Small vessel safe boating tips: Part 2

April 30, 2024| Safety

By: Tom Flinn

This two-part series on small vessel safe boating tips aims to provide essential advice for both novice and experienced boaters (you can find part 1 HERE). Safety on the water is paramount, and the following tips will help ensure a smooth and enjoyable boating experience for everyone.

In this post, we offer some tips on anchoring and docking your small boat on Lake Hopatcong. These can be complicated topics on tidal waters, where you need to take into account not just the characteristics of your boat but the wind and wave action. Tides present other issues that we won’t deal with here.

Anchoring

1. Choose the right size and style anchor.  A Danforth anchor will work well on a hard or rocky bottom. A mushroom or plow anchor works best in sandy or muddy bottoms.
2. Use a chain of proper diameter and length. The standard advice is 1/8’ diameter for every 9’ of boat length and 1’ of chain for every foot of boat length.
3. Attach the chain securely to the anchor and your anchor line to the chain. Your anchor line should be 5 times the water depth in calm waters, 7 times the depth in average conditions, and 10 times the depth in stormy conditions. So, if you are dropping anchor in 40’ of calm water, you’ll need 200’ of line.  
4. Ready to drop anchor?  Put the bow of the boat into the wind. Do not throw the anchor overboard!  Make sure the line is flaked or coiled with the anchor and chain on top. Keep your feet clear. Gently ease the anchor over the side hand-over-hand. When it is on the bottom, begin to back the boat, easing out the anchor line (scope) until you have at least 3xs the depth of the water paid out. Then secure the line to a cleat. Continue in reverse for another 20-40 seconds to make sure the anchor sets well into the bottom.
5. Once you are securely on the hook, the bow will stay up into the wind. Look abeam (90 degrees from where your bow is pointing) and make note of your position, and check in a few minutes to confirm you haven’t moved.

To haul or pull up the anchor:

1. Drive the boat until it is directly over the anchor. It is helpful if you have someone in the bow to keep you headed to the anchor and take up the slack in the line.
2. When directly above the anchor, take all the slack out of the line and secure it to a cleat.
3. Put the engine in forward gear and drive forward until it breaks free.
4. Haul the anchor up by hand or windlass.
    

Docking

Understanding how the wind and waves will affect your boat as it approaches the dock is the key to a successful landing. Will you be pushed toward or away from your docking spot?

Line up your approach. If you intend to dock on the windward side, your angle of approach should be shallow: parallel, or almost parallel to the dock.  Keep your speed to minimum head way, shifting in and out of forward gear as needed.  Use the breeze to ease you into your spot.

If your spot is on the leeward side, your angle of approach will need to be steeper, so your momentum will counteract the wind pushing you away. Aim your bow to the middle of your spot. As you get close, shift into reverse and turn your wheel hard away from the dock to bring the stern along side.  Apply reverse throttle to stop your forward momentum.

Always have your boat hook handy. It will be your first attachment point to the dock, as the breeze pushes you away.

Pontoon boats can be particularly difficult to handle in a breeze. If making a leeward approach to the dock, keep your angle steep.  Get your bow close enough that your mate can step off onto the dock with a dockline. Have them secure the line to a cleat, shift into reverse gently, and turn your wheel hard away from the dock. Your stern will slowly “walk” into the wind and the assembled crowd, ready to post to the video to the “BoatFails” Facebook page, will be disappointed and impressed at the same time.

When departing the dock, also be mindful of the wind’s effect. If you are on the leeward side, it’s easy to be patient and let the breeze help you away.  On the windward side, things can be a lot trickier. If the breeze is very strong, consider waiting it out. The chance of scratching your boat or the ones forward and aft is significant, as is the risk of injury.

Otherwise, the key is to get either the bow or the stern away from the dock (and into the wind) sufficiently that you can pull away without a) being blown back in toward the dock or other boats tied along side, or having your stern swing contact neighboring boats.

Some tips:

• Have plenty of fenders, and position them for your plan of departure: at the stern for a forward departure; at the bow if you’re backing out.
• Your boat hook can be helpful in fending off, but be extremely cautious when using it to fend off another boat.
• Remember, the wind will have a greater impact on the bow than the stern.
• You can “walk” the bow or stern into the wind, as described above for docking. To go bow out, position fenders at the aft corner which will get pinned to the dock.  Make sure that your stern line is not tied to the dock cleat, but draped around it and tied back to the boat. Release all other lines. Shift into forward gear, spinning the wheel away from the dock, giving no throttle, or just enough to counter the wind.  As you near head to wind, shift to neutral, release the stern line and bring it on board. You can then shift to forward, applying enough throttle to keep from being overpowered by the breeze, which will continue to push the bow back toward the dock, or other boats docked there.
• The same can be done for a stern out departure.  Place your fenders forward where they will be pinned against the dock as your stern “walks” into the wind. Drape your bowline over the dock cleat, and secure it on board.
• Shift into reverse and turn the wheel hard toward the dock. When the stern has come up into the wind, shift to neutral to release the strain on the dockline and bring it on board.
• Back far enough from the dock that you won’t be pushed back into it as you motor away.

Be safe, and enjoy!

This post is part of our Spring Safety Series. Tom Flinn is a founding member of the Lake Hopatcong Foundation Board of Trustees and during his tenure has served as a liaison to the New Jersey State Police and the Morris County Sheriff's Office.