I'm a little late getting to this.

A side-issue is that of anchoring etiquette. Although not always practised
properly, many boaters do adhere to the policy of first in getting priority.
So, if you anchor somehow, with lots of swing or little, or with a stern
anchor or not, then boats arriving after you have to give you room. But you
have to accommodate boats which were there before you.

Now - I went and had a friendly talk once with a guy who was there ahead of
me but not anchored according to that little bay's "convention" (Central
Grenadier, Thousand Islands, bow and stern anchors in close to the beach,
single anchors out in deeper water), so making it difficult for the rest of
us, and he was reasonable, so there's no harm in trying to work things out.

I disagree, BTW, with anchoring by the stern. This will probably reduce
swing, but is only good in a boat such as yours for very calm conditions.
Waves slapping against a big flat transom are not nice. A displacement hull
will handle this much better.

I also disagree with using two anchors. That will reduce swing considerably,
but can leave you (so I am told) with quite a mess when you wake up and find
yourself facing the other way.

Read Hinz's book, The Complete Book of Anchoring and Mooring. It covers all
these points and much more in considerable detail.

====

Charles T. Low
www.boatdocking.com

====

"richard" wrote in message
ups.com...
a couple of years ago I asked for suggestions to improve my anchoring
skills and this group came though. I now anchhor much more and with
much more confidence. but I have a question. When I am at anchor with
my 25 foot power boat (four winns) with not a deep Vee, I tend to swing
at anchor more than anyone else around me. This weekend for example, I
was anchored in Cuttyhunk and as some of you may know, there is not a
lot of room. I thought about a second anchor in the stern but decided
(thankfully) not as the wind did change 180 degrees in the night and I
would have been the only one not moving. Does anyone have any
suggestions how to keep a boat like mine from swinging to much? Someone
suggested a bucket on a roap behind the boat( a sea anchor, I
believe)Any other thoughts
again thanks as always.
By the way, we left Boston on Thursday after work and spent the night
in Scituate, on Friday we went though the Cape Cod Canal and Buzzards
bay, lunched in New Bedford and spent the night in Cuttyhunk. Saturday,
we went to Vineyard sound, Woods Hole, Red Brook Harbor and Pocaset,
spend the night in Onset (where I worked as a drummer in a blues
band)Sunday we went back though the Canal and stayed in Duxbury. Monday
we got up early to go home to Boston only to find that the weather was
too rough for us. We headed back to Plymouth, thinking that if we get
straned there, there is busses and trains to Boston. went to an
internet cafe and check out several weather sites and decided to
continue home late evening when the wather was better. It was a
bueatiful ride home. thank godness for electronics and back ups and
general smarts and good luck. we made it home very safely.