Between the red and green

[Larry Patrick]

What is the standard rules are you allowed to anchor and fish to the side of channels between these buoys ,or do you need to be out of there? The last trip it seemed to get shallow fairly quick when getting out of the channel.Would think its okay if its to the side,but really don't know . Some boats slow down others roar by you. If the weather wasn't rough we would have spent more time out in gulf. The sheltered area was on the way back in ,near where river meets the bay in between buoys.

[Marco Flamingo]

Sure, you can anchor and fish there, just like you can play baseball in the street. But simply having your anchor down might not give you any right-of-way, meaning that you could be obligated to move out of the way in some situations. That could make anchoring unwise.

Restricted areas of no fishing or anchoring are usually marked with a diamond with a cross inside. Like no wake zones, the markers are often ignored.

Mark

[AstoriaDave]

Can not agree fully with Mark. But he has a point ... read on ...

The red and green delineate the edges of the channel. Between them is the pleasure boater's no man's land for anything but running between destinations, yielding way to encumbered vessels. OTOH, outside those buoy lines, you can anchor at will, fish, haul out the barby, tell lies, drift (within limits), strictly at your own discretion. However, and that is one b i g however, you are at the mercy of whatever mayhem ship wakes lay on you. And if your spot is shallow, you might have breaking water over the transom.

On the Columbia, we have been rocked when a quarter mile off the channel, after a freighter cruised by, minutes afterward, in 5 feet of water, several times. For that reason, we do not lollygag next to the channel ... we maintain the same alert we do in the channel, and attempt to anticipate when a low wake traveling in deep water will become a breaker as it hits shallower water.

[thataway]

Due to commercial traffic--along the Gulf Coast ICW for example--the area in the navigable Channel, (Between red and green is for navigation. These barges cannot always avoid a vessel, underway or anchored. You have to give them the right of way. I would never anchor in a navigable channel. Sometimes the barges go outside of the channel--and even go aground, in the turns. Also due to wind and currents, they tug has to "crab" the barges, to one side, so they may take up the entire channel.

When I approach a Tug and Tow, I will contact them on VHF and ask what side they want a pass, and if it is OK for me to go at cruising speed. (Almost always is with the small C Dory--maybe not so with a larger vessel.)

As for wake--if I pass a small boat--kayak, low free board bass boat, aluminum skiff, I will almost always slow down to idle speed, so that they don't get any wake.

Some folks don't, but I consider it a common courtesy.

[JamesTXSD]

We're in the motorhome right now - no Chapman's onboard. I don't recall the exact regulation, but you are not allowed to anchor in a marked waterway, nor anchor outside the waterway but have your rode allow you to enter the waterway. Sure, we've all seen people do this... BUT, if there is a collision, the Coast Guard will find you a high percentage of responsible.

Anchoring is part science and part art. Find the place you can anchor where passing wakes are not going to hammer you. Check the weather forecast to "best guess" open vs protection.

Regarding the slow vs roar by situations - you are responsible for damage caused by your wake. If someone makes your anchoring uncomfortable due to their wake, that isn't damage... best that you find a more protected place to anchor. If their wake swamps you, that is damage caused by them, but there may be some blame assigned by your choice of where to anchor.

Since you mentioned fishing, a recreational boat with fishing lines out is not considered a "fishing vessel" according to the regulations and the hierarchy of vessels. In other words, if you are anchored and fishing, and a vessel that is constrained by draft is on a possible collision course with you, you are the one who should pull up anchor and get out of the way. Good judgement and "the Rule of Displacement" (big boat eats little boat) are key.

[Marco Flamingo]

For those of you who will go to the Seattle Boat Show this weekend, the Power Squadron booth has free copies of the USCG publication U.S. Aids to Navigation System. More recommended winter reading (and nice to have on board).

Mark

[Jake]

[thataway]

[hardee]

The navigation channels aren't necessarily shallow or narrow. My home waters include an extremely busy waterway, (Strait of Juan de Fuca), frequented by sea going cargo ships in the 600 to 1200 feet long and traveling about 20 knots, between the open Pacific and the busy inland ports of the Pacific Northwest, (Seattle, Vancouver,BC, Bremerton Naval Base and Cherry Point), That is one of the reasons I am a believer in AIS. Believe me, those guys are not slowing or weaving because some guy in a 22 foot boat is anchored next to the rip at Point Wilson. And they do produce a wake at their speed and a half mile is plenty too close.

Even the ferries here have to deal with confined routing and I have been on the ferry, in the fog, for a 20 min crossing (Port Townsend to Keystone), where we had a 5 whistle situation several times, due to fishing boats not being aware of their position relative to a 300 foot ferry bearing down on them, with "them" in the ferry path. In each case the small boat occupants were busy fishing and no one was at the helm.

Another situation: The entrance into Kilsuit Harbor, between Marrowstone and Indian Islands, south east side of Port Townsend Bay. It is a narrow, very curvy, and well marked navigation channel with shallow areas very close to the channel, that are 5 - 15 feet deep in high tide out side the channel. Very often during crabbing season this channel is clogged with pot floats every 30 - 50 feet, several dozens in a row. This makes it necessary to weave around them floats, and adds "interest" in getting through the channel which is about a mile and a half long. I have asked both Fish and Wildlife and Coast Guard and reported it on VHF 16 as a hazard. Technically, it is not illegal for them to be there, but it is considered "improper" or "not prudent". What's worse, If I run into one of the floats or lines and it damages my boat -- I am responsible. Some days it makes me want to eat crab pots.

One of the first lessons I learned about the red and the green. They are places for vessels that draught a lot more than a C-Dory, so use the chart and common sense, with a good dose of caution.

Harvey
SleepyC

[AstoriaDave]

Harvey, I have run Kilsuit bay at low water, but with very few pots in the way. It truly sucks, unless you have well honed local knowledge. A poster child for a bad situation. Good luck getting anybody to move pots.

[Larry Patrick]

First time in any marked waters,thats why I figured I would ask. Im not the type to be where I shouldn't. This particular channel was only seeing a few boats a day not big boats. If I was somewhere that had big boats and busy it would be easy to see if your in the way. Not sure how wide other red and green channels are this one was wide enough that if you were to the side there was plenty of room. But will avoid them now knowing there just for navigation thanks. Also that it was a river with limited width was making harder to find depth outside channel. Was not sure before of the standard thinking about it.

[Robert H. Wilkinson]

One more thing to consider when anchoring near markers - you must not anchor a boat near any marker or aid to navigation in such proximity to which the view of said marker is obscured or obstructed to other mariners.

As for wakes - I agree with Dr. Bobs code of courtesy - but since you are frequently on Lake Erie Larry I should tell you most of the Marinas around Long Point Inner Bay are accessed via a long marked channel through the weeds(often between 1 and 2 miles). Boats travel these channels on step and rarely slow down - passing each other port to port going in and out of the marinas. If you do have to drop off step for some reason you can rarely get back up and are relegated to raising your drive going slow and reversing about every 50 yards to back the weeds off your prop. When you pass another boat(going the opposite way) you have to give the wheel a sharp crank to point your bow into the hole he left you - not usually a problem unless the other boat is much bigger than you. I have heard of a few small boats(12-14') that came close to being swamped by large cruisers in these channels though.

If you make it up to my end of the lake Larry and want to visit the inner bay - bring your weed wacker!

Regards, Rob

[Larry Patrick]

Thanks Rob,just got confirmation for a slip for the season at Lampne campground and marina. Fished for perch ,but now need to learn walleye fishng on Erie.The charters are always getting limits on big walleyes. Guess the channel I was on near Carrabella was kinda unique it wasn't busy and water was shallow outside of it, locals also fished near channel,wish the weather was better would have been offshore. Will have to watch forecast for Erie close since its 5 hr trip.

[Will-C]