Shallow water anchoring

D

Donald Tyson

Member
I supposedly draw 7-10" with motors up. Down near Hontoon I found a large pond off the St.Johns that was marked on Aquacharts as being only 1.9' deep. I noticed another C-Dory bobbing nicely at anchor there and so I lifted my motors and joined them. I watch two rocket launchings and had a great night swinging at anchor.
I am simply not experienced enough to know whether a blow or strong storm wouldn't have endangered my vessel. I had this discussion with someone that mentioned if the fetch was long enough that the wave train created might've put me on the bottom off and on. Is this a thing? I have trouble even describing this as I'm kind of confused about it.
Did I put myself in danger anchoring in this shallow pond/lake.
Would some folks here enjoy wringing this subject out by discussing it a bit?
 
Well you made it through the night that's a win. I spent the night at Lake Powell in shallow water 40 mph winds. I couldn't do anything but tie the boat down. If I would have tried to move I would blow into the rocks. The boat would roll in the wind and hit the rocks on the bottom. I just sat up all night and thought about what the bottom was going to look like. I cost $1800.00 to repair. I told myself I would never due it again.
 
That is what I was worried about. I had been a large Carolina Skiff Owner and being a rank amateur I never worried about such things...didn't even know I should've been worried. But now, with the more nuanced hull shape I have begun to think about it more....what did I get away with all those earlier years?
 
A lot depends on your anchor, anchoring skills and the type of bottom. If you are hooked into good sand, with a Fortress or Danforth HT anchor, then you are safe.

Normally when I anchor I take a turn around and thru where I am going to anchor. I have the depth sounder on, and look at whee other boats anchors are lying. The new "down scan" transducers give a very nice picture of the bottom and can help.

I lower the anchor (Never throw it) and when it hits bottom, I then start going astern. After I have scope out (includes the depth of the water and the height of the bow off the water. (On some of my larger boats, I had a block near the water line, I could pass the anchor line thru.). At 3:1 scope, I will start to put a little tension on the anchor rode and "test it"--seeing if the boat weight, with no engine power will hold the boat in place. Then I let the anchor rode free wheel, and at about this 6:1 scope. I begin to apply increasing reverse power. When the anchor seems to be holding, I give full reverse to completely set the anchor. I may also set a stern anchor--that is also set with 7:1 scope. There are some places where one anchor off the bow is correct, some where two, 180 degrees apart (Reversing tidal current), and some where you want 3 bow anchors (heavy winds where the wind will probably change direction.

I like to either dive on the anchor or try and visualize the anchor on the bottom. The first boat to anchor or permanent moorings set the stage for type of anchoring (one two or three anchors.). If a boat is anchored on a single anchor, then other boats anchoring nearby should ride to a single anchor, nearby boats should also be on a single anchor.

I use lighter snubbing or shock adsorbing lines to take the load and any chafe off the main rode. I either use chafing gear, or have a fair lead where there is no possibility of chafe.

I prefer to anchor so that at low tide I still have over 2 X the draft of the boat, under the boat. I have anchored the C Dory at Powell with only a couple of inches under the stern. Two stern anchors, and enough scope out that I am still 6 to 7 to one when I pull off the beach.

The strongest winds I have anchored in were 90 knots. I have changed anchorages as often as 3 times a night, and I have had to "cut and run" once--where two bow anchors were dragging due to the type of bottom (what I call "ball bearing" small stones. There is no anchor which will really hold in that type of bottom.

Setting an alarm on a depth sounder is prudent, as is a circle alarm on the GPS. I will take sights by compass bearing and by radar to check to see if I am dragging or not. I carry at least 3 anchors, even on the C Dory 22. The Fortress or Guardian anchors disassemble into an easily stored bundle.

In suspicious areas, or in case of a storm I have an anchor watch. If the wind shifts to put my boat at risk toward the shore or shoal water, with danger of increased seas, then I move the boat to a more protected space.

Once on an oxbow off the St. Johns a friend was anchored to windward of me, and started to drag. I hit the horn to awaken my friend. As he drug past, I decided it was the better plan to up my anchor and anchor in another part of the oxbow. I have had boats drag and snag my anchor chain--in some cases that has tripped my anchor--and that needs to be sorted out immediately. If a smaller lighter boat does that, and you are not dragging, then wait until you are ready to before pulling your rode and then let them know. I once had six 26' charter sailboats anchor to windward of my anchor, and during a stormy night all drug, and hooked into my anchor chain. My boat was 62 feet and about 10X the displacement (6,000 lbs, to my 68,000 lbs. I had all chain out, and a large anchor, so there did not seem to be any risk.

At the Isthmus on Catalina Island, on a holiday weekend when I could not get a mooring, I always carried at least two spare anchors, and rodes to loan to boats which didn't have adequate anchors, and would drag into my boat. I would set the spare anchors with my RIB, and then pass them to the boat which had been dragging.

Pulling an anchor--power the boat towards the place where the anchor is set. Use the windlass to take up the anchor rode/chain slack. When over the anchor, secure the windlass gypsy and use the boat to pull the anchor to "break out". After the anchor has broken out, then use the windlass to being the rode and anchor into the full up position.

An anchor marking buoy: In areas where the bottom may be foul--big rocks, cables, debris etc, I often will put a relatively light line from anchor crown to a buoy marked blue and white. this way, I can pull the anchor out by its crown if it is stuck. I have had that either picked up in another boat's prop, or once a smaller boat thought that this buoy was a mooring, attmepted to pick it up. I warned them off.

Anchoring properly is both an art and science.
 
I have no fairleads on the boat yet. I also did not find any chafing gear. will look again.
I was more worried about anchoring in too shallow of water and hitting bottom in every passing trough when a storm comes up...

I'm building my anchor gear. Slowly. So far I only have 150' of 1/2" dbl braid W/bruce type anchor... At the back For stern anchor (and spare) I have the second size guardian and 55' of 1/2" 3 strand.

Not much a collection but each piece is slightly over size and all is ready to go. Can't wait until I get the Winch Windlass installed.
 
Don,
I would suggest some chain. If you don't have a windlass, then I would be looking at least 12 feet 1/4" . Chafing gear, I use small fire hose, see if there are fire stations which are recycling or tossing out fire hose--1 1/2 to 2" works well. I slit on one side, then put in small line (1/8 th inch) with small holes at the corners of the slit. This is tied around the line and back thru the hole on the opposite side of the slit. I Iike to have the snubbers to each side, and I added small cleats as in the photos.

The bow rode is 300 feet of 1/2" "Brait" (8 strand plaited) and 50 feet of 1/4" HT chain. But I probably have anchored in deeper water. In this case I am using 5/16 3 strand snubbers, to allow adequate shock absorption. Remember that although double braid, is easy on the hands, it lacks as much "elasticity" or "spring". as the 3 strand or 8 strand plait nylon rodes. Be sure that the shackles are rated properly. I use "Wichard" brand.

Twin_snubber_lines.sized.jpg

I am not a huge fan of the "Bruce style anchor". They are probably best in rocks and PNW. I prefer the Mantus, spade, Ronca, Manson Supreme, or even the older Delta. the Fortress and Guardian and Danforth HT, are good for sand and mud. The Fortress/Guardian 6 and 7 work well for the stern anchors. For the 22, I like at 14 to 15# anchor, for the 25, a 22 or 25 lb anchor.

Anchor shackles are a weak point. HT galvanized may be found, but many are not rated as high as the chain..you don't want weak links. I like Wichard Standard D Shackles in SS. They are made in France, and of high quality. The SS from China are often poor in quality and I would not trust them on my boat. I have seen casting defects.
 
I like to either dive on the anchor or try and visualize the anchor on the bottom. The first boat to anchor or permanent moorings set the stage for type of anchoring (one two or three anchors.). If a boat is anchored on a single anchor, then other boats anchoring nearby should ride to a single anchor, nearby boats should also be on a single anchor.
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Hello Bob,
Something else to consider is the type of other boats in the anchorage. I learned one night near St. Mary's (I think it was St. Mary's) off the ICW, that our boats are affected much more by wind than current. And it doesn't need to be much wind. I woke up one late night to make a head call, and noticed that I was getting awfully close to a much bigger yacht. Yet I had anchored an appropriate distance away. What happened was that his boat was affected more by the current due to his draw, while I was more affected by the breeze due to my lack of draw! :o Colby
 
Hi Don,

You are getting excellent advice here, and good for you to seek info on some RARE situations and issues in order to be better prepared for them. Memorize and share Bob’s anchoring advice (I did).

If you anchor in thigh deep water in your boat (where you could wade to shore if you wanted to) I don’t believe there are conditions in normal cruising areas like the St John River where you could ‘bottom out’ due to wind waves due to fetch (wind distance unimpeded over water) alone. The really, really rare areas affected will be well described in WWG and all other cruising guides.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiche

More common (but still VERY rare) will be situations like Thataway and us found ourselves in back in 2019 at Alton Marina on the MIss (a Meet in the Middle Gathering) where the Mel Price Lock drained about eight feet of water out of their pool due to upcoming flooding concerns from local conditions. The Alton ramp became high and dry and not usable overnight. Oddly enough, we trailered a few miles upstream to pull out at a ramp that wasn’t much affected. I am always amazed how eight feet of river water doesn’t flow downhill faster (ie how Miss floodwaters take six weeks to drain into the Gulf).

I favor the Mantus swivel anchor connector based on Looper reviews over the years. It is one tough well engineered hunk of quality SS, but at $100 it may well be vast overkill for you and most C-Dorys. Colby bought one after examining ours, and Roseanne is still mad at me about that, but she’ll get over it within a few decades.

https://www.mantusmarine.com/mantus-swivel/

Keep asking and learning from the hive (esp Bob).

Cheers,

John
 
In 1994 when I bought a 25' Sailboat I used old silk firehose that I got at the college I worked for. I was the assistant super and was in charge of switching out all the emergency fire hoses on campus. I wish I'd have kept it all. The Claw I have in use is slightly over sized (16.5) for my boat and works nicely. Before I can use the new Guardian 7 up front I have to extend the current anchor roller. I'll use the Guardian on the East Coast south of NYC and the Claw will anchor my tail.

Nice Guy, Colby Smith, out bid me at Hontoon this year on a great Delta anchor. How does he sleep? lol

In time I will get the right anchor up front there, thanks Bob.

I just replaced the shackles on my two anchors and I don't recall the brand. They're galvanized and one size over-sized.

I need more chain. At only 8' I feel the need for more. 25' is what I'll go for. I'm an ex-logger, arborist, rigging type guy and I am not at all a fan of swivels. But you folks are so resolved that we all need them and so I may have to try them.

Mantus and Ronca have caught my eye. We'll see which one I find cheapest. I'll probably be an older Delta. I go to Flea markets in New England near Mystic. Maybe a used Delta will show up there.

I feel well supplied with wisdom from all of you. It just takes a while to incorporate all the details.....maybe another 40 yrs.

I surely don't want a JKidd experience.
 
If you are in 2 feet of water and have a 10 inch draft, it would be almost impossible to hit the bottom because of wave action. A 1 foot wave doesn't travel far in 2 feet of water. Maybe if one was right on the edge of a drop-off, but a 2 foot deep area won't have 18 inch waves, short of a hurricane.

On Lake Powell with a nasty forecast, we simply cut to the chase and drug our boat a few inches up onto a sandbar. Waves lapped on the boat all night, but we didn't even rock. No fear of going aground when you're already aground. More complex in tidal areas.

Mark
 
I recently had someone tell me that during a blow out of the north, on lake George FL, that the troughs were so deep that a few boats touched the bottom in the middle of the lake. Is this possible or is it perhaps the result of experienced story tellers? In support I see That a north wind would have 10 miles of fetch. Is this a myth? sounds suspicious.
 
I have been swimming in the Great Salt Lake during a blow when the waves got so big when the bottom of the wave came by you were standing on the bottom. Of course you had to walk out into the lake about 1/2 mile before it gets deep enough to swim and you float like a cork.
 
Don:

You’ve gotten some good advice regarding anchoring. Here are a few more suggestions from the C-Dory that you shared the anchorage with.
Check the weather channel on your VHF to get an overnight forecast. Given the limited reach of this anchorage, it would have taken one heck of a blow to cause any problem at all. The forecast for the night in question was not problematic.
If you’re considering joining another boat at a questionable anchorage, try hailing them on VHF 16, introducing yourself, and asking any questions you have. We usually leave the VHF on while at anchor, particularly during daylight hours, and are glad to share any info that might be helpful. If you can’t raise the other boat by radio, consider looking them over through your binoculars, and when there are any signs of life aboard, heading over to chat. You might get a free drink!
Finally, use that boat hook to probe the actual depths … although the chart says 1.9 ft, I think we were both anchored in a little over 3 ft.

David
 
I never swam there. Some day on some lonely visit I will.

jkidd":260y77sa said:
I have been swimming in the Great Salt Lake during a blow when the waves got so big when the bottom of the wave came by you were standing on the bottom. Of course you had to walk out into the lake about 1/2 mile before it gets deep enough to swim and you float like a cork.
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Hi David, That was you? Awesome....Then you enjoyed the rockets as well. At that time I didn't yet even know how to turn on the radio let alone use it. I had never owned a radio that worked well and there were not yet binoculars onboard. I had just launched the day before for the first time. I basically learned to use the radio on the first day of Hontoon.
I'm so glad you joined in. This is the very anchorage that pressed me to bring this up. I felt vulnerable in that vast pond and though my anchor held well I did worry about the weather. I think it was called Adams Lake.
There were one or two that anchored in the little pond next to Hontoon as well but it looked even shallower. This was the biggest reason we bought a C-dory. Kim and I (she was not in attendance) prefer to be in extremely shallow water as we like crabbing and clamming a lot. Now Baby steps as we learn how to use it.
Lastly this is definitely the place to get good advice. Sometimes more than I can put to use all at once but that is okay. If I hear good stuff often enough it soon sticks.
 
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