MacGregorSailors.com

I 've owned my Magregor venture 25 for 5 years now and have only day sailed. but have always wanted to camp out on my boat in Lake Pointchatrain. The other day I got to speek with a guy on the New Orleans Cost Guard and he said I could camp out on the lake as long as I was not anchored near any main water ways . wich I woldn't any way. But is there any threds on anchoring and the proper way to do it. I found a nice little spot of to the side that would be good. there aren't any morings so I would have to rely on my anchors and am not shure of proper markers besides a bow light and stern light. any help is appreciated.

When anchoring at night, the regs state that you must show a 360 degree white anchor light. This could be located anywhere on the boat, the higher the better. I have a battery operated LED light that I use on the stern rail. During the day, you have to show a black anchor ball when anchored in an area that is not a "special anchorage". I use a ball that I bought at West Marine, and I hoist it up the jib halyard and secure the bottom end to a deck cleat. "Special anchorage" is usually marked on the chart, but is still subject to some interpretation. The USCG will ticket for this offense on SFO Bay. So I always fly the anchor ball, just to be sure.

Roger

If you SEARCH "Anchoring" - - - you will find about 54 pages of reading materials

Rick

Short Reading:

West Advisor: Navigation Light Rules

Use an all round white light when anchoring but NOT your bow and stern lights.

I have an "05" , and there isn't any anchor light supplied with the boat. What I do is attach a battery powered Colman lantern to a halyard, and run it up the mast. It stays there all night. I don't anchor at night very often, so for me, this is better than a mod to attach an anchor light to the mast.

Ray

I was down on lake maurepas last year and visited my wife's uncle who lives on a canal. We went out there in his boat (doing 75mph) and actually saw a Mac on his canal.

I saw a lot of big boats (maybe shrimp boats) out there on the lake. I'd be careful to go somewhere protected and away from those boats (and gators).

As mentioned, the Mac doesn't have a factory anchor light. Ray's setup would work fine. It must be a white light with 360 degree view.


--Russ

Thanks guys. I always get good answaers on this site. I aint worried about the gators they don't like the lake to much but they love all the little canals. and the spot I have chosen is not in the way of any of the shrimp boats. might get a few early morning fishers casting a line but no trafic.

hart wrote: Use an all round white light when anchoring but NOT your bow and stern lights.

Correct. Bow & stern lights are to be used when underway with sail power. Add the masthead light when underway on motor power.

Roger

Remember a masthead anchor light must be rated for distance as well as all around, 2nm for <40'. West marine has one with 12v plug and extension cord you can run up a halyard while at anchorage.

I went to the trouble of installing an Orca Green Marine LED anchor light at the top of the mast of Bossa Nova; if I'd thought things through better, I wouldn't have done this, because a Davis MegaLight (the one mdeane is talking about) tied a few feet up the boom's topping lift would do just as well.

Actually, in many anchorages, a light at the top of the mast is not such a good idea. It's too high to be noticed by people who might be buzzing around the anchorage in their dinghies or runabouts.

I've had great luck using the Navilight 360 battery operated LED light as an anchor light.
http://www.practical-sailor.com/topics/ ... ities.html

I even used it as a masthead light one time on SFO Bay in the fog, when one of the pins broke on my masthead light connector. I just strapped it to the mast, facing forward, as high up as I could place it.

Roger