SWagner - Congratulations on your new-to-you boat! To bad one had to have an experience like this on the maiden voyage but, on the other hand, there are worse things that could have happened.
There is seldom any two situations exactly alike but having ideas about what one could do in any event is good. I’m not familiar with the Delaware area so consider that in what I have to say.
Anyone ever experience this and have any suggestions?
For our cruising area I try to be self-sufficient as much as possible. Because of the very cold water ~ 40ºF Equipment: I’ve got a full wet suit under one of the settees [note to self: probably need to try it on and see if it still fits!]. Our dingy has a kellett anchor that has been handy to keep the inflatable dingy off the barnacle encrusted rocks. There is a large emergency anchor, rode, and chain, numerous assorted lines, etc.
Have I ever experienced a keel wrap? I think I have but probably only once in several decades of cruising. Because one can only see a few feet in the water I’m not totally sure about that, but that is what I suspect. Having a fire drill at midnight in 25 knots on a lee shore isn’t something I would care for, but I did have a memorable experience once, not a keel wrap but a change in the weather forecast where it was changed from NW to SE and upped to gale force, shortly before midnight on a near moonless night which would have left us really exposed in the anchorage. Had to weigh anchor and high-tail it to a better location miles away, a very small cove, one we had never been to before, that had a very narrow entrance encumbered with rocks shown on a chart with a very old survey. That has since turned into our secret anchorage and we have told no one about it. Hint: it’s between Port Hardy and Prince Rupert. I digressed.
Man, cutting the rode with a stainless steel Delta, ouch! OUCH! (again). Hindsight is always 20-20. Given that the Danforth held what one could have done, maybe, but not knowing everything, if there was dragging room, is deploy the Danforth to see if it would hold (if it had it’s own rode), and if it did, then wait til morning. and see if the wind died down enough. The downside is potential more keel wrap if the boat was getting turned around.
With the morning daylight, one could see what could be worked out.
Not having a kellett on board, in the morning and if the wind died down, try to take up the slack on the Delta rode and tie it off on the bow. Retrieve the Danforth and rig it up like a kellett on the slack rode then try to un-snag it.
Another plan - hey, this is a SS Delta we’re talking about! How cold is the water and how well can you swim? I’d dive on that keel rode!
It was good to hear the rode didn’t snag on the prop. That would be a real concern to me. Keel wrap is one thing but a prop wrap is another.
I also agree with what several others said about attaching a float (one of the boat fenders but preferably an orange fisherman’s fender ball) to the cut and abandoned rode. 90-feet of rode isn’t that expensive but the chain and anchor is. If conditions were really bad, that is probably what I would have done first, or nearly first, and be on it at first light before anyone steals it.
Those are my thoughts.
