Anchoring

[KeithG]

Planning a trip for the end of this month to Ship Island, MS.  Going to camp on the east island.  I would like for someone to tell me the best way to anchor my boat overnight.  I sure would hate to get up the next morning and my boat be gone.  There are no piers or anything that I know of to tie to, so it must be anchored.
Thanks
Keith

[RickK]

If you're the only boat there, you can double anchor the boat off the shore a bit - 1 fore, 1 aft, with enough slack to allow for tide and then tie a line from the shore to the boat (leaving slack for tide) and secure it to the shore so you can pull it in when you need to.  Done this a few times with no problems.
If you've got other boats there and a collision is possible, you'll have to rethink this approach.

[KeithG]

Thanks Rick.
I've never done this before, so I'm kinda nervous, but I will have to go get some more rope.

Keith

[RickK]

Now keep in mind that the tides in FL are only 2 feet, so this approach works well here.  I don't think it would work in Maine where you might have a 20ft tide (especially in the St Croix river where the water disappears every 6 hours   ).

[John Jones]

How is this for an outgoing tide?  


Deer Island, New Brunswick - Eastport, Maine

One of the most dramatic demonstrations of the power of the tides is found in the Western Passage of the Passamaquoddy Bay towards the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. “Old Sow” is the largest whirlpool in the western hemisphere, the second largest in the world - second only to the Maelstrom Whirlpool of Norway. Located between Deer Island and Indian Island, this natural wonder can be seen from the shores of Eastport, Maine. It is called “Old Sow” because of the sounds that are heard from the churning waters.

This powerful whirlpool is formed when the rising tide passes both sides of Indian Island, takes a sharp right turn around the southern tip of Deer Island to flood the Western Passage. A current of over 6 knots (11 km/hr or 6.9 mi/hr) has been experienced off Deer Island Point. In addition to the waters pressing through the narrow straight, the waters are forced along the peaks and valleys of the ocean floor – a trench as deep as 122 meters (400 feet), followed by a reduction in water depth to 36 meters (119 feet) and again followed by a depth of over 107 meters (350 feet). The current of inflowing tributaries within the Passamaquoddy Bay add to the already busy waters.

Old Sow is reported to be most active about 3 hours before high tide. This activity continues for about two hours and takes the form of a collection of small gyres, troughs, spouts and holes and on the rare occasion will form one large funnel. This area, which has been reported to be as wide as 76 meters (250 feet) in diameter, can best be described as turbulent water. However, during spring tides (high water tide caused by a full or new moon) combined with high winds or a tidal surge will increase Old Sow’s activity causing more intense funnels and formations.

[RickK]

Been to Eastport in the spring and saw the whirlpool - wasn't as defined as that though.  They have some wicked tides up there - that's for sure.  The St. Croix was about a mile wide where I was staying and I could spit into it from the porch of my cabin at high tide and 6 hrs later the whole river was dry except for a trickle way out in the middle.  Incredible to see for a FL boy.
It's too bad that there is absolutely NOTHING going on in Eastport.  Very depressed town - almost like a ghost town.  You can walk down the "main street" and look into abandoned shops and see the floors caved in.  Manufacturing of any kind moved out of the town because it was cheaper to move the shops than ship from there. You can buy a big house up there on your credit card.  Unfortunately you'd better be ready to retire when you get there 'cause there's nothing to do 'cept retire.
That whole area is very nice to visit though.  I went there on vacation because I wanted to go somewhere I'd never been and it's also the eastern most everything out there.  At the time, cellphones didn't even work.

[John Jones]

I was somewhere in N Maine last spring.  Border town.  Cell worked.  Burned me (GE) with roaming charges because the cell tower was across the river in Canada.