Anchoring with Assurance: Don't Get Carried Away

Know how to anchor in a variety of situations: weather or seabed, and be prepared to adjust for changing conditions.

Learn the skills and knowledge of securing your vessel to the bottom through the use of a line, chain, and one or more anchors. Whether it's for fishing, swimming, a lunch break, or an overnight stop, one of the real pleasures in boating is "hanging on the hook" in some quiet spot. Emergencies such as loss of power, equipment breakdown or failure, or weather hazard may also require that your boat be anchored for a time.

Good seamanship demands that all boaters know how to anchor safely. Anchoring topics begin with how to select an anchorage and how to anchor depending on conditions. After learning how anchors should be used, you will know if yours is satisfactory or what kind(s) to buy. The seminar covers useful anchoring tips and tricks and concludes by discussing how to moor and raft safely.

Ask your local club or squadron about on-the-water coaching to help you practice your skills with assurance, so you don't get carried away.

Anchoring with Assurance is offered as a seminar and as part of the Boat Handling course. Save by taking the whole course.