Anchoring too close
- Thread starter med2463
- Start date
Thank you. It was very close esp since his anchor was undersized & his boat was draggiing.
The admiralty law case reference that requires a boater to alert his/her new neighbor if the latter’s anchorage will either interfere with the swinging room of the first to arrive or the first boat’s ability to safely maneuver out of the anchorage.
The U.S. Admiralty Court, in the Juniata decision (no. 124-5861), found that “A Vessel shall be found at fault if it…anchors so close to another vessel as to foul her when swinging, or if it fails to shift anchorage when dragging dangerously close to another anchored vessel. Furthermore, the vessel that anchored first shall warn the one who anchored last that the berth chosen will foul the former’s berth”. This case appears to create an affirmative duty on the part of the first boat in an anchorage to inform a newcomer if swinging room or a safe exit route is impaired.
From "Capable Cruiser 3rd Edition [Kindle Edition]" by Lin and Larry Pardey.
Thanks for this; I've tried to make productive use of the information a couple of times recently but with mixed results. Apparently, some skippers have concluded that they have a "right" to crowd into an anchorage even when they cannot fit into a spot where the above Admiralty decision could be respected, even when so informed. Best example--holiday weekends where there are many boats wishing to anchor in a space-restricted anchorage. I encounter this culture attitude fairly often, which is evidently based on the "share and share alike" philosophy, if you wish to call it a philosophy. Actually, it is but an admonishment toward children together in a play box along with their toys. I'm astonished that skippers (men) in their 60's can rationally believe that a boat lying at anchor on a single hook since mid-week can be expected to re-anchor or to moor itself (bow-stern anchor) to "make room" for a small fleet of yachts cruising together for that weekend, or else risk collision from a lack of adequate swinging room imposed on him by the newcomer(s). If the guy does not comply he can be hit with spiteful comments
over his non-compliance with the above-mentioned play-box "principle" governing pre-adolescent behavior .
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That doesnt appear to be too close. The only thing I dont really care for is the anchor bouy. Full time cruising, I anchor among a lot of other boats frequently and swinging over each others anchor is very common. With a bouy, you are hogging valuable real estate or you are risking a swinging boat fowling their prop or rudder on your bouy which can trip your anchor and cause you to drag. I almost never see anchor bouys from full time cruising boats.