Capt. JG wrote:
If you're in a designated anchorage, you're not *required* to have a light.
Are you disagreeing with this?

No.

If you're confident in your holding ability,

Thats not the point, holding is just a small part of the package, Tide,
wind, and traffic and on my boat machinery running. If you have more
than one person why not set a watch?

do you need to keep a watch? Yes



What about in a designated anchorage?

Same thing and more, what if a ship anchoring hits you, swings into
you, ect

What about in any other place? Sounds
like you're not in a designated anchorage offshore and you're not confident
of your holding.

Unless you are going to be able to rule the anchorage here you dont
want to even think of designated anchorages. They are full of ships
that would crunch you in a heart beat.

Anywhere in the gulf of mexico, no matter how confident I'm of the
anchor holding, or even tied to a rig, someone is going to be awake in
the wheelhouse on watch. We have fast storms, fast boats and ships,
currents, tides, shrimpers, siesmic, water spouts, and a hundred other
things you need to be on your toes to deal with. You wanna sleep
offshore go ahead...good riddence.

Around 0300 early one morn I missed a guy sleeping in a sailboat by
about 16 inches on a moonless night in the Gulf. I had 300+ tons moving
13 kts and because I have superior night vision and have been trained
how to stand watch on a pitch black night I picked him out just in time
to miss him. This asshole had a coleman type pump up gas lantern for an
anchor light and it had run out of pressure to burn. I'm not
****ting... I was dead on him at 200 ft and had to counter swing the
stern to keep it from hitting him. I came about fired up the
searchlights got on the PA and called him everything nasty I could
think of as he pumped up his cheap**** lantern. His boat was about 30
ft and I wipped a wicked 8ft 13 kt wake on his ass. I bet that dickhead
never slept offshore again without a watch.

You do as you please. Ignorance leads to a blissful happy deep sleep.

Joe




If true, then I agree, you need a watch at all times.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Joe" wrote in message
oups.com...

Capt. JG wrote:
You don't need an anchor light in a designated anchorage, although it's a
good idea.

You don't need someone on watch if you're confident of your anchoring and
conditions are mellow.

I have to dis-agree with you Jon. When I say at sea I mean in the Gulf
of Mexico here. It's easy to have shallow enough water to anchor as far
out is 15-25 miles in places. Under 100 ft for me, I only carry 325 ft
of chain. I'm less worried about dragging anchor than getting run down
by a commerical vessel. If you do drag, or lose your anchor all
together with a 6 kt current could carry 48 miles in 8hrs with a fair
chance of hitting a platform. We normally tie to a platform offshore,
or use field bouys. Platform it's a must. any shift in weather can put
you into the legs ect. Myself I can not sleep easy with no one on
watch, even on my own boat. Now if you were inland in a cozy cove it's
a totally different story.

Otherwise, you need to have an anchor watch,
typically every 1/2 hour or hour or perhaps all the time, depending on
the
conditions.

all the time, awake IMO offshore. Unless you are solo, and thats a
choice you make and deal with...you just have to accept the added
danger. Solo I'd say you never sleep you nap.

Joe


--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Joe" wrote in message
ups.com...

Scotty wrote:
"Joe" wrote in message
oups.com..
.

JimC wrote:
What's a good but inexpensive portable GPS that includes
an anchor alarm?

Jim

Any magellian GPS will work and show movement.

If you are on anchor or stopped at sea you need someone on
watch. No if
and or butts about it.

Weather you are on anchor or tied to a rig someone needs
to be awake
and on watch.


When you're single handing?

No, when you are single handling you better be sure you are anchored,
or tied to a bouy and have a very bright anchor light. Single handling
involves a radar watCh and you sleep with the range alaRm set. Or you
set an alarm that will wake you on a time that will allow you to
prevent collision. In other words set an alarm that will arouse you at
brfore your best speed + the fasetet ship on the sea.. My guess the
other part of the figuring should be a ship at 30 kts. If you are
single handling and sleeping a radar alarm or CPA is needed.

jOE