This article is one in a series offering tips on boating skills and seamanship prepared for The Citizen by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
This column first appeared during last year's boating season. What prompts me to have it published again is the feedback I received from individuals attending a boat safety class. There were certain misconceptions on proper anchors and anchoring.
Many recreational boaters become very proficient in navigation and boat handling but they neglect the importance of proper anchoring procedure. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary stresses that the art of anchoring, which some skippers regard as #”simple,” should be mastered by all boatmen. Anchoring can be vital for protection of both life and vessel. Newcomers to boating tend to do it all wrong.
To hold a vessel securely, the right-size anchor and proper length and size of rode or line are essential. Anchoring equipment is called ground tackle. The type of ground tackle to have depends on the kind, weight and length of your vessel as well as the characteristics of the bottom and the depth of the water in which you will anchor.
Many boats carry at least two anchors, a lightweight one for use in good weather and in protected anchorages, a heavy one for use in bad weather or for overnight anchoring when there might be danger of dragging.
A boating novice should get expert advice or manufacturer's recommendations in selecting anchors and proper ground tackle. Your local marina will provide reliable information and show you the various anchors on display.
There are many types of anchors on the market. The most popular anchor for recreational boats is the Danforth. It is light-weight with long, narrow twin flukes. It works well in muddy and sandy bottoms but may hang up in a rocky bottom.
A grapnel anchor is better suited for use in rocky bottoms. At the end of its straight shank, there are four or five curved, claw-like arms which hook under rocks.
The plow anchor, so named because its design resembles a plow, digs in deeply when there is pull on the anchor line. It is used on larger boats.
Smaller boats are equipped with the mushroom anchors. Because of its cast iron bowl at the end of its shank, it resembles a mushroom. Mushroom anchors can hold a boat in muddy or sandy bottoms but they are not very efficient in grassy and rocky bottoms.
A few comments on anchoring. The rode of an anchor includes its line (nylon line is recommended) and chain. The scope of an anchor rode is the ratio of its length to the depth of the water.
A rule of thumb on proper scope is seven feet of line for every foot of water depth at the point of anchoring. This means that there should be seven feet of rode for each foot of water depth. The longer the rode, the greater the holding power of the anchor.
During a storm, the scope should be increased to 10:1. This increases the holding power of the anchor. A short rode will make it easier for the anchor to pull free from the bottom and set the boat adrift.
In anchoring, only an amateur tosses it overboard with a giant heave. The proper method is to lower the anchor slowly into the water until it reaches bottom.
Then drift, row or back your vessel until the anchor bites bottom, paying out line to the proper length for the water depth.
To raise the anchor, which most likely is deep into the bottom, start the engine and put your boat directly over the anchor, then trip it. Ordinarily it will break free of the bottom when the line stands vertically. It can then be raised to the deck and stowed.
If the anchor does not break free with a good vertical yank, secure the line to a bitt; go slowly ahead for a few yards. It probably is fouled if it does not break free.
Running the boat in wide circles on a taut line may help. But if it will not break loose, run up as close as possible, cut the anchor line and attach a marker float to the remaining end, so you can attempt to retrieve the anchor later. Maybe your skin-diving friends can help with this bit of salvage.
No skipper should take to the waters without proper anchor and line on board for the area to be navigated. Concrete blocks, chunks of steel castings or pieces of heavy metal are not anchors.
The prudent boater will never venture forth with anything but the recommended anchor and ground tackle for the vessel.
The art of anchoring, the various types and characteristics of anchors, and techniques that will help the novice boater avoid problems are covered in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's free public boating courses. For more information, contact your local Flotilla at 273-7175.
John E. Keshishoglou is commander of Ithaca Flotilla 22
Top 10 tips for getting the most from a tank of gas
Fuel prices are reaching their summertime highs in many parts of the country, so Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) offers a few tips that could help stretch your fuel dollars:
€ Leave the extra “junk” home: Don't load the boat up with weight you don't need; before going out, do a little spring cleaning.
€ Water weight: At 8.33 pounds per gallon, why keep the water in the tank topped off if you're only going out for the afternoon?
€ Tune her up: An engine tune-up is an excellent investment and should easily pay for itself over the summer
€ Tune your prop: If your boat goes 30 mph with a like-new prop and only 27 mph with a prop that's dinged and out of pitch, that's a 10 percent loss in fuel economy, or, you're wasting 1 out of every 10 gallons you put in your tank
€ Paint the boat's bottom: When boating in salt or brackish waters a fouled bottom is like a dull knife; it takes a lot more fuel to push your boat through the water
€ Keep the boat in trim: Using trim tabs or distributing weight evenly will help move your boat through the water with less effort #and less fuel
€ Go with the flow: Consult tide tables and try to travel with the tide whenever possible
€ Install a fuel flow meter: A fuel flow meter is like a heart monitor; when consumption starts to rise, it's an early warning that something is amiss. A fuel flow meter also allows you to select a comfortable cruising speed that optimizes the amount of fuel being consumed. If you don't want to spring for a fuel flow meter (about $300), you can calculate your fuel mileage by dividing distance traveled by gallons at fill-up. Using your logbook, you can then approximate fuel flow using average speeds and time underway.
€ For sailboats only: While their engines are miserly, a sailboat with a fouled bottom, prop or poorly maintained engine can have marked effect on its fuel economy
€ Get a discount: Many of the 870 BoatU.S. Cooperating Marinas around the country offer up to 10 cents off a gallon of gas. To get the discount, all you have to do is to show your BoatU.S. membership card. If you aren't already a member, join for $19 by visiting http://www.BoatUS.com/membership or calling (800) 395-2628
Many recreational boaters become very proficient in navigation and boat handling but they neglect the importance of proper anchoring procedure. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary stresses that the art of anchoring, which some skippers regard as #”simple,” should be mastered by all boatmen. Anchoring can be vital for protection of both life and vessel. Newcomers to boating tend to do it all wrong.
To hold a vessel securely, the right-size anchor and proper length and size of rode or line are essential. Anchoring equipment is called ground tackle. The type of ground tackle to have depends on the kind, weight and length of your vessel as well as the characteristics of the bottom and the depth of the water in which you will anchor.
Many boats carry at least two anchors, a lightweight one for use in good weather and in protected anchorages, a heavy one for use in bad weather or for overnight anchoring when there might be danger of dragging.
A boating novice should get expert advice or manufacturer's recommendations in selecting anchors and proper ground tackle. Your local marina will provide reliable information and show you the various anchors on display.
There are many types of anchors on the market. The most popular anchor for recreational boats is the Danforth. It is light-weight with long, narrow twin flukes. It works well in muddy and sandy bottoms but may hang up in a rocky bottom.
A grapnel anchor is better suited for use in rocky bottoms. At the end of its straight shank, there are four or five curved, claw-like arms which hook under rocks.
The plow anchor, so named because its design resembles a plow, digs in deeply when there is pull on the anchor line. It is used on larger boats.
Smaller boats are equipped with the mushroom anchors. Because of its cast iron bowl at the end of its shank, it resembles a mushroom. Mushroom anchors can hold a boat in muddy or sandy bottoms but they are not very efficient in grassy and rocky bottoms.
A few comments on anchoring. The rode of an anchor includes its line (nylon line is recommended) and chain. The scope of an anchor rode is the ratio of its length to the depth of the water.
A rule of thumb on proper scope is seven feet of line for every foot of water depth at the point of anchoring. This means that there should be seven feet of rode for each foot of water depth. The longer the rode, the greater the holding power of the anchor.
During a storm, the scope should be increased to 10:1. This increases the holding power of the anchor. A short rode will make it easier for the anchor to pull free from the bottom and set the boat adrift.
In anchoring, only an amateur tosses it overboard with a giant heave. The proper method is to lower the anchor slowly into the water until it reaches bottom.
Then drift, row or back your vessel until the anchor bites bottom, paying out line to the proper length for the water depth.
To raise the anchor, which most likely is deep into the bottom, start the engine and put your boat directly over the anchor, then trip it. Ordinarily it will break free of the bottom when the line stands vertically. It can then be raised to the deck and stowed.
If the anchor does not break free with a good vertical yank, secure the line to a bitt; go slowly ahead for a few yards. It probably is fouled if it does not break free.
Running the boat in wide circles on a taut line may help. But if it will not break loose, run up as close as possible, cut the anchor line and attach a marker float to the remaining end, so you can attempt to retrieve the anchor later. Maybe your skin-diving friends can help with this bit of salvage.
No skipper should take to the waters without proper anchor and line on board for the area to be navigated. Concrete blocks, chunks of steel castings or pieces of heavy metal are not anchors.
The prudent boater will never venture forth with anything but the recommended anchor and ground tackle for the vessel.
The art of anchoring, the various types and characteristics of anchors, and techniques that will help the novice boater avoid problems are covered in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's free public boating courses. For more information, contact your local Flotilla at 273-7175.
John E. Keshishoglou is commander of Ithaca Flotilla 22
Top 10 tips for getting the most from a tank of gas
Fuel prices are reaching their summertime highs in many parts of the country, so Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) offers a few tips that could help stretch your fuel dollars:
€ Leave the extra “junk” home: Don't load the boat up with weight you don't need; before going out, do a little spring cleaning.
€ Water weight: At 8.33 pounds per gallon, why keep the water in the tank topped off if you're only going out for the afternoon?
€ Tune her up: An engine tune-up is an excellent investment and should easily pay for itself over the summer
€ Tune your prop: If your boat goes 30 mph with a like-new prop and only 27 mph with a prop that's dinged and out of pitch, that's a 10 percent loss in fuel economy, or, you're wasting 1 out of every 10 gallons you put in your tank
€ Paint the boat's bottom: When boating in salt or brackish waters a fouled bottom is like a dull knife; it takes a lot more fuel to push your boat through the water
€ Keep the boat in trim: Using trim tabs or distributing weight evenly will help move your boat through the water with less effort #and less fuel
€ Go with the flow: Consult tide tables and try to travel with the tide whenever possible
€ Install a fuel flow meter: A fuel flow meter is like a heart monitor; when consumption starts to rise, it's an early warning that something is amiss. A fuel flow meter also allows you to select a comfortable cruising speed that optimizes the amount of fuel being consumed. If you don't want to spring for a fuel flow meter (about $300), you can calculate your fuel mileage by dividing distance traveled by gallons at fill-up. Using your logbook, you can then approximate fuel flow using average speeds and time underway.
€ For sailboats only: While their engines are miserly, a sailboat with a fouled bottom, prop or poorly maintained engine can have marked effect on its fuel economy
€ Get a discount: Many of the 870 BoatU.S. Cooperating Marinas around the country offer up to 10 cents off a gallon of gas. To get the discount, all you have to do is to show your BoatU.S. membership card. If you aren't already a member, join for $19 by visiting http://www.BoatUS.com/membership or calling (800) 395-2628
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