Inland Lake Overnighting Questions

[arlouper]

We are not new sailers but are relatively new boat owners and keep our boat at a marina on Lake Travis. We have never done any overnighting and want some general advice about anchoring and overnighting on the lake. My question is not so much about the technique or safety on the hook but more the etiquette, laws, appropriateness of dropping anchor for the night out on the lake. Are we only allowed to anchor on islands or at parks, or under no circumstances at parks? Is there a min. distance from shore near private property, do the home owners consider the shore their property, etc. If the answer to any or all of these are to be found in a book, website, etc., that'd be helpful too.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Kermit]

Great questions. I plan to follow this thread closely. At our lake the high water line is the end of the owner's land. But it's always a good idea to be polite and not force the property line issue. Sorta like it's ok to fish under docks but not while people are on it.

 

[Jackdaw]

Like a lot of things on life, a bit of common sense goes a long way here.

There are some possible limitations:
Local / federal laws limiting anchoring
Waterway rules that mark specifc anchor/no-anchor areas

Ask around for local knowledge.

Beyond that, pretty much any water deep enough for you to anchor is legally OK. But do you want to? Kind of like looking for a spot to park an RV. You can dump it right in front of someone's house, but maybe not the best choice. And if you end up needing to be close, a little bit of respect will go a long way.

Of course all safety and security guidelines apply as well.

 

[The Garbone]

I would worry more about the swing radius. As long as your not in a channel and have the proper lighting.

I personally like to anchor a bit farther away from anyone, be they boat of house. Privacy is nice.

 

[pk104]

I've been anchoring out on a inland lake for 35 years. I leave the anchor light on but because the fisherman are out at night and mornings and think the anchor light is just another star, I always have a light down low either on the bow or rear of the cockpit. These days I use a yellow blinking light attached just above the Bimini. I wake up a lot of morning when it is foggy on the lake so the low light helps for that also. Gary

 

[swampcreek]

We acchor in the Chesapeake so as long as we're not in a channel or on government restricted waters all is fine. About lighting, along with the anchor light we place a few of those solar deck lights that you can get at harbor freight for around $35 a 4 pack. We put them on blink mode, it really gives us piece of mind.

 

[arlouper]

Thanks for the responses, all.

Here's the summary I'm getting:
1) Stay out of channels and restricted waters
2) Consider putting out additional lights

 

[Meriachee]

It really does depend on the individual circumstances. On the big pond out west, protection from prevailing weather, depth regarding tides, ferry wake, and privacy need to be juggled. Here at home on an inland lake without channels, pretty much anything goes, but there are places much more quiet than others.
Common sense usually rules.