The Eight Top Tips for anchoring in coral waters

Some of the greatest of all cruising experiences can be had in coral waters SW

Please don’t anchor in the coral - for many reasons © SW

Tip 1: When arriving into any coral anchorage, it is advisable to time your arrival between 10.00am and 2.00pm, when the sun is high. Preferably, while it is not always possible, arrive with the sun BEHIND you. This is because with the sun high, and preferably behind you, you will easily able to see the shape of the coral in the water, which makes avoiding it much more simple!

Tip 2. Never never rely on electronic charts. They are simply not accurate enough, and you must eyeball your way in. If, however, you can overlay your radar on the electronic chart so that you can offset discrepancies, you can probably rely on it more. However, eye-balling remains the best and safest method.

Tip 3. If you have the technology to do it – and most electronic chart systems can be programmed to do this automatically – mark you way in as you go, and then on arrival, chart this as your way out. This means that to leave, which you may have to do in a hurry, or when conditions are not ideal, you will be able to simply and reliably follow your marks in reverse.

Tip 4. Always have someone up the mast, standing on the ratlines, or at the very least on the bow when you are entering a coral anchorage. The higher your crew is, the better he or she will be able to see. This is a good reason for having mast steps or ratlines installed if you are thinking of heading for coral waters.

Tip 5. This may seem obvious, but the crew who is doing the scouting for coral should have the best possible polarised sunglasses to optimise their vision on a sunny day.

You don’t need to dream about it - just do it! © SW

Tip 6. As with anchoring, don't rely on shouting directions. Either invest in some cockpit to bow two-way radios, which are excellent, or devise a very clear set of hand signals. If the wind is up, you simply will not be able to hear each other. The tiny two-way radios are excellent, as the communication from the scout to the helmsman can be very much more detailed, putting them more firmly in the picture than with mere hand signals. However, arrange your hand signals anyway – all electronics break down at the wrong moment.

Tip 7. Get used to the what the colours of the water means – this won't take long. Coral is usually brown or yellow, sandy shallows are pale aqua, and deeper water is deeper blue - the darker the deeper. As weed also shows as a brown colour, sometimes you will be avoiding weed as well as coral.

Tip 8. On arrival, choose a sandy place to drop your anchor – There are a number of reasons for this. An anchor will hold well in sand, and unless you have dived on it, you can never be sure that an anchor won't let go at any time in coral. In coral your anchor can also become tangled, particularly if the wind changes and wraps the boat around it. Then the only way you may be able to escape from the anchorage is have someone dive on the anchor to tell you how to unravel it. If you don't have a competent diver anywhere near, you may have to abandon the anchor. In addition of course, anchoring in coral will damage this sensitive environment.

Follow these simple directions, and some of the most fantastic cruising in the world can be yours.

Sweet sailing!

Get to know your water colours © SW