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Marina, or at anchor?

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Pelagic Dreams, Sep 3, 2010.

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  1. wildkactus, Sep 9, 2010
    #21
    wildkactus

    wildkactus New Member

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    It also depends were you are, most of the places we go there isn't a marina for a few 100 miles or so. so we have no choice but to use the pick.

    We also raft a few boats together and have a BBQ and a few Beers, as good as any marina.

    Happy Boatin.
  2. Fishy, Jan 30, 2011
    #22
    Fishy

    Fishy New Member

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    Hi
    I dont want to hijack the thread but could those of you that have experience on the 70 to 100 ft range give me an idea as to their anchor watch routines?

    Having worked on boats with 18 + crew we always had a 24/7 watch
    The hardest part for me on the smaller yachts was going to sleep at anchor ,im getting better at it with wind alarms gps alarms etc

    Obviously if the weather is up this is a different deal , but if you have owners on, the weather is good and its been a long day , how often are you getting up to check the hold?
    Also if you have a 4-6 crew ?
    Cheers
  3. Pascal, Jan 30, 2011
    #23
    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    at the lower end of the size range you mention, i dont' have the luxury of having crew on anchor watch so i rely on GPS.

    I keep it simple... a small portable garmin by my bed. I set the alarm anywhere between 75' to 200' depending on the conditions (swing room, other boats, etc...) and whether or not i'm in an anchor with tidal current. What i like about using a portable vs having a remote buzzer in my room is that when the alarm go off I can see right away what's going on by the track patterns on the screen without having to get out of bed. if it's jsut a slight wind shift, i can just reset it and go back to sleep.

    it's a lot easier to go back to sleep if i dont' get up...

    that said, if wind is picking up or if i'm an anchorage with too many boat close by, then i just sleep up in the skylounge using the alarms on both the Garmin and the built in Furunos. And if it's really windy, well.. then forget about sleeping!

    on a fiberglass boat, GPS reception is pretty good down below, depending on the layout and the number of decks and stuff above. If the GPS looses signal, it will alarm anyway...


    but again, having the display by the bed makes a huge difference vs just a buzzer.
  4. Fishy, Jan 30, 2011
    #24
    Fishy

    Fishy New Member

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    On the last 70 ft i was on i had to do some serious rewiring to get a gps signal into the cabin , but sounds about the same as i do

    And i make sure my wife is with me , shes a real light sleeper :cool:
    No sneeking in late from the soggy$:p

    I am looking at a position with 4 crew but apparently its a dock boat , the 70 spent +-100 days on the hook a year
  5. NYCAP123, Jan 30, 2011
    #25
    NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    I've never been one to sleep on a boat at anchor unless someone else was maintaining an anchor watch or unless in a very safe spot. The best I can muster is a cat-nap in the wheelhouse which I always seem to wake from with a start that pretty much wipes out any benefit gotten from the sleep.
  6. Capt Buddy, Jan 30, 2011
    #26
    Capt Buddy

    Capt Buddy Member

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    I would also love to anchor, As long as someone else is captain!:D Thank god for marinas!
  7. GFC, Jan 30, 2011
    #27
    GFC

    GFC Senior Member

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    90% or better of the nights we spend aboard are on the hook. We have and advantage of anchoring in a river so unless the winds really kick up we always stay downstream from where the anchor is set. I lay out plenty of chain so I'm not concerned about the hook sliding on the bottom. If it does, or if we start to swing the chain rattling on the bottom will wake me.
  8. Pascal, Jan 31, 2011
    #28
    Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    it all comes down to havign the right anchor and settign it. Last run south from New England, I think i spent about 3 nights at the dock and 25 or so on the hook. only on of them was a little too rough to sleep (25/30kts+ in the Thimbles) but didnt' drag and another one in Cape May where a squall line came thru and the anchor dragged about 50' or so as the winds were well over 40kts. Had i been at the dock, the storm woudl have kept me up anyway

    otherwise, i've always held and never had an issue.

    the problem is that many boats have ridiculously small anchors so if you do deliveries you often have to choose between docking or not sleeping!
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