Charter know-how · Weather

Weather 4: choosing a safe anchorage for the night

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The most common reason for a bad night on a charter is an anchorage that was perfect at five in the afternoon and wide open at two in the morning. Choose your night stop for the wind that is forecast overnight, not the wind you sailed in with.

Before you choose

Check the overnight forecast: wind direction and strength until morning
The bay is sheltered from that direction by land
No swell running into the bay from a distant wind
Enough room to swing round the anchor in a full circle, clear of rocks and other boats
Good holding: sand or mud is best; dense weed and rock hold badly
A plan B nearby if the wind turns

Setting the anchor

Lay out at least four to five times the depth in chain in settled weather, more if wind is forecast.
Reverse gently to set the anchor, then firmly. Watch two fixed points ashore: if they do not move, the anchor has held.
Snorkel over the anchor if the water is clear, to see it dug in.

Through the night

Set an anchor alarm on the plotter or a phone app.
Night winds: in some places a cooler land breeze blows down from the hills at night, from the opposite direction to the afternoon sea breeze.
If the wind rises or turns onshore, do not wait for daylight to decide: move early while you can still see and before it gets worse.
Leave the anchor light on.

If the forecast is unsettled, choose a harbour or a mooring buoy for the night. The best anchorage of the week is the one where you sleep well.

General guidance for charter crews. Your charter company's briefing, the boat's own manuals and local rules always come first.

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