There is some thing magical about chartering a boat and sailing the clear, turquoise blue waters of the Caribbean. There is no finer method to get a break and relax than to sail from island to island. At some point in the course of your Caribbean sailing experience, however, you may wish to quit. Regardless of whether you need to fish, swim, snorkel or dive, have lunch or remain overnight, you'll have to discover an anchorage and either anchor or use a mooring ball. Anchoring a boat securely is one of the most fundamental skills in boat handling. The key is preparation and slow maneuvering. Should you miss the very first time, don't be embarrassed. There's not an experienced sailor afloat who has not encountered this issue. Just go around and start once again. The essential factor is to have it correct! By anchoring poorly, not merely are you endangering your boat, but also the other boats anchored nearby. By following these suggestions and strategies, you can really feel confident which you will have secure, hassle-free anchoring.
Selecting the Anchorage:
The very first step in anchoring is to pick an anchorage. Try to arrive at your anchorage comparatively early enough inside the afternoon. This permits you sufficient light to avoid any shoals or other hazards like rock/coral heads, fish nets or boats, ferries, freighters, mooring balls, crab pots and cables. Additionally, in the course of peak season (December to April) several popular spots all through the Caribbean turn out to be really crowded. By arriving early enough, you have extra time to go somewhere else before nightfall.
When selecting an anchorage, you'll find a number of things to consider. For example, will be the anchorage protected? A good anchorage offers protection from the existing weather conditions and will also offer protection from the expected weather. Are there any local weather (wind) conditions or exposure to swells that could make the anchorage too rolly? How well will be the entrance and anchorage area charted or marked?
How excellent is the holding? Charts should indicate the type of bottom. Generally speaking, most anchors will hold well in sandy bottoms. Rock, coral and shale stop anchors from digging in. If achievable, stay away from grassy bottoms, where it's really hard to set the anchor. How crowded, noisy, dirty or smelly is it? Is the band from the beach bar going to keep you up until the wee hours of the morning or is the diesel smell of the inter-island ferry going to detract from your perfect scent of paradise? How pretty will be the anchorage whenever you sit in the cockpit enjoying the dawn or dusk? How lengthy a dinghy ride is it to shore and is there a decent place to dock the dinghy? What amenities are accessible on shore? What exactly is the depth and tidal range? Enough depth is needed so that low tide doesn't present obstacles your boat might swing into and it's also essential when determining scope. Finally, is there enough room? Regardless of where your boat is anchored, the largest possible swing range should be regarded as.
Getting Ready
As soon as you've got decided that the anchorage is the best spot to stop on your Caribbean sailing adventure, there are a number of steps to take prior to actually anchoring. Prior to doing anything else, work out a program of communication between the individual at the helm and the crew member dropping the anchor. Keep in mind that your engine will probably be running and consequently you will be unable to communicate verbally. Hand signals typically function greatest. Furl the sails and generally make the boat shipshape before entering the anchorage. Also, shorten the dinghy painter (the line that attaches at the front of the dinghy) should you are dragging the dinghy behind you. This prevents it from becoming sucked into the prop whenever you put the engine in reverse. Open the anchor locker hatch, and if your anchor has a safety line attached to the chain (usually found only in mono hulls), untie and release it. Get the anchor ready to be dropped by disengaging the anchor from the bow rollers. This is done by using the remote control windlass (found in most Caribbean sailing charters) to lower the anchor about two to three feet. Ensure all fingers and toes are away from the chain! Finally, take a tour of the anchorage at very slow speed to obtain a sense of where you would like to be.
Dropping and Setting the Anchor
After your tour of the anchorage, pick your spot. As the newest arrival in an anchorage, you must anchor to keep clear of boats already at anchor. Allow for any change in wind direction. It's always safer to leave additional space around your boat. Make certain you will have enough room to fall back on the anchor with out lying too close to any vessel anchored behind you once you have laid out a 7 to 1 scope. In regular conditions, in the event you are using all chain, a safe minimum anchor scope ratio is 5 to 1 (chain length to depth).
In heavy weather, the scope ratio is 7 to 1. Depth will be the depth of the water at high tide plus the height from the water line to the bow roller. Scope will be the actual amount of anchor line (chain) paid out when the boat is safely anchored. For instance, if high water is 20 feet deep and your bow roller is 5 feet above the water, you will need 125 feet (5 x 20 + 5 feet) of scope to anchor if utilizing all chain, or 175 feet if making use of a 7 to 1 scope. Keep in mind, putting out too small scope is one of the most typical mistakes cruisers make when anchoring.
With the bow to the wind, slowly motor up to the desired spot. Stop the boat exactly where you wish the anchor to lay and take note of the depth. Keep in mind that in the event you are chartering a catamaran, a cat delivers less resistance to the water than a mono hull and therefore takes a lot more time to slow down than a mono hull. Ensure the catamaran has entirely stopped. You can keep a cat straight into the wind by making use of both engines at idle speed. When your vessel has lost all forward movement, it really is now time to drop and set the anchor.
In spite of the term, "dropping anchor", you never wish to throw the anchor over the side or let it run free of charge instantly, simply because the chain will run out at a tremendous speed and pile on itself as opposed to laying out straight on the sea bed. A piled anchor chain prevents the anchor from setting properly and may possibly really foul the anchor. Instead, with the windlass, lower the anchor rapidly to the bottom. Let the wind slowly push your boat back- do not try to reverse. Let out adequate scope as the vessel moves aft. In the event you are in a mono hull, do not worry about being broadside to the wind. When the desired quantity of scope has been let out, snub the chain and permit the wind to straighten out the boat. Once the boat is headed with the bow into the wind, gently put the engine into reverse and throttle at 1500 rpm's for about 15-20 seconds. This should set the anchor and also the anchor chain should begin to straighten. If it vibrates or skips, let out much more scope. An anchor that's set won't shake the chain. As soon as you might be satisfied the anchor is set, turn off the engine. Put on your snorkel gear and visually check the anchor to make certain your boat is secure. If the anchor is lying on its side, caught in coral, or the chain is wrapped around a coral head, reset it.
When the anchor is firmly set, look around for reference points in relation to your boat. These can consist of other boats or fixed landmarks like a house, rock formation or tower. Over the next hour, relax within your cockpit and make certain those reference points are within the very same location. If not, you're most likely dragging the anchor.
Dealing With the Dragging Anchor
If your boat is dragging anchor during the day, it is not a main difficulty. Start your engine and put it into idle gear. Try to let out more chain. Wait several minutes to see if the anchor sets itself. If not, you will have to re-anchor. Should you boat is dragging at night, it becomes just a little much more challenging. Should you are sound asleep and you don't bump into anything, you might not even know you dragged until the next morning whenever you wake up in a different place. I have friends who are extremely skilled sailors. They actually woke up in an entirely different anchorage after a night of dragging. On the other hand, you might grow to be aware of night dragging when other individuals inside the anchorage start screaming and flashing lights at your boat. Start your engine and maintain it idling. Attempt to let out a lot more chain and wait to see if the anchor resets itself. If not, you may need to re-anchor. Use your depth sounder to attempt and discover an additional spot to anchor. Maintain all the lights on the boat off to get the very best night vision achievable. Slowly move to yet another spot with extreme caution. If your neighbor's boat is dragging in the course of the day, attempt and get their attention. Put out fenders to avoid damage to your boat. If nobody is on board the dragging boat (they are onshore drinking at the local beach bar), you can either get aboard their boat and reset the anchor, or should you aren't comfy doing that, you might need to move your own boat. In the course of the night, if you are suddenly jolted awake when an additional boat hits yours, right away begin the engine and keep it idling. Wake up the crew of the other boat (yell, flash your lights, etc), put out fenders and do the very same as during the day.
The Mooring Ball Option
All through the Caribbean, but particularly inside the British Virgin Islands, professionally maintained mooring balls are situated in numerous anchorages and are available for overnight use for a little fee. A mooring can be a buoy connected to an incredibly heavy anchor or weight. Besides protecting the coral from damage done by an anchor, picking up a mooring ball has three other benefits. Initial, you do no need to go to the bother of using your anchor. Second, the mooring's anchor probably is never going to drag. And third, because the mooring's anchor is so heavy and deeply imbedded within the sea bottom, much less scope is required and, therefore, the boat will swing around in a tighter radius than it would on its own anchor.
As in anchoring, approach the mooring area slowly along with your dinghy pulled in on a short painter. Have a crew member ready having a boat hook at the bow to direct you and to pick up the mooring pennant (a line with a loop at the end). Have one end of a line attached to a bow cleat with the free end close by. Should you have chartered a catamaran, one line is sufficient. If you have chartered a mono hull, nevertheless, attach a second line to the opposite side bow cleat. Point the bow of the boat into the wind and slowly approach the mooring ball. By shifting alternately from forward to neutral, you are able to coast towards the ball. Shift into reverse to stop the boat as the crew member lifts the pennant on board and passes the free of charge end of the line(s) through it. Quickly cleat off the free end of the line on the opposite bow cleat for a catamaran or on the same side for a mono hull.. On a mono hull, the two lines stop chafing and limit the risk of breaking free of charge from the mooring ball. On a catamaran, the line hangs low sufficient that chafing from tension is rarely an issue. Once again, don't be embarrassed if you miss picking up the pennant the first time- it has happened to all of us! Just circle around and try it once again. Once secured, adjust the lines, if essential.
To leave a mooring ball, make certain the dinghy is again on a short painter. Un-cleat the line(s) and just let go of the pennant. Take care not to run over the mooring buoy and pennant as you leave for your next Caribbean sailing destination.
Weighing Anchor
Just before raising the anchor, preparation is again required. Ensure that loose items are stowed and hatch covers are closed. (The anchor locker hatch cover should be open). Shorten up the dinghy painter again. Start the engine. Most charter boats call for the engine on to operate the windlass. Have a crew member stand on the most forward point at the bow with the windlass remote control. Utilizing hand signals, the crew member instructs the helmsman to move the boat forward extremely slowly in the direction of the chain. Make sure the helmsman stops the motion of the boat prior to overshooting the anchor. Although the chain is slack, begin cranking it up. Once you get to the snubber, put down the remote and eliminate the snubber. Then resume cranking. When the chain is taut once again, with hand signals, instruct the helmsman to move the boat forward again inside the direction of the chain. The entire thought of this is to stay away from utilizing the windlass to move the boat forward, as this causes incredible strain on the windlass and on the chain roller. At one point, you will discover the boat straight above the anchor. Finish cranking the chain until the anchor is all the way up and settled on the rollers. Signal the helmsman that the boat is totally free. Reattach the safety line to the anchor chain if it has one, stow the remote control and secure the anchor locker hatch. Then return to the cockpit to aid raise the sails.
No matter where your Caribbean sailing adventure takes you, at some point you will want to stop. Anchoring is amongst one of the most essential activities you'll do while cruising. Anchoring is as much an art as a science. The helmsman and crew need to orchestrate their efforts with the wind, present and vessel. The crucial thing to remember is not to be embarrassed. Even the most experienced sailors have difficulty anchoring at times. As the old adage says, "Practice makes best." To perfect your anchoring skills and appreciate the most relaxing vacation ever, contact Virgin Island Sailing to arrange your charter. Nothing else beats Caribbean sailing!
Author Resource:
This is article is courtesy of BoatingLinks, website featuring boats for sale
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")