Please select your home edition
Edition
upffront 2024 October sale Leaderboard




How to Anchor Your Boat the Eco-Friendly Way

by Naomi Copperweight 30 Jun 2022 11:00 UTC
How to set a boat anchor © upffront.com

Anchoring can be a necessary and efficient way to secure your boat in certain circumstances, but it can also damage the seabed if not done properly. There are eco-friendly ways to anchor your boat that will help preserve the seabed. By using these methods you can minimise the impact of anchoring on marine life and habitats.

The RYA and The Green Blue have a joint environmental awareness programme, and have developed several steps you can take to protect the seabed and avoid damage to your boat:

  • Pick an anchorage away from seagrass, reefs, shellfish beds etc or the most sensitive areas.
  • Ensure that you're not dragging your anchor by having an appropriate length of chain and warp. This will help reduce scouring of the seabed. If you think your anchor is dragging, raise it and re-anchor.
  • If you think your anchor is holding well, keep checking it to ensure that it's not dragging.
  • When leaving raise your anchor correctly. If the boat is pulling back from the anchor, you may need to slowly motor towards it as the crew pulls in the slack and raises the anchor.
  • Choose an existing mooring over anchoring where possible.

Not only can you follow the steps above, but you can also be mindful on your approach with these following steps:

  • Know your depth and draft
  • Make sure to know the tides
  • If you run into seagrass, try your best to avoid causing further damage with your engine.

So why is seagrass so important?

Seagrass is quite literally, the lungs of the ocean. Seagrass captures carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests and, even though it only covers 0.2% of the seafloor, it absorbs 10% of the ocean's carbon each year.

Anchoring your boat can be a great way to enjoy the water, but it's important to do so responsibly. By choosing an anchorage away from sensitive areas and using the appropriate length of chain and warp, you can help minimise scouring the seabed. If your anchor is dragging, raise it and re-anchor in a different spot; if it continues to drag, it might be time to choose a new anchorage altogether.

Responsible sailing means taking care of our oceans.

We have a large range of anchors for all boat types at upffront.com. If you have any questions about anchors and anchoring, please contact us at or to check out our range of anchors click the link below:

Boat Anchors

Related Articles

Soft shackles are a win-win solution
Upffront look at their use across multiple applications Soft shackles have surely penetrated the mainstream sailing in recent years. They are a popular alternative to traditional metal shackles. Made from single braid Dyneema® soft shackles offer several advantages over their metal counterparts. Posted on 8 Feb
Vakaros Atlas 2 - sailing with ultimate precision
A careful review by the experts at upffront.com Recently upffront.com have introduced the latest Vakaros Atlas 2 sailing instrument to the shop and compared it in a review of other top sailing instruments. Posted on 25 Jan
Sailing instruments from Velocitek/Sailmon/Vakaros
An introduction and comparison from Upffront.com The term 'sailing instrument' is broadly applicable to just about any onboard system with a sensor and a readout. While wired instrument systems are common, in this blog we discuss portable GPS sailing instruments from Velocitek, Sailmon and Vakaros. Posted on 11 Jan
Standing Rigging
Why your standing rigging will benefit from replacing steel wire with composite fibre Why will your standing rigging benefit greatly from replacing the steel wire with composite fibre stays? I have been thinking of the advantages of composite rigging while following the different races and yachts challenges circumnavigating the world. Posted on 14 Dec 2023
Block and tackle
Understanding mechanical advantage on sailing boats A rough guide to mainsheet purchase systems by Upffront.com. A block and tackle or 'purchase' system is a form of mechanical advantage, where the input force is multiplied through a series of pulleys or blocks to create a much larger output force. Posted on 23 Nov 2023
Winterising a boat - useful tips from Upffront.com
Dave Proctor explains how to avoid some unpleasant surprises next spring Winterising the boat is a common task for many boat owners, regardless of where your boat is located. For some, in milder conditions, it means keeping everything dry and tidy, but for many the need for packing up the boat for winter is a necessity. Posted on 1 Nov 2023
Winning deck hardware of a Star World Champion
Max Kohlhoff Today we are speaking about deck hardware and rig setup with Max Kohlhoff, the winning helmsman of the 2023 Star Worlds. With Ole Burzinski from Flensburg Yacht Club, onboard Playmate, they recently scored two bullets out of six races in Scarlino. Posted on 26 Oct 2023
Polyform AS and Polyform US fenders
Exporting quality and performance from Norway to the U.S One of latest additions to the upffront.com sailing hardware line-up are the Polyform fenders from the original Norwegian manufacturer - Polyform AS. Established over 60 years ago, Polyform AS is renowned for inventing the modern plastic buoy. Posted on 18 Oct 2023
Electric Furler from Facnor
Latching on the trend of boat electrification The sailing world is undergoing a sea change, embracing the power of electrification for unparalleled ease and convenience, especially for older crews and solo sailors. Electric systems are revolutionising boats. Posted on 11 Oct 2023
Best bottom up furlers
Top five as rated by Upffront.com In this article we round up five of the best bottom up furlers on the market. Choosing the right furler is a question of boat size and SWL (safe working load), sail area, performance level and budget. Posted on 5 Oct 2023
2024 fill-in (bottom)