Near-Shore Anchoring Using an “Anchor Buddy” Article, Photos and Diagrams by Joel Bergen
What is an Anchor Buddy? Simply put, the Anchor Buddy can be thought of as an anchor rope that stretches. It allows you to anchor your boat about 35 feet offshore, in water deep enough to keep it safe from rocky beaches, boat wakes and wind. Its stretchiness allows you to pull the boat to shore (stretching the Anchor Buddy), where you can board, depart, or load and unload gear. When you’re finished, the Anchor Buddy retracts, automatically pulling your boat back out to deeper water. Te anchor buddy is constructed of 3/8-inch diameter surgi-
cal tubing surrounded by a woven-poly outer sleeve. Te tubing stretches like a bungee cord while the outer sleeve limits how far the cord can stretch (to prevent breakage) and provides great strength when the Anchor Buddy is stretched to its maximum length.
Rigging the Anchor Buddy Te Anchor Buddy connects between your anchor chain and rode. In the photo at right you can see the setup I use on my 15- foot John Welsford-designed Navigator yawl. My anchor is shackled to 10 feet of ¼-inch chain. Te chain is
connected to one end of the Anchor Buddy (yellow). Additional Anchor Buddies can be connected in series if desired, with each additional Buddy providing an additional 35 feet of stretch. An anchor swivel is attached to the other end of the Buddy, followed by 100 feet of 3/8-inch nylon rode. When anchoring close to shore, I find that 100 feet of rode is nearly always sufficient, but I also carry along an additional 100 feet of rope for use when anchoring out or for towing.
Deploying the Anchor Buddy To deploy the Anchor Buddy, begin by slowly motoring, rowing or sailing towards the shore so that you can survey it. Te ideal shoreline will be devoid of large rocks or other dangers, but will also have a nearby tree, log, boulder or something else to tie your anchor line to. When you get approximately 100 feet from shore, begin low-
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ering your anchor to the bottom, and pay out line as you slowly approach the beach. When you arrive at the shore, exit the boat taking the remaining anchor rode with you. Begin pulling on the anchor rode. As you continue pulling the rode, you will feel the Anchor Buddy stretching. Continue pulling until the Anchor Buddy is fully stretched to its limit and the anchor will begin to set. Pull as hard as you can to ensure the anchor is fully set. Release the anchor rode and allow the Anchor Buddy to fully retract. Take the bitter end of the anchor rode and tie it to a tree, log or boulder, removing all slack from the anchor line without stretching the Anchor Buddy. Finally, return to the bow of the boat. Pull the anchor rode again until the An- chor Buddy is fully stretched. Cleat the anchor rode to a bow cleat. Give the boat a gentle push off the beach and watch as the Anchor Buddy retracts and pulls the boat 30 feet offshore.
What if there’s no tree, log or boulder to tie to? If there’s nothing convenient to tie to, you will need a beach anchor, sand anchor or spike anchor. Tese come in a variety of styles. If you carry a secondary anchor, that will work too. Te beach anchor I use is an auger style called a Tie Down Mate.
Coming and going Aſter deploying the anchor, suppose you want to do a little fishing, or participate in a sailboat race. Once you are set up, you can easily come and go without retrieving your anchor. Simply pull the boat to shore, climb onboard, let the Anchor Buddy pull you out, untie the boat and off you go. When you return, beach the boat where you anchored and get out. Pull the anchor line in, tie to your bow cleat and let the Anchor Buddy pull your boat out.
Dealing with tides The areas where I sail often have tidal ranges of 13 feet or more. Tey also have shallow beaches that are less than 13 feet deep at 35 feet offshore. Tat means there is a chance my boat will go dry at low tide, possibly suffering damage. Tere are
SMALL CRAFT ADVISOR
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