Learn how to anchor in any tide while you go ashore. It's called the Loop Anchor System and it's great for overnight anchoring while you camp ashore.
There’s a 12 hour wait between high tides so if you’re not careful your boat or jet ski can easily be left high and dry, stranded until the water comes back in.
You could just anchor out in deep water and swim ashore and then wade back out when you need to retrieve your vessel, but lately I’ve been experimenting with a clever anchoring technique that I think you may be interested in.
This anchoring technique allows you to step directly from the beach onto your vessel regardless of the tided while still remaining anchored in deep water.
This anchoring method works particularly well with any small boat, jet ski or canoe and is useful if you are going ashore for a few hours or a few nights.
The system is called a loop anchor. It’s sometimes referred to as a clothesline anchor or a pulley anchor.
Aside from your usual anchor & rope, the only additional thing you need is an extra long rope and some snap hooks.
The loop rope needs to be at least double the distance between the shore and where you want to keep your vessel anchored in deep water.
It’s best to use a rope that does not float such as nylon. This ensures any slack rope sinks to the seabed and is less likely to be cut or sucked up a passing boat or jet ski.
On both ends of the loop rope you attach a snap hook.
You can use any type of anchor with this system. Regardless of which anchor type you choose, you'll need to attach a float and a snap hook to the end of the anchor rope.
The float will allow you to see and retrieve your anchor while the snap hook allows you to easily attach the anchor onto the long loop rope.
When you arrive at your anchorage, briefly motor into shore and find a sturdy and reliable tie off point along the beach. Let’s assume it’s a tree as this is what I generally use but if there’s none around you could use a post, a screw in sand peg or even a second anchor.
Run the loop rope around the back of the tree so the loop rope encircles the tree. Clip one end of the loop rope to the bow of your vessel and the other end to the stern of your vessel.
Now clip the anchor rope snap hook onto the loop rope towards the bow end. Ensuring the anchor rope can slide freely along the loop rope.
With everything attached it’s time to drop the anchor in deep water. Finally tie the loop rope off to the tree to stop the loop from circulating.
The loop rope segment running from the tree through the anchor clip to the bow of your vessel should be under tension whereas the segment running from the tree to the stern of the vessel can be slack. This will keep the bow of your vessel correctly pointing into the current.
With your vessel now anchored in deep water off the beach, the tide becomes irrelevant.
Whenever you need to retrieve your vessel, you simply undo the knot at the tree and pull your vessel into shore using the loop rope attached to the stern. Conversely, when you want to return the vessel to deep water, you pull on the other side of the loop so your vessel heads bow first back out into deep water.
#JetSkiCamping