# Anchorage rules for around the Chesapeake



## vistastang (Aug 14, 2011)

I have a question regarding ancorage rules. I just purchased my first boat. It is a 1969 Coronado 25. It is presently and has been anchored for I know at least 2 months maybe much longer in the Magothy river just inside the Chesapeake Bay. What are the "rules" for anchoring a boat? Is there a time limit? It just seems strange to me that you can just leave a boat anchored like that. I looked around on the DNR website and found mooring information but couldn't find anything about anchoring.


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## LarryandSusanMacDonald (Apr 3, 2005)

You can't anchor in a marked channel. You can't anchor in a mooring field. Other than that, there are no restrictive rules as there are (or as some communities try to make) in Florida.


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## vistastang (Aug 14, 2011)

Thank you for the reply! This is great news. Do you know of a link perhaps that would show marked channels? I feel pretty confident that it is not but better safe then sorry.


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

Leaving an anchored boat unattended for long periods is dumb. Put it on a mooring or in a slip.


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

JimsCAL said:


> Leaving an anchored boat unattended for long periods is dumb. .


Why? Assuming the anchor is well set.


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## vistastang (Aug 14, 2011)

I think that one of the advatages of it being anchored where it is is that it is in deeper water not subject to freezing.


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## PorFin (Sep 10, 2007)

vistastang said:


> Thank you for the reply! This is great news. Do you know of a link perhaps that would show marked channels? I feel pretty confident that it is not but better safe then sorry.


Vista -- consult your charts for the marked channels (you've got hard copy charts aboard, right? If not, you really should get some -- e-gizmos notwithstanding).

You can also take a look at screen viewable nav charts at www.activecaptain.com. You'll need to register (it's free), then zoom in to your area. It'll be a good tool to use in the future, so don't forget your log-in data


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

vistastang said:


> Do you know of a link perhaps that would show marked channels?


Vistastang,

First, congratulations on your first boat.

I'm going to go out on a limb and think that if you don't know where you can anchor or how to read a chart to find a channel, there are a myriad of other boating safety topics and regulations you might also be unaware of.

You might want to either find an experienced boater to sit down with you for a few hours, check out the thread on Recommended Reading, or (my personal preference for you), sign up for a local boating safety course.

More than just to find the marked channels, you'll also need to know how to read a chart to know where NOT to sail because of your boat's draft, where not to anchor where there are underground cables, obstructions, and a whole host of other stuff.

Good luck and boat safe.


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## PalmettoSailor (Mar 7, 2006)

Go read the thread about s/v Distant Star if you want to see what happens to boats who's owners can't afford to moor them or put them in a proper slip. Ice is the least likely thing to damage your boat on the Chesapeake. 

Do us all a favor and put it on a mooring or in a slip so it doesnt end up aground and get cut up for scrap at taxpayer expense. If you cant afford to properly secure your boat you cant afford a boat. 

Come to think of it, I heard of a sailboat adrift with no navigation lights this weekend. Perhaps that was your new boat.

Edited to ask how you insure that your anchored unattended vessel is properly lighted?


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

vistastang said:


> I have a question regarding ancorage rules. I just purchased my first boat. It is a 1969 Coronado 25. It is presently and has been anchored for I know at least 2 months maybe much longer in the Magothy river just inside the Chesapeake Bay. What are the "rules" for anchoring a boat? Is there a time limit? It just seems strange to me that you can just leave a boat anchored like that. I looked around on the DNR website and found mooring information but couldn't find anything about anchoring.


Another thing about long-time anchoring, is that you need to burn the anchor light at night. Is it on a solar charger? Is someone charging the battery? If that boat is dark, and gets hit at night, the owner will be at fault.

Mooring laws in Maryland are pretty un-restrictive. Put a mooring in a creek somewhere, and be safer.


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## PorFin (Sep 10, 2007)

BubbleheadMd said:


> Another thing about long-time anchoring, is that you need to burn the anchor light at night. Is it on a solar charger? Is someone charging the battery? If that boat is dark, and gets hit at night, the owner will be at fault.
> .


Am I missing something? Doesn't ANY vessel not in a designated anchorage area -- whether at anchor or on a ball -- need to display an all-round light?

Seems to me that the RoR's don't make a distinction for how you are attached to the sea floor.


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

PorFin said:


> Am I missing something? Doesn't ANY vessel not in a designated anchorage area -- whether at anchor or on a ball -- need to display an all-round light?
> 
> Seems to me that the RoR's don't make a distinction for how you are attached to the sea floor.


I agree. You have to show an anchor light unless you are in a designated Special Anchorage. Another reason to have charts.


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

Well, you don't need them in a designated field I know that. I've also never seen anyone burn a light on a mooring ball.


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

*permanent anchoring*

You would certainly need to show an anchor light. With the availability of low wattage led lights, this should be no problem. A small solar charger would suffice to keep the batteries charged. The biggest drawback is using a regular anchor...not a good idea. There is a high likelihood that it will slip at some point. Why not just drop a 300# mooring? If there are no laws prohibiting a mooring, why not be safe? With a good GPS fix on its location, even if ice or something takes off the float, it can easily be grappled up again.


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## PorFin (Sep 10, 2007)

BubbleheadMd said:


> Well, you don't need them in a designated field I know that. I've also never seen anyone burn a light on a mooring ball.


Bubblehead,

There's often a difference between what's common practice and what's actually required. A good example is the requirement to use a day shape at anchor also -- but I think most of us can admit we don't use them.

Unless the field is designated a special anchorage area on the chart, an all-round light is required (and certainly prudent to show.)

If you want to see a lot of boats in a huge mooring field burning anchor lights, check out Boot Key Harbor. It's probably not the only one.


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## vistastang (Aug 14, 2011)

Well to my great relief (and everyone else on the Magathy I'm sure) my boat has a new home. I met this really nice guy, Chuck thru the Anything Sailing forum and he invited me to his home to see his boat. After having been given a tour of his beautiful boat he suggested we motor (over an hour) with his Cat to see my boat. When we got to it he said he didn't like where it was located and insisted on towing me back to his dock! He's offered to allow me to moor off his dock! This boating thing is all new to me but I can tell you that so far everyone I've talked too has been extremely friendly and helpful but this guy has gone beyond what I could have ever imagined. People like Chuck restore my faith in human kind. Coronado's New Home picture by vistastang56 - Photobucket


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## SHNOOL (Jun 7, 2007)

Now that's america... Thank Chuck from the rest of us... and I am glad it worked out for you.


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