Tying off to shore when anchoring - yea or nay ?

[denders]

My wife and I are new to boating ( we have a 33 foot 3396 Mariner ) , and are looking for advice about whether or not to tie off to shore when anchoring overnight. We have been getting various responses from other boaters around the marina so I thought I would see what the prevailing opinion was here. We have overnighted a couple of times and I am amazed by the amount of swing that the boat has. Opinions in the Marina range from Never tie off to Always tie off , I admit to being a little concerned about being close enough to shore to tie off ( I am assuming you want to be within 75 feet or so ). Anyway looking for opinions and options.

Thanks in advance

[tomschauer]

If I am concerned about swing or in a crowded anchorage I use both the bow anchor and stern anchor. I have never tied off to shore. If you have safe water depth and something solid to tie off to on shore such as a tree, I see no reason you couldn't or shouldn't do it.

[mjk1040]

Ditto what tom said.

[Viper]

The answer is yes and no! It's done a lot, same as setting a stern anchor overnight. The problem is that in a crowded anchorage, everyone has to be on the same page. If everyone else only has their main anchor out for the night so that they can swing as conditions change, you want your boat to move as well. If everyone has a stern anchor out or is tied off but you're not, you may swing into someone should conditions change while you're fast asleep. I've been in some pretty tight spots and if one person doesn't practice what everyone else is doing, it can get messy.

You'll also need to pay attention to forecasted conditions for overnight. I would not set a stern anchor or tie off if the forecast calls for the winds to pick up. If they do, you want the boat to swing as that will allow your bow to go into the wind. This will reduce stress on the anchor and minimize dragging it. If you tie off and the wind is allowed to broadside you, your stern or bow anchor might drag. A depth alarm might help but it won't tell you that you're heading into another boat.

[Darkfaythe]

From my perspective if you are tight for swing room then by all means run a stern line around a tree or something but make absolutely sure that you either run a full loop from stern around a fixture back to your stern, that way if everything turns to custard you can move at a moments notice.
I have used this methodology for many years and I have only been caught once where the wind direction changed in the middle of the night and being able to drop my stern line almost instantly meant I could get out of trouble real fast.

[Viper]

Source of the post From my perspective if you are tight for swing room then by all means run a stern line around a tree or something but make absolutely sure that you either run a full loop from stern around a fixture back to your stern, that way if everything turns to custard you can move at a moments notice.
I have used this methodology for many years and I have only been caught once where the wind direction changed in the middle of the night and being able to drop my stern line almost instantly meant I could get out of trouble real fast.

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