I’m new to this. What is the etiquette, rule, or law about anchoring. Can you just throw the hook in any out of the way place and camp out overnight? If I plan a trip from Boston to Provincetown, do I have to pay for an overnight slip or mooring or can I just throw the hook somewhere safe?
Anchoring
- Thread starter JV II
- Start date
estebanj
New Member
Most of the time, you can anchor where you please. Best thing to do however is to get a cruising guide for your area which will point out the common and safe anchorages. Some towns impose restrictions on how close to shore and how long (days) you can stay at anchor. It varies from area to area.
There are etiquette rules such as following suit on what other boats have done when you get to anchorage. For example, if everyone is on two anchors (bow and stern), do the same so you don't swing. Also, if there is plenty of room, don't anchor too close to another boat.
Depending on the lenght of your trip, and your personal preference, you may want to combine some nights at anchor and others at a marina so you can resupply and walk.
One of my favorite things to do is to spend the weekend (1-2 nights) at anchor at some destination.
One other tip... if you anchor out and run a generator or any other CO emiting device (stove, heater), make sure your CO detector is working and have more than one.
Esteban
There are etiquette rules such as following suit on what other boats have done when you get to anchorage. For example, if everyone is on two anchors (bow and stern), do the same so you don't swing. Also, if there is plenty of room, don't anchor too close to another boat.
Depending on the lenght of your trip, and your personal preference, you may want to combine some nights at anchor and others at a marina so you can resupply and walk.
One of my favorite things to do is to spend the weekend (1-2 nights) at anchor at some destination.
One other tip... if you anchor out and run a generator or any other CO emiting device (stove, heater), make sure your CO detector is working and have more than one.
Esteban
For navigable coastal waters, the state basically owns the water up to the mean high-water mark on the shoreline. Technically, I think they actually "hold in trust for public use the land covered by water" but I don't recall the exact wording. Think of the water as one big happy state park or state-owned highway. If anyone, including towns or private residences, place docks or mooring balls on the water, the state has to grant that permission. I also think that any usage restrictions placed on the water have to be granted by the state and NOAA/Army Corps of Engineers gets involved and documents those restrictions or structures on the charts (my dock is actually on a chart now). I'm not aware of any town or resident that can willy-nilly place restrictions on the actual water without the state agreeing to it. Local governments, however, usually have jurisdiction and law enforcement roles over these waters (BUI, ugly naked boaters, etc.).
I went through this process in building my dock which is how I found out how this all works in Virginia. You basically have to get the local government, state government, and federal government involved and get permits by ALL of them to put a dock over the water. They make it very clear that they are letting me put my dock over their water.
At the end of the day... anchor where you want. If some resident on land comes out and tells you to move, tell him to kiss your seacock. Follow the etiquette as Esteban pointed out.
Oh.. the demarcation line for state waters is 3 miles offshore where the Federal Government then owns it.
I went through this process in building my dock which is how I found out how this all works in Virginia. You basically have to get the local government, state government, and federal government involved and get permits by ALL of them to put a dock over the water. They make it very clear that they are letting me put my dock over their water.
At the end of the day... anchor where you want. If some resident on land comes out and tells you to move, tell him to kiss your seacock. Follow the etiquette as Esteban pointed out.
Oh.. the demarcation line for state waters is 3 miles offshore where the Federal Government then owns it.
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I imagine that throwing the anchor in a mooring field, such as Nantucket Harbor, Boston Harbor, and Plymouth Harbor is a no-no, since they probably have those moorings mapped out to allow boats to swing inches from each other. I bet Nantucket Moorings would have a hissy fit and involve the Harbor Master if you tried to anchor on the perimeter of the mooring field. Offshore had an article about Nantucket and a map of Matekeet Harbor showed a red anchor. There seem to be designated anchoring in areas. Please confirm. Thanks to estebanj and Four Suns for all the helpful info.
As I said, designated mooring fields and no-anchor zones are allowed but they generally have to be granted by the state and will show up on government chart publications then. Dropping an anchor in a mooring field would be a no-no for sure. If a chart shows where you should not anchor, follow it. If a chart doesn't show anything... it's allowed.
Sea Gull
Well-Known Member
Julie,
In Nantucket and Provincetown (and most harbors) there are mooring fields where you cannot anchor if for no other reason thatn the moorings are already there.
But, there are places that you can anchor. In P-Town you can anchor outside the breakwater or near the beach. Watch out in P-Town, as the wind can wreak havoc on the anchorage for those who do not use proper anchoring technique. In Nantucket there is lots of room to anchor, but you will be quite far from town.
The beauty of having a shallow draft power boat is that you can anchor where most boats can't.
In Nantucket and Provincetown (and most harbors) there are mooring fields where you cannot anchor if for no other reason thatn the moorings are already there.
But, there are places that you can anchor. In P-Town you can anchor outside the breakwater or near the beach. Watch out in P-Town, as the wind can wreak havoc on the anchorage for those who do not use proper anchoring technique. In Nantucket there is lots of room to anchor, but you will be quite far from town.
The beauty of having a shallow draft power boat is that you can anchor where most boats can't.
Henry Boyd
Well-Known Member
- Apr 24, 2007
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Julia,
Most of it is common sense. A cruising guide is a great tool as it will often include a page with a listing of phone numbers and services (fuel, water, pump out etc) for each of the locations included.
The other thing to consider is that some locations maintain transient moorings for folks passing through that rent by the evening very reasonably.
Henry
Most of it is common sense. A cruising guide is a great tool as it will often include a page with a listing of phone numbers and services (fuel, water, pump out etc) for each of the locations included.
The other thing to consider is that some locations maintain transient moorings for folks passing through that rent by the evening very reasonably.
Henry
