hpeer wrote:

As to a GPS anchor watch I note these two incidents:


Someone asked Skip if he kept an anchor watch. Normally once we are
anchored, the anchor watch is my responsibility. Probably because
once Bob is asleep, he's asleep. This is roughly what I do.

I leave the GPS in the cockpit on (plugged in to the pedestal), down
to the greatest magnification that it has, and I mark where it shows
that we are anchored, and label the mark. I also mark and label the
anchor spot on the electronic charts on the computer.

If we are anchored near any kind of civilization, I take mental
bearings on the various shore points that I can see and note their
relationship to the boat. When I go down into the cabin, I look out
the ports next to me when I'm in bed and note what I see from there.

Periodically I will wake up and look out the port I can look out the
port without really getting up, but if what I see is different from
what I expect to see, I will go up into the cockpit and look at the
track on the GPS.

(I can wake myself up on schedule without an alarm - the interval of
waking decreases i.e. I wake more- often as the hazard that I perceive
increases.) I wake more often in high wind or if we have something
closer to us. I do have a kind of alarm, in that if the wind picks up
at night, the wind gen will 'signal' by way of increased noise and
vibration which we hear in the cabin (you can't hear it in the
cockpit, but the radar arch where the wind gen is mounted transmits
the vibration to the deck).

The only times we've ever dragged after the anchor has been set has
been when we were anchored for lunch. But if I were to be concerned
about where we were, I'd wake Bob up.

Bob is very picky about where he sets the anchor (depth of water and
type of bottom), and I back down on it until he is satisfied that it
is well set.

We usually get up early and stop well before dark, especially on the
way south because not only does it get dark earlier in the fall, but
the sun gets in your eyes otherwise because it is so low in the sky at
this time of year..

We have anchored at dusk, but we have only (AFAI remember) anchored
after dark-dark once, and that was when we were coming up from Indian
Key to Miami and we were going to have a storm for the next few days.
We wanted to be out of the Hawk Channel before the bulk of the storm
hit. We were sailing a little faster than usual because of the wind.

March 22, 2004
We got up about 0630. Bob is becoming more worried about the mooring and says he would rather be at anchor. I am very anxious to tour Indian Key (which we missed doing on the way down because we were in such a hurry to get to Marathon), but I actually agree with him, although I don't say so.

The problem is that we know from experience there is NO protection from NE or E winds in Hawk Channel (that we can get to) except possibly Rodriguez Key which is really close by. I don't think we will be any better off anchored there than we would be on a mooring as it is quite rocky with poor holding. And it usually takes us two days to get from here to Miami..

I finally give in and tell Bob that we can go. We got underway about 0745 which is a bit later than usual if we expect a long day.
We get to Tavernier at 1000. It is way too early to stop. Where can we go for the night? I'm considering the options.
We can see Rodriguez ahead. I suggest that if we are willing to anchor after dark, we might be able to get all the way to Miami tonight. Bob is really happy with that idea.

cut what I wrote about the trip The wind really picked up from the
oncoming storm about 1700.

About 1930, we have come up Biscayne Bay to Miami, and it is dark. I have picked out a place to anchor in an indentation off Hurricane Harbor which is at the west side of Key Biscayne. Bob has prepared the anchor, taken in the sails, and handed the helm over to me to find a spot to anchor.

I motor in watching the ATON on the radar and our position on the electronic chart. Bob is standing in the forward companionway trying to pick out the flashing lights on the marks.

Finally about in the middle of the area (I really want to be closer to shore, but I'm chicken to go any farther in), I'm ready to have Bob drop the hook. It sets quickly and firmly. We have done 73.6 sm (64nm) at an average speed of 6.2 mph.

It is now really windy