Usage of Transient Slips or Personal Power Generator?

[Charrob]

For taking a trip of, say, one week to two weeks:

It appears there's 2 options for what one does at night:

• dock in a transient slip at a marina and hookup to the pier's AC for a fee.
• purchase a power generator and anchor out in the Bay.

What are the preferences? Pro's and con's of each? What are the laws of anchoring overnight in the Bay? Is one allowed to just anchor anywhere for the night?

thanks!
-Charrob

[sailingdog]

Why do you need to have 110 VAC every night? IMHO, a boat that needs to be plugged in every night is a royal PITA and not much of a cruising boat.

Portable generators present an electrical shock and carbon monoxide poisoning risk. They're also very noisy and it isn't really considerate to run one in a quiet anchorage all night long. Most boaters will not be happy if you anchor near them and then run your generator all night long.

As for anchoring laws... you can't anchor in a channel or fairway. You can't anchor anywhere the chart indicates no anchoring is allowed. You can anchor in designated anchorages, as well as undesignated waters that are not going to interfere with the passage of other marine traffic.

You would be wise to have an anchor light—preferably one low enough to light up the deck of your boat to make it stand out to idiots that would otherwise run you over. You would also be wise to hoist a ball dayshape, to make it clear that you are anchored. The dayshape and anchor light are NOT required if anchored in a designated anchorage, but are recommended IMHO.

[PalmettoSailor]

You should size your battery bank to be able to support your electrical needs for a couple of days at least. By far the biggest amp draw is usually refrigeration. Lights, navigation and communication are usually much smaller drains on the battery but they all add up. You should have battery capacity to run all of that you need for a couple of days before reaching 50% drain at which point you need to recharge.

Options for small to mid sized sailboat to extend that time include docking a plugging in, a small genset, wind generators and/or solar panels. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages. For long distance, long term, live aboard cruising a combination of solar and wind is likely your best choice though many folks choose one or the other.

For coastal cruising, even extended trips, a small genset like a Honda Eu2000i, can be a reasonable choice. Its likely cheaper than installing wind or solar, it works when you need it, regardless of wind or sun conditions, its relatively quiet and can be used off the boat. To eliminate vibration/noise through the hull, many folks suspend the genset a foot off the deck attached to the forestay and hoisted on a halyard.

I have anchored nearby a boat using a honda rigged this way and had to strain to hear the genset, though I was upwind of them. They were sailors so they only ran the genset until about dusk and then again well after daylight.

As SD pointed out the downsides of relying on a genset are the requirement to carry flammable fuel, carbon monoxide and a potential shock risk if you don't observe safety procedures.

[sailingdog]

IMHO, the fuel issue isn't that big a deal. Most cruising boats are carrying gasoline because they need it for their dinghy outboard, or in my case, the boat's auxiliary engine.

The electrical shock hazard is a bigger problem, especially, since most will have to operate the generator on-deck someplace, where it can get wet/splashed/rained on, etc. Also, many generators do not have a GFCI type protection circuit on them.

The carbon monoxide issue is also a pretty big one, since CO is invisible, odorless and lethal. Many sailboats will have the "station wagon effect" because of the bimini and dodger, usually not as bad as most power boats, but still a risk. So, even if the generator is placed downwind of the cabin or cockpit, CO poisoning is still a risk.

If the generator is a permanently installed unit there is still some risk of CO poisoning. This is especially true if the exhaust is ported out the transom and the boat has a swim platform. Swimmers near the swim platform can easily be poisoned without realizing it.

[cardiacpaul]

Ok folks,

he's looking at a catalina 27.
Forget the generator, there isn't room to put a generator without some serious "engineering".

Charrob, You'll be fine ducking into a marina for the night & plugging in.

If you'd like to "stay out" fit a couple of 4D batteries as a "house" bank,along with a starter battery for the engine, and you'll be fine as long as you don't try to run a microwave,A/C unit, hair dryer and such. Make sure you get a decent alternator to charge your batteries.
(that means ditching an outboard powered boat choice)

[Charrob]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

As for anchoring laws... you can't anchor in a channel or fairway. You can't anchor anywhere the chart indicates no anchoring is allowed. You can anchor in designated anchorages, as well as undesignated waters that are not going to interfere with the passage of other marine traffic.

Question: Where do I find the charts where anchoring is allowed, say on Rock Creek in Pasadena MD?

[sailingdog]

Originally Posted by Charrob

Question: Where do I find the charts where anchoring is allowed, say on Rock Creek in Pasadena MD?

IF YOU ARE NOT IMPEDING MARINE TRAFFIC and NOT IN THE CHANNEL OR FAIRWAY, anchoring is allowed. There may be some DESIGNATED ANCHORAGES, but you DO NOT NEED TO BE IN ONE to anchor.

From my previous post:

As for anchoring laws... you can't anchor in a channel or fairway. You can't anchor anywhere the chart indicates no anchoring is allowed. You can anchor in designated anchorages, as well as undesignated waters that are not going to interfere with the passage of other marine traffic.

You would be wise to have an anchor light—preferably one low enough to light up the deck of your boat to make it stand out to idiots that would otherwise run you over. You would also be wise to hoist a ball dayshape, to make it clear that you are anchored. The dayshape and anchor light are NOT required if anchored in a designated anchorage, but are recommended IMHO.

BTW, don't try anchoring where the chart says DRY LAND exists, or in waters TOO SHALLOW FOR YOUR BOAT at low tide.

Anchoring Checklist:

• Are you in a channel or fairway? Yes—then you CANNOT ANCHOR THERE.
  
• Does the chart say no anchoring allowed, say because there are submersed power cables or such? THEN YOU CAN NOT ANCHOR THERE.
  
• Does the chart indicated depths less than your draft? THEN YOU PROBABLY DON'T WANT TO ANCHOR THERE.
  
• Does the chart show dry land there? Then you might have trouble anchoring there with NEGATIVE SCOPE to the rode...

Other than that, you can pretty much anchor anywhere you want... there are some places that would be better than others. Places with a lot of traffic nearby, strong currents or exposed to strong winds are less preferable as anchorages. You'll want to do things like check that you have sufficient room to swing for the given scope and location. You'll probably want to anchor in locations that have a good sand or mud bottom, rather than ones with weed or solid rock bottom surfaces.

[Charrob]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

IF YOU ARE NOT IMPEDING MARINE TRAFFIC and NOT IN THE CHANNEL OR FAIRWAY, anchoring is allowed. There may be some DESIGNATED ANCHORAGES, but you DO NOT NEED TO BE IN ONE to anchor.

From my previous post:



BTW, don't try anchoring where the chart says DRY LAND exists, or in waters TOO SHALLOW FOR YOUR BOAT at low tide.

Anchoring Checklist:

• Are you in a channel or fairway? Yes—then you CANNOT ANCHOR THERE.
  
• Does the chart say no anchoring allowed, say because there are submersed power cables or such? THEN YOU CAN NOT ANCHOR THERE.
  
• Does the chart indicated depths less than your draft? THEN YOU PROBABLY DON'T WANT TO ANCHOR THERE.
  
• Does the chart show dry land there? Then you might have trouble anchoring there with NEGATIVE SCOPE to the rode...

Other than that, you can pretty much anchor anywhere you want... there are some places that would be better than others. Places with a lot of traffic nearby, strong currents or exposed to strong winds are less preferable as anchorages. You'll want to do things like check that you have sufficient room to swing for the given scope and location. You'll probably want to anchor in locations that have a good sand or mud bottom, rather than ones with weed or solid rock bottom surfaces.

Thanks for responding. A new problem has cropped up: we are new to boating and have not yet purchased our first boat which we would like to be a Catalina 27 with a 4 foot draft.

Upon measuring the water depth at the end of my dad's pier, it was 4 feet deep. After realizing that the tide might have been in at the time I found the low tide-high tide predictions on an almanac site for the area where my dad lives. Today at 2:49 pm which is the lowest tide possible, the depth at the end of dad's pier was 2 feet.

However, the channel is about 20 feet from the end of his pier, and he could have had a pier 10 foot longer than the one he has (his neighbor's pier is 10 foot longer than his). When the channel was dredged about 12 years ago it was 8 feet deep. With possible silting since, it may be about 6 or 7 feet now. That might mean the depth 10 feet out might be 4 foot at low tide.

So would we be able to anchor 10 feet out from his pier as long as it's not anchored in the channel? This is the end of the creek in the headwaters, and it's rather narrow there (the houses on the other side of the creek are a very close 'hello, how are you?' distance).

By the way, what is a 'fairway'? And where do I get these charts?

thanks!

[sailingdog]

Originally Posted by Charrob

Thanks for responding. A new problem has cropped up: we are new to boating and have not yet purchased our first boat which we would like to be a Catalina 27 with a 4 foot draft.

Upon measuring the water depth at the end of my dad's pier, it was 4 feet deep. After realizing that the tide might have been in at the time I found the low tide-high tide predictions on an almanac site for the area where my dad lives. Today at 2:49 pm which is the lowest tide possible, the depth at the end of dad's pier was 2 feet.

Yup, that's a problem.

However, the channel is about 20 feet from the end of his pier, and he could have had a pier 10 foot longer than the one he has (his neighbor's pier is 10 foot longer than his). When the channel was dredged about 12 years ago it was 8 feet deep. With possible silting since, it may be about 6 or 7 feet now. That might mean the depth 10 feet out might be 4 foot at low tide.

So would we be able to anchor 10 feet out from his pier as long as it's not anchored in the channel? This is the end of the creek in the headwaters, and it's rather narrow there (the houses on the other side of the creek are a very close 'hello, how are you?' distance).

Not really. When you anchor, you have to lay out more line than the depth of the water. Generally, you would lay out a scope of 7:1—in 4' of water with a boat that has 2' from the water line to the bow roller, you'd use about 42' of anchor rode.... which is SEVEN times the depth plus the height of the bow roller. This means your swinging circle in going to be over 60'...since the boat is 22' long and there's 42' of anchor rode out. Depending on the wind direction and current your boat might be lying on the other side of the channel from your anchor or in the shallow mud next to shore.

BTW, you really need to get a good basic sailing primer, because a lot of your questions are very, very basic. I'd recommend you get Dave Seidman's book, The Complete Sailor, as it's only about $16 at the local bookstore.

By the way, what is a 'fairway'?

You also need to learn how to use Google, as it can answer a lot of basic questions. If you type "Define: fairway" into the google search box, you'll get various definitions... one of which is:

the usual course taken by vessels through a harbor or coastal waters

Basically, a fairway is any commonly used route that isn't specifically a channel. For canoes, kayaks and sailing dinghies, this might be very shallow indeed.

And where do I get these charts?

thanks!

The chandleries will have them, as will nautical book stores. You can also download some of them for printing out on your home computer.

BTW, I really, really recommend that you read the POST in my signature. It will help you get the most out of sailnet, as well as give you a crash course in internet etiquette.