Safe Anchoring Practices Course

This short course focuses on the seamanship of anchoring for skippers, deck crew and boat operators, from a lunch stop in a sheltered cove to a night at anchor in an open bay. You will study the difference between temporary, overnight and emergency anchoring, mooring buoys and berthing; the components of the ground tackle; common risks such as dragging, collision and lost anchors; how depth, seabed, weather, current and swinging circle interact; how to read charts, plotter and echo sounder to choose a permitted, sheltered anchorage clear of channels, cables and protected areas; anchor types and basic sizing of chain and rode; and the full maneuver from approach to weighing anchor.

What sets this course apart: it is centered on the decisions and the maneuver rather than on the mechanics of the windlass, which is covered in a separate equipment course; it gives clear criteria for choosing, changing or abandoning an anchorage when conditions become unsafe; it pays special attention to checking holding with visual references, GPS and chain tension, and to anchor alarms and watch rotas; it includes respect for seagrass meadows and other sensitive seabeds; and it closes with an applied project in which you plan the anchoring, watch and contingency procedures for a real or realistic anchorage.