Maggie's Farm

I have a lot of years of boating experience and I too had trouble feeling comfortable with an overnight anchor on my Catalina 22 back in the 1980's. I had done a lot of reading about the how to do stuff with anchors. I had a good size Danforth anchor attached to a heavy 10 feet of plastic coated chain and seventy feet of thick nylon anchor line for my primary anchor.

One of the important parts of a secure set up is the scope which needs to be about 7 to 1, seven feet of line out for ten feet of depth to assure a good angle on the anchor to dig in. With shifting winds I would also set a smaller stern anchor, a much shorter scope so that it would break loose if necessary but it also made for an easier ride at anchor during the night.

The location, out of traffic patterns, is essential and good lights, with a sail boat both high on the mast and lower towards the deck and the water so a fast boat won't think you are much further away, stuff at night on the water never looks like it does in daylight.

I was mostly a fresh water lake sailor and on Texas and Oklahoma lakes there are eager guys in fast outboard bass boats who like to travel to their favorite spots before daylight and they would, at times, scare the crap out of me seeing a boat coming my direction skimming across the water, wide open, while I was shining a searchlight towards them causing them to veer away which they would do.

After a year or two I decided to, if necessary, pay a small fee to tie up at a marina and forget about being out on my own. Boating can be a whole lot of fun and it can also become a dangerous situation when others don't have much sense. My advice is take care, learn a lot and talk to local people about overnight anchoring.

Almost 80 years old, now I just have two small fishing boats, and not much night use except on a local lake with no power boats. I still enjoy spending time on the water and I also like sleeping in my own bed at home.

By the way I almost lost a good child hood friend who taught me how to sail in the early 60's, then in the mid 1980's he came to visit us. We, just the two of us, wives and kids were back at my house, were night sailing on Lake Hefner, Oklahoma City, in very high winds with no life jackets on and he fell overboard, caught ahold of my right winch and after a struggle I was able to pull him back in the boat. Pure stupid on so many levels because we had been drinking for hours and 'but for the grace of the Lord' I would have lost him.

My friend past on a few years ago and after that experience I had decided to use a life jacket when there is any kind of wind or weather. i now save the drinking for after boating and not during boating, nuff said.