!

Classic! A bit like the anchor and chain into the dinghy which I have seen more than once!

 

[Trident]

On a slight drift I returned to San Antoni today to sit out a bit of rough weather and of course found that in the month I left they've filled the bay with mooring buoys - and its not first come first served its call up (no VHF has to be by phone) and be put on the waiting list and then the lucky few get a call back by 3pm to be told they have one. Ok, so the only port of refuge on the entire island of Ibiza is now almost impossible to anchor in.

Anyway, I found a spot I could anchor, with safe room, and dropped in, 3 1/2 times scope, I'd prefer more but its all chain, on an over sized Rocna which is so dug in when I dived on it that I can't even see it. If the wind turns I placed us so I'll be just safe inside the green channel buoys. Our friends arrived an hour later and also found a spot and then we worried that really no one else would get in safely today. ... Except the 10 or 12 French boats that have all just decided to anchor in the main shipping channel! We saw one try and be turned away by the marina dory, went out for a meal and cam back to find swarms of them; I just hope the ferries in and out keep a close watch. Plus of course its now 10.30 and despite being told we couldn't have a buoy for the night there are still about 20 empty.

 

[ribrage]

The San Antonio situation sucks , we spent a month at anchor there last year , had the kids visit , did Ibiza old town the parades etc

There were some real characters living on boats in there , where have they all gone ??

The system for the marina was the same call up and then wait. We never went in except for water and that cost a stupid amount charged by the 30 min slot.

We sat out a couple of 25 knot nights in there sitting to an old fisherman a anchor that hadn't seen daylight since the eBay auction five years prior only thing we had that would go through the weed.

Enjoy

 

[Sarnia]

Classic! A bit like the anchor and chain into the dinghy which I have seen more than once!

Which begs the question, why didn't they check the anchor was holding in the accepted way?
Having confidence in ones anchors holding power in mud just isn't sufficient IMHO.

 

[LandM]

We anchored in some beautiful places all over Scotland and Northern Ireland during the summer of 2013. Arrived in Moelfre on Anglesey early one evening, OH looked at the depth and dropped anchor and scope accordingly as we had done in the same spot successfully several times over the early summer of that year. Woke in the night with an uneasy feeling, looked out of the window and Moelfre had disappeared. Both of us dashed up on deck, checked the plotter and paper chart and to our horror we had dragged about 5 miles around the coast to Dulas Bay. By some miracle the wind was blowing in the right direction and took us around the rock near the lifeboat station. OH can only think that he dropped anchor approaching low water, being tired and reading it all wrong thinking it was high water. When the tide rose, obviously our nice big anchor was pulled out. That was a massive lesson learned and one which we have vowed will never be repeated. A few degrees and the first we would have known about it was the scraping as we hit the rock.