Anchorage

An anchorage is an area of water — usually sheltered by land or a reef — designated or accepted as a place where vessels can safely set anchor and ride out the night or wait out weather. Anchorages appear on nautical charts with the symbol for anchoring permitted and are typically listed in local cruising guides with holding-quality notes ("good in mud, poor in grass").

For charter itineraries, anchorages provide a free alternative to marina slips and mooring balls. Trade-offs: the vessel must set and tend its own anchor, there is no shore power or water, shoreside access requires a tender, and crowded anchorages can have anchor-drag incidents in weather.

Some U.S. and Bahamian jurisdictions restrict anchoring near shore — particularly in environmentally sensitive areas — so captains verify anchoring rules before each stopover.