Rodeo anchoring
- Thread starter Phil Herring
- Start date
NotCook
.
- Dec 29, 2008
- 805
The mooring field was full at Jost Van Dyke, so we anchored just outside of it. Of course, they always fill the best anchorages with mooring balls, so you have to anchor where it isn't ideal, in this case, as close in as we could get was in 65' of water. We have all chain rodes of 1/2" chain, and 75# Bruce anchors. It wasn't blowing "too" bad, so I only put out about 250' of chain - barely a 3:1 scope. Approaching 700# of anchor and chain. We were out here with the "big boys", and we were the smallest vessel out there anchoring. We stayed put all night, despite the wind coming up (of course) over night. Next day, we started retrieving the anchor. We have a big, old Simpson Lawrence windlass One of our bow rollers is just a little "off", and it tends to want to roll the chain as it comes through the roller, which wants to make the chain bind in the windlass, and not drop into the chain locker. So, periodically, I have to stop and untwist the chain by grabbing it and giving it a good twist. This time, with that near 700# of chain and anchor out, much if it hanging straight down, I braced myself, grabbed the chain, and gave it a hefty twist clockwise. I heard a very audible "SNAP", coming from the vicinity of my arm, but no real pain to speak of. My reaction was, "well, that isn't good", and continued to raise the anchor. Later, visual examination revealed that my bicep was all balled up, closer to my shoulder. When we got back to Santa Cruz a few days later, the Doc informed me that I had snapped a bicep tendon. Never was really much pain associated with it, and it was corrected by surgery about a month later. Now trying to live within my limitations, and not take strength for granted. Couldn't let the opportunity pass...
Best reason for a tattoo I've ever heard.
During a fairly large regatta a few years ago, I was out in a mark boat. Actually, I was out in one of the more lowly mark boats. It was a sporty day & after getting the first race off, we went AP over A fairly soon, because conditions out there in the open ocean were building quickly. As soon as we saw the flags, we yanked our marks & started to deflate them. By now, seas were 6-7 & fairly close. We then got a radio call from one of the higher ups. He had “more important” things to do & didn’t have time to pull his marks, so he wanted us to pull his for him. We complied & ran over to his course as quickly as was possible in the conditions, which were now getting to be more like 8’. We approached the first mark from downwind, as we normally do, not knowing that the mark had about 15’ of line dangling behind it. Of course, as we got the mark to midship, that line found our prop.
So here we are, in seas that are 8’ & building, with winds blowing well in excess of 20 knots, with gusts well over 30, with a prop that is fouled on a line that is connected to a well set anchor. Less than 10 seconds later, we were stern to & taking a beating.
We had some pretty hearty guys on board that were generally quick to want to prove what they could do in any situation, but this time, the call went out for the guy with the longest arms to try to reach for the line that was around the prop & either untangle it or cut it loose. Well, I was the tallest, so everyone looked at me. I knew that my free ride was over.
Next thing you know, I’ve got a bowline on a bight for a safety line around my midsection & shoulders, and I’ve got one foot on the skeg with the other on the transom D-ring, as I’m working that line off of the prop. It was wound tightly, so cutting it would not have solved the problem. I needed to unjam the prop so that the motor could start. I was using a boat hook & a screw driver for pry bars. The waves gave me a pretty good pounding. I tore open my favorite pair of offshore bibs. I lost one boot. I got a couple of nasty looking bruises & lost a small amount of blood. But I did eventually get that line out of that prop.
Meanwhile, the guys on deck that were not actively busy keeping me from getting washed away, were working a 5 gallon bucket as fast as they could, in an attempt to bail water out of the boat as fast as it was coming over the transom. When I got yanked back on board, we got the motor started (thank god) & rode the back side of a wave for a few minutes to clear the deck of excess water. The boat felt like a boat again.
We then went back for the marks. We hit the first one from the side, pulled in the excess lines, worked up to where the anchor was set, tied off to a Sampson post & powered the anchor out. It came up twisted, but it came up. We did a repeat on the other mark, got everything on board & headed for the barn.
We were the last ones off the water that day. Nobody asked us why. We didn’t volunteer any unnecessary info. We quietly found a place where we could straighten the bent anchor, using a trailer hitch as a press arm. The next day was beautiful & the races resumed. The racers were not the only guys that got a workout during that regatta.
So here we are, in seas that are 8’ & building, with winds blowing well in excess of 20 knots, with gusts well over 30, with a prop that is fouled on a line that is connected to a well set anchor. Less than 10 seconds later, we were stern to & taking a beating.
We had some pretty hearty guys on board that were generally quick to want to prove what they could do in any situation, but this time, the call went out for the guy with the longest arms to try to reach for the line that was around the prop & either untangle it or cut it loose. Well, I was the tallest, so everyone looked at me. I knew that my free ride was over.
Next thing you know, I’ve got a bowline on a bight for a safety line around my midsection & shoulders, and I’ve got one foot on the skeg with the other on the transom D-ring, as I’m working that line off of the prop. It was wound tightly, so cutting it would not have solved the problem. I needed to unjam the prop so that the motor could start. I was using a boat hook & a screw driver for pry bars. The waves gave me a pretty good pounding. I tore open my favorite pair of offshore bibs. I lost one boot. I got a couple of nasty looking bruises & lost a small amount of blood. But I did eventually get that line out of that prop.
Meanwhile, the guys on deck that were not actively busy keeping me from getting washed away, were working a 5 gallon bucket as fast as they could, in an attempt to bail water out of the boat as fast as it was coming over the transom. When I got yanked back on board, we got the motor started (thank god) & rode the back side of a wave for a few minutes to clear the deck of excess water. The boat felt like a boat again.
We then went back for the marks. We hit the first one from the side, pulled in the excess lines, worked up to where the anchor was set, tied off to a Sampson post & powered the anchor out. It came up twisted, but it came up. We did a repeat on the other mark, got everything on board & headed for the barn.
We were the last ones off the water that day. Nobody asked us why. We didn’t volunteer any unnecessary info. We quietly found a place where we could straighten the bent anchor, using a trailer hitch as a press arm. The next day was beautiful & the races resumed. The racers were not the only guys that got a workout during that regatta.
I shared this story a number of years ago but here's my worst anchoring experience.
Survived one hell of a storm
Last week, I endured one of the worst storms on Lake Superior I ever hope to encounter. Someone on Facebook suggested I write it all out for those that want to know the whole story. Here it is for those that want to read on. I was out for a solo overnighter or two, anchored in Presque Isle...
forums.sailboatowners.com
Knock wood....
I've always been able to get good anchors down in high winds. I've moved a few times. I've added a second anchor more times. I remember watching the dinghy streaming above the deck of one of my cats. Had to shovel hail out of the cockpit once. But no drama. A little concern? Yeah, that.
I've had neightboring boats go "bump" in the night, but no high winds and I put fenders out before I turned in. My PDQ also had very sturdy rub rails.
I've always been able to get good anchors down in high winds. I've moved a few times. I've added a second anchor more times. I remember watching the dinghy streaming above the deck of one of my cats. Had to shovel hail out of the cockpit once. But no drama. A little concern? Yeah, that.
I've had neightboring boats go "bump" in the night, but no high winds and I put fenders out before I turned in. My PDQ also had very sturdy rub rails.
NotCook
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- Dec 29, 2008
- 805
Know the place well. As often said about Lake Superior (especially to north of Apostle Islands) - “its not a lake, it’s an inland sea”.
The rope in the prop reminds me of one, though not an anchor issue. My uncle, cousin and I decided to go water skiing one day behind his large cabin cruiser -- no idea what year, just solid wood with a flying bridge (I was a teen at the time). We got out on the water, rigged the tow line and I jumped in. When the boat started, my cousin threw the whole coil in the water behind the boat where it was promptly eaten by the prop.
There wasn't enough trim on the motor to get the prop out of the water, so I spent over an hour with my legs rapped around something (skeg, or rudder, I have no idea) peeling the poly line out of the prop with a small screw driver and a bar-tender's tool as we drifted. Then we tied all the longish pieces of the rope together and finally had some fun.
There wasn't enough trim on the motor to get the prop out of the water, so I spent over an hour with my legs rapped around something (skeg, or rudder, I have no idea) peeling the poly line out of the prop with a small screw driver and a bar-tender's tool as we drifted. Then we tied all the longish pieces of the rope together and finally had some fun.
We had anchored at Bay Springs MS, one of the prettiest lake on the Tenn-Tom. The day before we were to leave we got up to dark clouds and thunderstorms. The couple that had went with us hauled anchor and fled to the only marina on the lake as they were inexperienced. My wife was concerned, and I could hear the fear in her voice. I went forward, let out about 50 more feet of rode, adjusted the kellet and came back down below. After drying off she asked use what we were going to do. I told her not to worry and went forward for a nap. Bless the manufacturer and designer of the Rocna anchor. We were safe and secure through the the day, she calmed down and learned the lesson of investing in quality ground tackle.