Ernest Scribbler wrote:
"Capt. JG" wrote
Well, this is a newbie asking, so I don't like to get so complicated.

Thanks, this newbie appreciates forebearance. What I find is that I might
learn a few things that I can personally use from a typical sailing book,
but the bulk of it tends to be stuff that I can't find much use for
considering I do all my cruising on an inland river. For example, knowing
how to maintain optimum catenary on my anchor rode is not nearly as useful
to me, in my circumstances, as knowing how to hug the bank as a coal barge
goes by.


I'm glad you understand that much of the advice will be overkill. People
here like to discuss how their boat is setup for world cruising. Being
prepared for one hurricane is not enough; you half to be prepared to
handle 3 in one week!

For instance, invoking the very concept the "catenary" is pedantic and
not relevant to practical anchoring. The problem is that once a chain
has completely assumed the catenary shape, it is virtually fully
extended and about to be broken out. The purpose of an all chain rode
or a kellet is to minimize the catenary and keep as much of the rode as
possible sitting on the bottom.

Likewise, the advise to have a duplicate of the primary anchor on hand
may be appropriate for the world cruiser who must be prepared for
anything, but is perhaps overkill for the "weekend warrior." Better
advice might be to size the primary anchor one size up from the store
recommendations, and have a second anchor that at least matches the
recommendations. (Most boaters only have what cruisers would consider a
"lunch hook.")

Some people will advise only using all-chain, but if you don't have a
windlass this could be a problem. And, on some bottoms chain can
actually prevent anchors anchors from setting. The only thing you, as a
beginner, can do, is find someone knowledgeable about anchoring your
type of boat in your area, and pick their brain. Even then, you should
take all advice with a grain of salt!

As for books, there have been a number of good recommendations.
Personally, I often advise Chapman's Piloting & Seamanship for
beginners. It covers many aspects of boating, and although the advice
is not very sophisticated, it is a sound foundation for the novice.