wrote in message
oups.com...
First time in a really long time... in fact, the first time ever
outside our home waters... we stayed at anchor in a lovely cove all
day yesterday instead of moving on. The charts & cruising guides did
not show any place that looked good to stop until getting into the
next town.

How does everyone pick an anchorage? Charts can show good shelter but
generally give only vague hints about holding ground, shoreline
property/development, etc etc. Most cruising guides give the *BEST*
anchorage for a long way and don't mention any alternates (indeed,
some "cruising guides" don't mention anchorages at all).

Today while running upriver we saw two nice creeks that probably would
have been fine for an overnight stay, and closer by a few hours to
today's destination.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Yes, we like to find secluded anchorages and these do not always agree with
those quoted in crising guides as _best-. People have different criteria and
ours do not include close proximity to shore facilities for example. Shelter
is indeed the primary concern and it is always important to assess whether
the weather is going to make your sheltered anchorage into a lee shoreduring
the night. You can assess shore conditions when you get there and move on if
you do not like what you see. The holding ground is often a bit vague on
charts but the only thing to do is drop anchor and go astern and see if it
bites. If it does then well and good.
Last year we found a nice secluded bay of reeds about 2 miles from a crowded
marina and had the night there all by ourselves. In the morning a boy in a
boat on the way to holiday homes on a nearby island came along and asked us
if we wanted today's newspaper!