It happened

[mjsouleman]

Well it happened! This morning I sailed to a nice quiet anchoring site and jumped in for a swim and boat beard wipe down. Before I did that I studiously checked sightings for anchor drag and re-checked. Everything I saw told me the anchor was holding the mud bottom. After putting out a fender on a line as a floatation device and dropping a line over the side, (you can never be to careful), I jumped in and .enjoyed the swim.

Coming around the bow, something seemed off, the three deck 50 Foot cabin cruiser that was on a mooring ball seemed closer. Climbing aboard and looking over my shoulder, sure enough she was drifting right toward me and getting close (they had not started the engine before pulling the anchor). The wife was at the wheel, high up and the husband was bent over the anchor well intent on what ever he was doing. No amount of gesturing or yelling got his attention and now he was on top of me about 40 feet.

Jump to the anchor rode and started pulling for all I was worth, with moment to spare, the anchor was out of the mud and I ran to open the jib. Discovery turned ever so slowly away but the cruiser was on me. All I could do was hope for a gust of wind.

That is when I heard his engine roar to life. Seems the (ahem) captain looked up, saw a certain collision about to happen and made his move.
This is a day I will not soon forget.

 

[Drewm3i]

A harrowing tale!

 

[Frank Langer]

Yes, that's scary! I had to wake a sailor at 2 a.m. when their boat was dragging towards ours in an unexpected storm. Being prepared for emergencies, including hauling anchor quickly, is critical.
I'm glad that you were able to avoid damage to your boat!
Frank

 

[Gaviate]

Yikes....Air Horn!!

 

[Christian Williams]

Good on ya. And people think cruising is so relaxing....

 

[peaman]

I once anchored in a crowded harbor off Tortola. I figured that I was well positioned among my nearest neighbors, as I had done many times before, knowing that boats swing together. I was wakened in the wee hours with a bump and a holler, to find that the wind had shifted 180 degrees with the passing of a front, and my chartered boat was bumping the bow of another. It turns out, the other boat had two anchors set, so no way that boat would swing like the others in a shift. That was years ago, and I have since wondered who was in the right? And whether I should have foreseen the issue..

 

[Frank Langer]

Boaters often insist that boats at anchor will swing in the same direction with the wind or current. However, I have seen many times that it's not true, because power cruisers and sailboats differ substantially in windage aloft, draft/keel depth, displacement, all chain vs. chain/rope anchor rode, etc.
I use a range finder (like the ones used for golfing) to determine distance from surrounding boats, and if someone anchors so we could touch or be close if we swing differently, I will politely insist they reposition their anchor. Most boaters comply readily, sometimes apologizing for being too close, but I've also had some angry reactions. I would still rather tolerate those than have my boat damaged in the night.
The hard part is that if a boater has left their boat in a dinghy or is down below, it's hard to know how much anchor rode they have out, so what can look safe can change quickly if the wind changes and they swing closer than expected. I've sometimes re--anchored just to be sure.
Frank

 

[Loren Beach]

Hi Frank. If I may kid you just a little bit.... our version of spending the night near a lot of other boats in BC was to take a slip at the posh Port Sidney marina, where the uniformed "dock boys" come out to take your lines, there are flower pots blooming in baskets on the pilings, and the office has luxurious showers... !! No problem with other boats at all!
LOL.... !

 

[Sean Engle]

My God. I recall once in Port Townsend, we were eating dinner and Meeta asked me "...are the buildings supposed to be going by like that?" Panicked, I raced onto the deck and pulled the anchor (35# Bruce + chain) up hand over hand the fastest I've ever done it. Pulled the muscles in both shoulders... Turned out I had anchored right on the lip of where they used to dredge for the old ferry terminal...and had dragged.

Glad nothing happened to you!

 

[Frank Langer]

Hi Frank. If I may kid you just a little bit.... our version of spending the night near a lot of other boats in BC was to take a slip at the posh Port Sidney marina, where the uniformed "dock boys" come out to take your lines, there are flower pots blooming in baskets on the pilings, and the office has luxurious showers... !! No problem with other boats at all!
LOL.... !

Yes, Loren, the Sidney marina is quite lovely. We have docked there quite often over the years, but given the choice between docking at a marina and anchoring out, I'll always choose swinging at anchor, preferably in a quiet Bay that only I know.
Unless, of course, my wife/first mate is with me and wants to have dinner in a restaurant, a request to which I must agree. Yes, we've been married for 50 years!
Frank

 

[Filkee]

Always have a low-grade adrenaline drip the second I drop a hook. There is no trust.

 

[mjsouleman]

Gesture, holler, blow horns or act. The first three will make you feel better for a bit, but when the offender is closing in fast from 40 yards out will keep you alert and safe. A rum or two will cure the achy shoulders and back from pulling on that anchor in a huirry.

Hi Frank, good to hear from you.

 

[bigd14]

And people think cruising is so relaxing...

Sailing: Hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.

That sounds a little too exciting Mark! Glad you made it unscathed.

A dozen years back, before we knew about the once-yearly gill net salmon fishery on the Columbia River, we were motoring upriver against the 2 knot current at night and wondered why a strange boat near the shore kept beaming us with a spotlight. The radio crackled to life with something about fish and nets. I went to the foredeck to see if I could see anything and found us about to run over a gill net that stretched almost all the way across the river. I discovered that it is possible to sprint the entire length of a sailboat and was able to slam the motor in neutral about two seconds before we ran over the net. Only then did we notice the very faint light in the water marking the far end of the net that blended right in with the shore lights. Took me a few hours to get to sleep that night!

 

[mjsouleman]

And on the news this morning
The U.S. Coast Guard came to the rescue of Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy after his boat lost power off Nantucket Monday.
Dave pulled is anchor up in heavy winds, then tried to start his engine and was left to drift toward other boats in the harbor. Of course he did the next best thing, he fired a flare gun in the closely packed harbor. No boats were set on fire and a young lady saved the day. Yea!

 

[Frank Langer]

Yup, gotta start the engine before you pull the anchor, just in case. Unless you're a pretty sailboat and can sail away when the anchor is up.... But in a full, crowded anchorage, not so much.
Frank
Frank

 

[mjsouleman]

Sailing: Hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.

That sounds a little too exciting Mark! Glad you made it unscathed.

A dozen years back, before we knew about the once-yearly gill net salmon fishery on the Columbia River, we were motoring upriver against the 2 knot current at night and wondered why a strange boat near the shore kept beaming us with a spotlight. The radio crackled to life with something about fish and nets. I went to the foredeck to see if I could see anything and found us about to run over a gill net that stretched almost all the way across the river. I discovered that it is possible to sprint the entire length of a sailboat and was able to slam the motor in neutral about two seconds before we ran over the net. Only then did we notice the very faint light in the water marking the far end of the net that blended right in with the shore lights. Took me a few hours to get to sleep that night!

Bigd, how are the projects coming along?

 

[Randy Rutledge]

When setting the hook I sweat the anchor line = full reverse for 15 seconds. Oh I know a wind shift changes all that effort. Army left me nearly deaf so an anchor alarm is useless. GPS recording a track and view every 15 minutes, yes somehow when on anchor I wake up from light sleep to check don’t know how. If showing the same swing path you are good. One night at Quiet water in Pensacola we traveled over two miles with a top speed over two knots, the anchor never moved. Just swinging.

 

[bigd14]

Bigd, how are the projects coming along?

The projects are being measured in years. Various setbacks including a broken shoulder and my big box of epoxy and fiberglass supplies being stolen hasn’t helped. I hope to wrap up the fo’c’sle/anchor roller project in September. I’ll get a blog post together when that is done. Just now getting back to sailing the boat with both arms mostly functional now. A new mainsail and main sheet is a vast improvement over the blown out old rag. I just made some handrail covers and I finished the galley project and replaced the gummy taffrail dorade vents before the shoulder made me stop work for two months. The list is getting smaller, but I need to step up maintenance now to keep it that way.

2024-2025 Project List
Vang led aft
Fo’c’sle/Anchor Roller Replace
Engine water supply winterizing plumbing
Lazarette organization and containment
New Autopilot
New Jib
Other as needed

And some of the Blue Sea panel indicator LED lights are flickering now so I have to figure out what’s up there….