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Bruce in Bangkok[_2_]

On Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:49:43 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Bruce in Bangkok wrote:
Anyone that has to set a second anchor in rough seas is not paying
attention. Given the availability of radio weather reports in this day
and age anyone who doesn't know what the weather is doing isn't
listening. The time to set a second anchor is before the wind gets up.

Agreed, but there are more reasons than ignorance of the weather to
set an anchor vie dinghy.

True. I don't usually park in places where there isn't room to swing
so I don't bother with a second anchor but I can see that it might be
necessary from time to time, but he seemed to be talking about rowing
out a second anchor in the teeth of a roaring gale.

"Armond Perretta" wrote:
I guess I am going to have to study up. I have had one or more (probably
more) instances of having to take out gear in the dink for security or
weather reasons. Maybe I have just been in places where the weather
reports, such as they were, weren't too reliable.

I've used a dinghy to set an anchor in a place that the big boat
couldn't have gotten to... and it worked out wonderfully, holding the
big boat closer in to a place that was secure. I've also used a dinghy
to set a security anchor to hold us off a dock. Then there is setting
a kedge to pull off from a grounding, although most people probably
think it's easier to just call Sea Tow.

True, I did run a line ashore when I was parked near a coral outcrop
but it really wasn't a "got to do it" situation. I was bound I was
going to anchor between another boat and a coral 'ledge" and didn't
want to swing.

I have both hard and soft little boats, but in the cases I recall where
anchor and chain had to be set from the boat, the hard boat with oars was
the one actually used. I probably would have been a little intimidated
about having to toss a patent-style anchor into a rubber boat in the dark,
or with a sea making up. No such fears about the hard boat, and in fact the
rig performed quite well.

One of my money earning hobbies is building dinghies. I designed and
built several 8 ft glass over plywood boats that will carry three
adults (well, skinny ones) quite safely in any weather I want to be
out in a dinghy. They aren't as light as a rubber duck but they are
light enough that I can pick one up by my self. Local made rubber
dinghies are running a bit over $1,000 here and I can build glass over
plywood boat for about a third of that.

I have never liked outboard motors, a RIB was out of the question. We
have a dinghy that I designed & built, and consider it as close to
perfect for our uses as could be: it is very easy to row, stable, and
looks like a classic lapstrake pulling boat.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Bruce-in-Bangkok
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