[620780]

my friend and i with our 2 boats (23' and 19') are planning to dock overnight at cedar beach (cove) located off the state channel south shore L.I.

since this will be our first try at overnighting we would appreciate any hints/suggestions you may have in general and especially on anchoring. since we will be there thru low/high tides.

thanks, john

 

[621938]

reply

johng

i dont know too much

both boats off one hook?

let me ask you if you know the anchorage over there? what the bottom? mud rocks?how deep, how long your rope? what anchor you dropping? how much chain you got on the anchor?

then there are the vairables like wind and tide and sea conditions

general idea is provided you have the recomended anchor design for bottom, and weight to hold i

s to slow down and stop up wind the distance of your intended drop back of your disered spot, drop the anchor till it hits bottom and reverse, care not to foul the rope in your prop

reverse or let wind carry you back to the recomnded "set" depending on depth and conditions,

wrap the line around the cleat then i then put boat in reverse and pull back on the anchor with motor,

to really dig the anchor in bottom(probally would not do in a rockey bottom due to possibly gettng the ancoor stuck) to the sand or mud. now tie off the rope securely and post a lookout for a little bit to make sure your not drifting on your anchor

then i would feel good and let the other boat tie up to mine, again lookout for if its dragging

then i would wake up when the tide changed to check she is still holding or if wind picks up or sometrhing changes

if you know what kind of anchor you boats have and them other questions, i am sure others can be more helpful

goodluck
dino

 

[seaslug44]

Cedar Beach Cove is one of the safest places in the area to anchor overnight for several reasons. However, you might be able to get a boat slip there since it should now be off-season and the Town of Babylon usually doesn't employ a dockmaster past Labor Day weekend.

If you can't secure a slip, I would anchor North of the marina off to the West a little. Stay closer to the marina than the State Channel. The currents in the cove are minimal, and the bottom tends to be mostly solid sand with eel grass beds.

As long as you plan your trip on a night with calm winds, you should have no problem holding anchor in the cove overnight throughout each tide as long as you have enough scope in the line to handle the high tide which in the cove is rarely more than 1.5 feet higher than the lowtide.

 

[614931]

I'm not an expert but here is my two cents!

I would anchor up at high tide by dropping the front anchor and powering backwards in the direction of the drift... After the anchor holds I would give myself quite a bit of slack and use anchor number two to drop off the backend steering clear of the motor and pulling up until anchor two held. Once both anchors are holding I would center the boat at equal slack distance from both anchors if possible.

The reason behind the high tide is this gives you enough slack to go through a 24 hour period. Of course at low tide you might swing a bit, and always tie up away from traffic to avoid some nut from pulling up your anchor but I have done this with success before.

Something I haven't done but might be a good idea is to check what the avg. depth at cedar beach is during high tide and low tide and hang a bell just a bit above the low tide mark on one of the anchor lines (yes a bell). This way when low tide reaches sure enough the bell will wake you to check the anchors if you fall asleep.

 

[Capt. Marc]

Hi,

most lorans and GPs units have a anchor watch/alarm which will sound off if you start drifting. I would set it as a precaution and leave the unit on.

Capt. Marc

 

[MakoMike]

John,
I don't know the area that you're asking about, but if there is any chance of a good blow DO NOT set out a stern anchor. If the wind shifts the boat won't be able to move with it and you could wind up beam to the seas. By the time you wake up and do something it might be too late and would definately be a harrowing experience.

 

[Capt. Bill]

NEVER set a stern anchor when overnighting, unless you want to stay up all night and tend to it.

 

[Blue Ayes]

John,

It is always good to ask advice, but be wary of some of the advice you receieve. When it comes to anchoring take a class with the USPS or read Chapmans. NEVER EVER anchor up overnight with an "inline" bow anchor to stern anchor unless the boat swing itself is dangerous. ie. you could swing on to rocks, another anchored boat or a chanel or boating lane. If the wind or other boats kick up the seas you will take on water at the point of the lowest freeboard of your boat. Yes, two anchors are better than one but what you want to do is what is known as the BAHAMIAN MOORING. Set your bow anchor regularly, run backwards while playing out bow line then set the stern anchor. Bring in the bow line while giving yourself scope on the stern. MOST IMPORTANTLY you then cleat off the bow (front but swinging Port) anchor and the stern anchor (no longer rear but swinging Starboard) from your two bow cleats as far forward as possible. If you only have one cleat at the tip of the bow dead center cleat off both to that cleat. When done your anchors will be approx 180 deg. apart. Your boat will now only swing the length of the boat, with no fear of wind or wakes. ( a boat on one anchor will swing the full length of the scope)

 

[loonzter]

Sounds like blueayes has got the solution you might even get some sound sleep that way! BAHAMIAN MOORING, I just learned something thanks!

 

[spygull]

One of the problems with danforth style anchors, while they are tops in holding power is that they may foul if the boat drifts back over them due to a change in wind or tide. if the anchor is pulled over, mud, grass, clams or stones can get wedged between the shaft and the flukes, preventing them from digging in. Grapnell and yachtsmans style have the problem of the flukes sticking upright permiting the line to foul them under certain conditions.
never anchor with a stern anchor as stated in earlier posts With that sized boat I set two anchors about 50 ft apart faceing each other, let out the appropriate scope for the depth and connect them with a short chain or heavy shackle to a 6 ft painter which I then attach to the bow cleat. the weight at the junction of the two lines keeps the line low enough in the water to prevent them from fouling my running gear as the boat swings freely around.
My favorite anchor for use on the south shore is called the sea spike. It is danforth style but the flukes are shorter and are spaced away from the shaft. it is also more heavily built. They dig in a lot faster in grass or hard bottom and are less prone to fouling if flipped over. They are manufactured in Port Jefferson.

 

[seaslug44]

Johng,

Hemlock Cove (also called Cedar Beach Cove) is one of the most popular overnighter locations in that area due to the fact that it is indeed very safe. Hundreds of boats anchor overnight in the cove with single danford anchors without incident throughout every boating season.

There are no rocks or other dangers to worry about. Your biggest threat during your overnighter might very well be the mosquitoes and other bugs if it happens to be a warm and humid evening. Some of the advice here about double anchors is good stuff and some is not so good. The bottom line is that anyone familiar with the area will tell you that a double anchor is overkill for a 19 or a 23 foot boat in the cove. However, I just checked with a friend who has been in the area fishing and he claims there have been vacant boat slips everynight since the season came to an unofficial close on Labor Day. So your concerns should now turn towards how to dock your boat using spring lines to prevent damage to your boat should the winds start to blow.

Perhaps others can share some advice on the safest way to tie up to a dock overnight and throughout the changes in the tides...