We anchored out 18 nights on our recent cruise on the West Coast of Vancouver Island in winds ranging from zilch to 25 knots. We anchored in some beautiful spots like Rae Basin in the pic and were either by ourselves or with only one other boat eleven nights. One challenge I've always had with anchoring is figuring out how far I am from other boats or from shore to determine if I have adequate swing room. From Wanderlust's deck, things almost always look closer than they really are. Frequently I'll row around in the dinghy after anchoring and then laugh at myself for being concerned about how near some obstruction apppeared that was really well clear. On this trip I tried using the VRM feature on my radar to verify distance after anchoring. Turn the radar on and reduce the range to .125 miles or your minimum range. Pull up the VRM feature and dial down the dotted circle to your nearest obstruction, boat, shore, whatever. The display on the radar tells to down to .001 nautical miles (about 6 feet) how far away something is. Knowing how much rode you let out and your depth, it's easy to determine if you have a swing room problem. Probably makes more sense to do before you drop the hook, but there always seems to be too much going on then. In any event it worked and was kind of fun. Gary Wyngarden S/V Wanderlust h37.5
