Anchoring out - what not to do

[scross]

I’ve told this story several times before on this forum. Based on the number of recent groundings in the San Juan’s this past couple of weeks I think it needs repeating.
Background - Our Journey a 2009 R-25 Classic was on a mooring buoy in Echo Bay , Sucia Island. Time is 11 PM. It’s dark. And quiet. NW wind at 10-15 knots.
Subject boat - Owned by a Canadian this 24 ft super custom sport fisher is almost brand new and would be appraised well over $250k USD.
The drama - As I turn all the lights out in the cabin and get ready for bed I see out the corner of my eye a boat drifting right towards Our Journey. Collision is imminent. I grab the handheld air horn and let out a number of blasts trying to wake the boat owner up. No one is aboard the drifting boat.
We have a collision. I had run up the gunwale and tried to grab the other boats bow rail to cushion the blow. It helped reduce the impact but still a bad situation.
A crew from a boat close to us sends a dinghy with three guys to help. At first we try tying the driftingboat to the stern but that doesn’t work. We end up rafting the other boat to our starboard side but it’s a very loud night as the other boat continues to bump into Our Journey.
First cell call was to San Juan County Sheriff to try to get a call into the boats owner. This is at about midnight. They refer us to the US Coast Guard. Coast Guard asks if either boat is sinking or if lives are in danger. On hearing “no” their advise is that we don’t have any responsibility for saving the boat and to cut the drifting boat loose letting it drift towards the rocks.
We don’t do that and the boats owner comes out the next morning asking us why we tied his boat to ours…
Here’s five things that new owner did wrong.
1. Not enough scope. He was in 10 feet of water (based on where he said he anchored) and the total rode out as I measured it was under 25 feet. He anchored at low tide and the boat started drifting at high tide. Boat was probably in 20 ft of water at high tide. Calculate your scope using water depth at high tide not just by looking at your depth when deploying the anchor.
2. Pathetic six pound Fortress type anchor for a 3,000+ pound boat. Six foot of 1/4” chain. A 20 pound Rocna with 50 foot of chain would have been more appropriate.
3. He admitted he didn’t set the anchor. Just dropped it in a loose gravel bottom got on his dinghy and headed ashore.
4. Didn’t use open mooring buoys to secure his boat. Didn’t want to pay the $14 fee.
5. Heard our air horns blasts and saw the all the flashlights on the water from his campsite but didn’t bother to investigate. It was too late at night.
Don’t be this guy!
Calculate the depth you are anchoring at high tide and deploy the most rode to get the greatest scope you can get without swinging into other boats. He could have let out at least 100 ft of rode that I measured he had available.
Have a good anchor and a decent amount of chain.
Set the anchor properly.
Use a mooring buoy instead of anchoring if you unsure of anchoring technique.
Conversely to this situation, if you anchor at high tide make sure you are in deep enough water to not end up sitting on the mud/rocks at low tide!
Be safe out there!

 

[SJI Sailor]

Yikes, thank you for sharing. Definitely reinforces my sense to put out fenders when anchoring!

I will take a wild guess and imagine there is one other thing they didn't do: post a cell phone number prominently on the helm for emergency contact.

Also note that they were in violation of various Nav Rules such as maintaining watch at anchor.

Is your boat OK? I hope so because you did everything (and more!) right.

 

[scross]

Yikes, thank you for sharing. Definitely reinforces my sense to put out fenders when anchoring!

I will take a wild guess and imagine there is one other thing they didn't do: post a cell phone number prominently on the helm for emergency contact.

Also note that they were in violation of various Nav Rules such as maintaining watch at anchor.

Is your boat OK? I hope so because you did everything (and more!) right.

Thanks! Technically a drifting and unmanned boat is subject to rules concerning marine salvage. I could have been a pain in the rear about the situation.
Had I not turned the cabin lights off just when I did I would not have seen the other boat. My anchor light illuminated it. Very ghostly. He didn’t have his anchor light on.
Both boats sustained minor gel coat, railing and rub rail scratches. His faired worse than mine.
Should never have happened….
Anchored tonight in Prevost Harbor, Stuart Island. At high tide we are in 31 ft of water. Rocna 22 pound anchor with 50 feet of chain and 100 feet of rope. Scope of only 4.2 due to shore proximity and other boats but we are well set in heavy mud.