MacGregorSailors.com

Jack O'Brien wrote: The alternative to Duane's stern line spool for us sandy beach boys is the "Anchor Buddy" sold by Boaters World. This is a long, strong bungie. Attach it to your anchor rode and set an anchor out from the beach. Motor or pull the boat to the beach, string a line to the beach and attach it to something. Let the Anchor Buddy pull the boat away from the breakers & wakes bouncing the boat on the bottom while you picnic. When you want to board, pull the boat back to the beach with the line and let the Anchor Buddy stretch.

I have found the Anchor Buddy works well.


http://www.anchorbuddy.com/

How does the anchor buddy work in higher winds, particularly from the side? Do you think you would trust it overnight?

When anchored with a shore tie you obviously no longer swing with the wind. We found at times when the wind shifted to the side that there was quite a bit of load on the shore tie line. I would worry that overnight in these conditions the anchor buddy would stretch as the boat swings to the side and you could end up on shore.

A nice thing about the anchor in the middle and shore tie system is you can place the boat exactly where you want it. The last time we used it a Jones Island we anchored and then fell back to withing 15' of the shore in 3' of water. We happened to be anchoring at the time of the lowest tide of the day so we could tuck in really close and not worry about the water level during the night. I did however have to tend the setup a bit as we rose the 12' up to high tide. The lines started to get to tight. I also had to shorten things up a bit as we fell in the morning. I made all the adjustments with the anchor rode off the bow.

Duane Dunn, Allegro wrote:How does the anchor buddy work in higher winds, particularly from the side? Do you think you would trust it overnight?

Jack might be able to speak from more experience. I have not tried the Anchor Buddy at night or in high wind/wave conditions. I have a spot I frequent downtown. I use the Anchor Buddy there because all the piers are either reserved or full. I just wish the anchor weren't so full of weeds when I pull it up.

Mark Prouty wrote: ... I just wish the anchor weren't so full of weeds when I pull it up.

Yep, that's part of the program too . . . just like twisted rodes for dual anchors, mud, weeds, generally unwelcomed gunk. I don't have a wash down pump yet, but weighing anchors is when it would be surely welcomed.

Duane,
Make sure when you pull in to shallow water at low tide that you check the tide tables and make sure you are at lowest low tide. In some areas both low tides are not at the same level. One can be several feet lower than the other. I'm sure you know that. Just a reminder.

Tony D-26X_SusieQ wrote:Duane,
Make sure when you pull in to shallow water at low tide that you check the tide tables and make sure you are at lowest low tide. In some areas both low tides are not at the same level. One can be several feet lower than the other. I'm sure you know that. Just a reminder.

LOL... ran into this problem our first time anchoring overnight during our cut-short trip in June. Because we had no dinghy at the time, I wanted to plant us as close as possible to the island's tiny little beach. Later that night, we were high and dry on the mud. The tide came back the next morning, and we were floating again. But it was a very uncomfortable night.

On our recent trip, I made use of the GPS's Navionics chart, which includes numerous tide "hotspots" where you can check details on the tides for just about any given area (VERY useful).

--Mike

You east coast guys have it easy with the tides. They are much more even and regular out there.

Here in Puget Sound we have 4 different heights a day, the high high, the low high, the low low, and the high low with a 10' - 14' difference between the highest and lowest. Then you couple this with the currents that can top 10 knots in places and you really get to have fun. We go nowhere without our Capt Jacks tide and current atlas. It's the most well worn book on the boat.

Speaking of tides and currents, on our trip to Canada we stopped on our way out of Jervis Inlet from Princess Louisa at Egmont. A short 2-1/2 mile hike from there is Skookumchuck rapids (in the native indian tounge 'Skookumchuck' means 'fast water'). Boy was it ever fast. We were there on the highest flood tidal current of the year. The incoming tide was running 14.2 knots through the channel into Sechelt Inlet. It looks like a wild river, but it's a salt water flood tide. The kids had fun pokeing around in the tide pools along the shore, right next to the edge of course.

Northwest Tides


What a sight. The standing waves were 8' high and the crazy people were out there in their river stunt kayaks having a blast. They would stay on a wave as long as possible then hit the next and the next. Once washed a mile into the inlet they would pull over to the shore and ride the back eddy all the way back to the entrance point without even paddling.

Mike wrote:

The tide came back the next morning, and we were floating again. But it was a very uncomfortable night.

I have intentionally run aground in the keys in an outgoing tide and got a good night's sleep without rockin n rollin. High came at 9 am and off we went.[/quote]

I know we are getting slightly off topic here, but if any one uses a Palm Pilot, here is a great tide prediction tool.

http://www.toolworks.com/bilofsky/tidetool/

Rich Plumb "Plumb Crazy"