Anchoring at Coward's Cove?
- Thread starter Tedd
- Start date
I don't know. With a shoal draft retractable keel and behind the break water, it probably wouldn't be too bad unless there was a lot of wind. I assume that your rudder will also retract so that it is not the deepest point.
What is the worst that can happen? I assume that with the swing keel you can lay-to in the mud if it is not deep enough then you will have a reference for the future.
What is the worst that can happen? I assume that with the swing keel you can lay-to in the mud if it is not deep enough then you will have a reference for the future.
its tough to see but my second pic is of my ISailor chart and it shows “0” as the min at the opening.
I just looked at Google Earth and think the bigger problem could be that the neighbors might get pushy.
To be clear, I'm quite happy to sit on the bottom when the tide is out if the bottom is suitable, which is one of the main reasons I asked. Given the river, I'm expecting mainly mud. But, given the logging, there could be lots of undesirable stuff in the mud.
Yep. One of the first times I anchored with my brand new 35lb CQR right after I got Papillon, was in a bay like this that was used to store log booms. I did not know that and anchored in 15' and let out 100' of rode for a proper 7:1 scope on a windless night. That decision turned out to be double trouble. With no wind, I drifted all over the anchorage and my tracker in the morning showed that I had moved in progressively smaller circles with various centers.
When I went to pull up the anchor, I did not pull in more that about 10' before I came up tight with the line going straight down. Not willing to abandon nearly a $1000 dollars of gear, I spend the next 8-hours getting it back. What had happened was that the line had looped around numerous logs sticking up from the bottom. There were three of us on board and it took all of us to retrieve the anchor.
I brought the rode back to the ST 40 primary winch on port and then across the the starboard primary. Two of us would crank in with both ST 40s until the boat was heeled over about 15º. Then we would all stand on the port rail and at the count of three would jump across to the starboard rail which used the leverage of a 15,000 boat as a prybar to pull the log up an inch or two. Then we could get several more turns on the winch and do the jump again. after multiple lifts, the rode would finally slip off the end of the now upturned log and 5-10 of rode would come in with no effort until we got to the next one.
This was 25-years ago and the scars are still fresh. I think we had lasooed 5-6 logs. The worst part was the stench. Those logs had been rotting there on the bottom for years and as they came up, they sent out clouds of gas that would choke a horse.
@Hayden Watson ,
Yikes! Yes, that's exactly why I wanted to ask here before committing to that anchorage. Theory isn't what I'm looking for. Ideally, what I'd like to read is, "I saw it at low tide last week and this is what the bottom looked like."
[Edited to add: @Hayden Watson , I didn't mean to imply that your answer was just theory! Sorry, I kind of changed horse in mid stream there.]
Yikes! Yes, that's exactly why I wanted to ask here before committing to that anchorage. Theory isn't what I'm looking for. Ideally, what I'd like to read is, "I saw it at low tide last week and this is what the bottom looked like."
[Edited to add: @Hayden Watson , I didn't mean to imply that your answer was just theory! Sorry, I kind of changed horse in mid stream there.]
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Go to Google earth and zoom in on the cove and hit the date button on the lower left corner. they have photos from probably 50 different dates, and several show the mud flats. I find this very handy for checking out marginal areas.
Since my log rangling insident, I have anchored in these log strun anchorages without tying any knots. What I do is drop the anchor and set the hook in the direction that I expect to drift with the minimum scope that my anchor will faithfully set at which with my Mantus is about 2.5:1. Once it is set, if there is no wind, I will shorten to 2:1 which keeps the rod out of trouble. If the wind starts to blow lightly, I will let out a bit more scope to about 3:1 and set my anchor watch to that location with a tight circle so that if I start to wander due to drop in wind, I can monitor the situation and pull in the excess to keep it out of trouble. IF the wind starts to blow harder, I can let out more scope because the rode is elevated of the floor.
It is more work than just drop and forget but it opens up some nice anchorages that you do not need to shear with others.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,782
Tedd with so much beautiful water to explore I wonder why Cowards Cove?
I zoomed in on the breakwater using Mapcarta satellite view and here is the image.
earth.gosur.com
Not only the log rafts, but plentiful loose logs. Flotsam drifted ashore free from the log raft. Mud, glacial silt, decaying organic wood bits, work boats moving log rafts in and out of the cove.
Suspect the cove would be unpleasant as an anchorage.
A search of 2 guide books has nothing listed about Cowards Cove as an anchorage.
I zoomed in on the breakwater using Mapcarta satellite view and here is the image.
US Weather Map & Radar
Interactive weather map for United States. Current weather conditions and forecast for the next 5 days. Weekend updated forecast for United States.
Not only the log rafts, but plentiful loose logs. Flotsam drifted ashore free from the log raft. Mud, glacial silt, decaying organic wood bits, work boats moving log rafts in and out of the cove.
Suspect the cove would be unpleasant as an anchorage.
A search of 2 guide books has nothing listed about Cowards Cove as an anchorage.
@Hayden Watson : Great tip, thanks!
@jssailem : It has to do with launching. The boat launch at McDonald Beach, just up the river, is a good place to launch. But, on the day I’d like to launch, suitable tides only happen either very early in the morning or in the late afternoon and evening. We could launch at maybe 6:00 and sail right through to Howe Sound. The alternative would be to launch in the early evening and anchor the first night some where on the river.
A local sailor who keeps his boat at a marina on the river told me that he has often waited in Coward’s Cove for favourable current on the river but he’s never anchored there overnight. Perhaps I’ll ask around locally for sailors who’ve used it the way I propose.
@jssailem : It has to do with launching. The boat launch at McDonald Beach, just up the river, is a good place to launch. But, on the day I’d like to launch, suitable tides only happen either very early in the morning or in the late afternoon and evening. We could launch at maybe 6:00 and sail right through to Howe Sound. The alternative would be to launch in the early evening and anchor the first night some where on the river.
A local sailor who keeps his boat at a marina on the river told me that he has often waited in Coward’s Cove for favourable current on the river but he’s never anchored there overnight. Perhaps I’ll ask around locally for sailors who’ve used it the way I propose.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,782
I understand the issue. It is a means to an end. We have a similar exposed at low water area west of our Marina. It is on the west bank of our river. When the wind blows gently from the west you want to ask "Who did that?" and then kick the dog. It might be worth a scouting trip, perhaps along the shore to gain some insite. Will the bottom hold? May not be a refuge in a gale but a visit in transit makes sense to learn through experience.
