Anchoring at Kingfisher Bay

[NomadNoosa]

Hi,

As per my intro here's the first series of my dumb questions.

My kids are going away for the September holidays with friends so the mrs and I have decide to go and explore the Sandy Straits for a few days.
We have camped on the west coast of Fraser by car a few times but have never been up by boat.

The loose plan is to leave from Tin Can Bay and cruise / fish our way up the Straits. Rather than camping I have booked a couple of nights at Kingfisher Bay Resort, as the Mrs has done too much camping this year and needs a bit of luxury, and quite frankly I can't be bothered packing all the crap into the boat.

We are planning on going up on 23 September and come back on the 26th of September.
Tides are start low at 9.25am and high at 3.45pm on the 23rd and move accordingly. The tides aren't huge, about 1.7 to 2m, but I understand the tide comes in / goes out along way.

I have a 510 Cruiseabout and was wondering about anchoring it overnight, I haven't anchored it anywhere overnight before and am wondering what the best method was, if anything other than a single anchor, and is it best for me to anchor out, say inline to the end of the jetty and swim back in if the tide is high when we get back from being out having a look around.

Your advice is much appreciated and if you have other recommendations hearing them would be great.

I have searched and read every thread on here and just can't find answers to those questions.

Thanks in advance from a complete newby. ::)

[CT]

I've got a 5 m Cruise Craft and when I took it over there I just let it sit on the sand with the low tide overnight. This plan fails if there is anything with a strong northerly as the straits chop up and it bangs on the bottom just before and after settling on the sand. When anchoring unattended overnight I run two big danforths off the bow. Rather than two separate warps, I run a short second warp to the second anchor and this runs freely on the main warp. I run a small line to the second warp to allow for easy retrieval. I prefer this to two warps from the bowsprit as there is nothing to tangle and the boat can spin 360 degrees all night. These days we carry a SUP to avoid the long swim in at dusk. My mates often carry the two piece folding kayaks for the same purpose but they take up less room.

There are moorings over there but I've never asked about hiring one.
Cheers
Craig

[NomadNoosa]

Thanks CT,

Just to clarify a couple of points.

Do you drop your main anchor first and then let the second anchor slip down into position, or do you let both go down at the same time? I also assume your running a couple of metres of chain on the second anchor.

I haven't decided yet whether I will take a pair of flippers or a small surfboard for the swim back to the beach. A SUP would be good but I don't want to take up all my room carrying something that will only get used for a few minutes.

I enquired about the moorings today and apparently they don't hire them out. I think they are for people who own some of the residential land at the back of the resort.

Its a shame the tides aren't the opposite way around but you cant have everything.

Thanks again Craig.

[seashawgal]

Interesting to read this. I had to google what a "warp" was and a Danforth anchor. Whats against putting one anchor out front and one out back?

[CT]

Interesting to read this. I had to google what a "warp" was and a Danforth anchor. Whats against putting one anchor out front and one out back?

I anchor one forward one aft when daytripping but dont trust it overnight. To get enough length on the main warp so that the boat can sit bow into the wind from any direction you need miles of length on the stern anchor. The whole lot swings around a few times overnight and you end up with a giant mess. Or worse, the boat ends up stern on to the wind or waves as the whole lot has tangled.

This is my view only. I'm sure others will have alternatives that work for them.

Cheers
Craig

[Crunchy]

I regularly anchor off moreton for the night and the current rips through there. I just use an oversized sand anchor and over sized chain (10M of 10mm chain), this set up would hold a boat 5 times bigger than mine but the boat is always there in the morning:) . The only thing special I do is cable tie shackels so thay cannot come undone, check the rope is in good condition and put a rag around the rope to protect it rubbing against the bowsprit.
Done this dozens of times and never had an issue. No need for mutiple anchors, it is best to let the boat swing around into the current / wind. As for the swim back to the beach at dusk, yes I do that too and could easily break the olympic 100M record :P

[CT]

http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt40/CTHZJ75/Ausfish/IMG_2252_zpsotzaobft.jpg
As per the photos, two paired anchors, same size, same chain, each big enough to hold the boat on its own. The main anchor is dropped first and then you motor over to where you want the second anchor and drop it. Then you back up so that you are hanging an equal distance between the anchors. The whole lot should look like a Y when you're finished. To make it easy to retrieve, tie a small line to the slip ring on the second anchor. Let out your main warp and use the light line to retrieve the slip ring of the second anchor and haul it in. Then your just dealing with the main anchor as normal.

Cheers
Craig

http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt40/CTHZJ75/Ausfish/IMG_2253_zpshxkmlnp8.jpg

[CT]

I regularly anchor off moreton for the night and the current rips through there. I just use an oversized sand anchor and over sized chain (10M of 10mm chain), this set up would hold a boat 5 times bigger than mine but the boat is always there in the morning:) . The only thing special I do is cable tie shackels so thay cannot come undone, check the rope is in good condition and put a rag around the rope to protect it rubbing against the bowsprit.
Done this dozens of times and never had an issue. No need for mutiple anchors, it is best to let the boat swing around into the current / wind. As for the swim back to the beach at dusk, yes I do that too and could easily break the olympic 100M record :P

Love your style. I thought I was the only mug who used 10 m of 10 mm chain and the biggest anchor I can fit in the well on a trailerboat! Sure helps me sleep at night.

Camped in the Whitsundays and was tidying up and checking the boat was squared away before diving over the side for the bolt to shore in the dark. Just about to dive in when a baitball bigger than the boat erupted between me and shore with something fair up its clacker. Talk about increasing the heart rate. Took a few minutes to work up to actually taking the plunge!

[swof63]

http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt40/CTHZJ75/Ausfish/IMG_2252_zpsotzaobft.jpg
As per the photos, two paired anchors, same size, same chain, each big enough to hold the boat on its own. The main anchor is dropped first and then you motor over to where you want the second anchor and drop it. Then you back up so that you are hanging an equal distance between the anchors. The whole lot should look like a Y when you're finished. To make it easy to retrieve, tie a small line to the slip ring on the second anchor. Let out your main warp and use the light line to retrieve the slip ring of the second anchor and haul it in. Then your just dealing with the main anchor as normal.

Cheers
Craig

http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt40/CTHZJ75/Ausfish/IMG_2253_zpshxkmlnp8.jpg

Is it just me or is that left hand anchor slightly "customised"?

Next one wouldn't be the first sand anchor I've pretzelled. Seriously, always used to have anchoring problems and bending danforths but switched to high holding power anchors ( Manson ) and haven't looked back. If I was leaving the boat anchored unattended overnight I'd feel much better with a "grippier" anchor but that's probably just me.

Cheers

[scottar]

Couple of other considerations - do you have an automatic bilge pump and a set of covers to keep rain (or prying eyes) out of the boat?

[NomadNoosa]

I am kind of leaning towards a 15lb plough anchor with an extra 2 metres of chain, so I will have 4 metres of chain. I will zip tie all the shackles. I love zip ties, except when I find the cut off bits left at campsites etc.

I don't have a set of covers, and don't really want them but I suppose I could go and get a travel cover as an interim solution. I have stashed a GPS locator in the boat, but can't really deal with theft from the boat, except take the Humminbird out, which I was planning on doing, other than that there is not a great deal to steal.

If it looked like it was going to rain heavily I was just going to run the boat up the beach and deal with the tides the next day, nothing wrong with a late start and throwing a line from the jetty for a while if thats the worst case.

We are also staying in a room overlooking the bay so I had planned to moor it in view. I know it will have its mooring light on which may attract some attention but there is not much I can do about that, I would hate for someone to run into it and the consequences from not having the light on it.

[CT]

Is it just me or is that left hand anchor slightly "customised"?

Good spot! That's what happens when your mate drives your reef anchor off using a retrieval ball but drives over the rope instead cutting it off and you have to resort to a sand pick on the reef. Really didn't think it was coming back! They're cheap I guess.

Maybe I should have added "pictures for illustrative use only"!

Cheers
Craig

[NomadNoosa]

Done this dozens of times and never had an issue. No need for mutiple anchors, it is best to let the boat swing around into the current / wind. As for the swim back to the beach at dusk, yes I do that too and could easily break the olympic 100M record :P

I was surfing second bay at Coolum a few months ago when a bait ball went straight through the line up, about ten guys out. Turned around to see a reasonable size ray being launched vertically out of the water and then being given a nice shake..........you've never seen 10 guys walk on water at once......

There has been a few bities around lately......not real keen on that and I hope the Sunny Coast is not going to suffer the same fate as Northern NSW.

[CT]

I am kind of leaning towards a 15lb plough anchor with an extra 2 metres of chain, so I will have 4 metres of chain. I will zip tie all the shackles.

I'd say not enough chain. Minimum of 6 m. I tried a 20 lb plough and found it very hard to set. Maybe it was too big for my boat but the bloody thing just skated along and didn't set. Hence my return to a sand anchor. Zip ties on shackles are the way to go.

[Dignity]

I'd say not enough chain. Minimum of 6 m. I tried a 20 lb plough and found it very hard to set. Maybe it was too big for my boat but the bloody thing just skated along and didn't set. Hence my return to a sand anchor. Zip ties on shackles are the way to go.

CT, couple of mates use sand anchors exclusively on the reef, they grind off the tang each side that restricts the shaft rotating all the way, drill 2 holes in the shaft so that they are on opposing sides of the flukes, insert 3 inch nails, Bend slightly so they don't fall out. When they motor forward the nails will bend up, the shaft then rotates and the anchor comes free, replace nails and start all over agsin. They've never lost one yet.

Edit, seen some huge whiting on the flats, I wish I had some poppers with me as easily fished from the Jetty.

[NomadNoosa]

Cheers for that. I'll go an extra length of chain. I have used a plough anchor a few times on a mates 21ft bayliner when we have fished overnight and haven't moved, so I reckon it should be overkill enough for me for this trip. My fall back I suppose that is if I am not comfortable it is going to hold, or strong winds or rain I will just run the boat up on the beach.

[Crunchy]

Agree! can reverse and drag the plough anchor easily enough but the danforth holds fast

[EdBerg]

Love your style. I thought I was the only mug who used 10 m of 10 mm chain and the biggest anchor I can fit in the well on a trailerboat! Sure helps me sleep at night.

Camped in the Whitsundays and was tidying up and checking the boat was squared away before diving over the side for the bolt to shore in the dark. Just about to dive in when a baitball bigger than the boat erupted between me and shore with something fair up its clacker. Talk about increasing the heart rate. Took a few minutes to work up to actually taking the plunge!

You are a brave person to swim at dark in the Whitsundays, many years ago whilst on my honeymoon, we anchored up in a bay for the night, where I started to fish, I think is was Turtle bay, a couple of boats around, one of them had kids swimming around the boat, anyway after I hooked my second shark I yelled out to that boat what I had caught, next we heard.. Kids get out of the water ..Now!!

I did a short spell on a commercial fishing boat about 10-15 years before that and at night every second fish we caught in the net was a shark ranging from 1m... to.. shit what put that bloody big hole in the net! During the day they weren't a big problem but at night they became really active. Also caught a nice tiger shark when we anchored off Whitehaven beach (also at night). Scared the hell out of the wife, she didn't want to go in the water the next day.

Cheers

[CT]

My wife cleared everyone out of the water in the Tongue Bay anchorage dragging a shark bigger than the tender up onto the duckboard. Watching people trying to climb the vertical sides of yachts to get out of the water was gold!

[3rd degree]

You're onto it... Length of chain is the key!

Cheers

jim