Nailed down or blown around?

[Griffin]

Good idea???

I just had a thought...Walmart sells some wire ties that glow in the dark. I am considering using these as rode markers in 10' increments on the line.Shining a light in the well just before setting the hook should charge the ties enough for them to glow when paying out the rode...Just an idea!BTW...I anchor out at Put-In-Bay in Lake Erie. This area is notorious in local lore for not holding very well. I have never had a problem. I just worry about the folks around me who OBVIOUSLY have no clue...you know...the powere boaters out there who refuse to use any chain at all for fear that they may scratch the finish. (not all are like that, just the clueless ones).

 

[Gord May]

Wire ties

Tie wraps make good rode markers; but watch your hands! Twist the keeper to the inside of the link, on chain, and beware sharp edges on rope. Glow in the dark sounds good.

 

[dj]

Simple - wife docks it perfectly every time

So, would I say otherwise? <grin>But she does do a great job in backing the boat in the slip for the last 7 years.

 

[Doug Thom]

Wrapped around the anchor

A few years ago we wanted to sail the San Juan's in Washington state, so we chartered a 35.5 just like our own. The boat came with a Danforth and a decent amount of chain which we set out and since we liked the anchorage so much we spent two nights. By the time I pulled up the anchor the chain was wrapped around the anchor a number of times and wedged between the flukes locking them in place. The rig was about as efficient as a sewing machine on the end of a chain. If you spend anytime at an anchorage there will be tide and wind direction changes which could foul the anchor. It may pay to pull up and reset the second day or at least fire up the diesel and give it a good pull just to make sure.

 

[Michael Bell]

I’m jealous

Being able to dive down and check your anchor!Must be nice.Here in the Pacific Northwest, we rely on trained seals to do that.

 

[Jim Schaff]

Getting It Up

My problem has not been so much getting the anchor set and keeping it there as getting it back in the boat the next morning. I sometimes sail in Lake Pleasant, Arizona which is full of submerged brush and trees. I've left three anchors in that lake! But, I've learned to tie a strong line to the part of the anchor where the flukes and the shank meet, and tying the other end of the line to a fender and tossing the fender into the water. When I go to retrieve the anchor and its hooked into a tree or under a rock, I can usually pull it out backwards by pulling on the "fender line." One time, by winching the anchor rode for an hour, I couldn't budge the anchor. By winching the anchor rode on one side of the boat and the fender line on the other -- I pulled the whole tree out! Still have that anchor!Jim Schaffs/v Savannah