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Spending the night at anchor in a motorboat: do you need an anchor watch?
Short answer
Spending the night at anchor in a motorboat does not call for an anchor watch every night,
but it does call for care: an anchor light, enough chain,
an anchor alarm and an eye on the forecast.
If strong wind is due, someone stays up.
Spending the night at anchor in a motorboat is one of the best parts of having a boat: a quiet bay, no marina fees and a swim before breakfast. Whether you need an anchor watch, someone awake through the night, has no single answer. There is generally no rule requiring a leisure boat to keep a continuous watch every night at anchor. What is expected is good seamanship, and how much of it depends on the weather, the holding and the anchorage. If the anchor drags, the boat drifts onto rocks, a beach or other boats.
At sea the collision regulations apply: a vessel at anchor shows an all round white light at night and a black ball by day, and very small boats away from channels and anchorages are partly exempt. Inland waters have rules of their own. Then comes the craft: good holding, plenty of chain, as a rule of thumb several times the depth, and room to swing. A GPS anchor alarm that sounds when the boat leaves its circle is no substitute for a watch, but it will wake you in time. If strong wind or a wind shift is forecast, someone should be up and on deck.
Read the forecast for the whole night before you drop the hook, and ask yourself where the wind will go and whether the bay will still give shelter. Dig the anchor in by going astern, switch on the anchor light and set the alarm. If your boat drags and damages another, you are liable to its owner. For damage to your own boat, the insurer will ask whether you anchored with proper care; sleeping through a forecast gale in an open bay is the kind of thing that can lead to a claim being reduced or declined. With us, gross negligence leads to a reduction in Basis; Basis Plus waives it up to 25 per cent of the sum insured and Premium up to 50 per cent.
Worth remembering
Quiet night
anchor light, enough chain and an alarm are usually enough
Strong wind due
someone stays on watch or you move bays
At anchor it is the overnight forecast, not a rulebook, that decides whether someone keeps watch.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Does someone have to keep an anchor watch at night?
Not every night. There is generally no rule requiring a continuous watch on a leisure boat, but good seamanship is expected. If strong wind or a wind shift is forecast, or the bay is open, someone should stay up.
Do I need an anchor light?
At sea, yes: an all round white light at night and a black ball by day. Very small boats away from channels and anchorages are partly exempt, and inland waters have their own rules.
Who pays if my boat drags and hits another one?
You are liable for the damage to the other boat. For your own boat the insurer will look at whether you anchored with proper care. With us, gross negligence reduces the payment in Basis; Basis Plus waives that up to 25 per cent of the sum insured, Premium up to 50 per cent.
Related
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