On Sun, 15 Jun 2014 06:59:55 +0700, Bruce in Bangkok
wrote:
On Sat, 14 Jun 2014 13:53:31 -0400, "Sir Gregory Hall, Esq."
wrote:

On Fri, 13 Jun 2014 21:46:56 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Thu, 12 Jun 2014 07:29:06 +0700, Bruce in Bangkok
wrote:

One has a choice of anchorages. There is NEVER an instance
when one HAS to anchor on coral heads. As a matter of fact
it is stupid and irresponsible to anchor in coral areas.

Why do you say that? Nearly every bay in S.W. Thailand has coral in
it. Some times a great deal more then expected :-(

===

There are plenty of good reasons for using a chain rode other than
coral risk, and since virtually all *serious* cruisers use chain, they
must know something that our hero does not.


They only know what they read in magazines. They use roll-up sails
for the same reason - because it's a fad. They think it looks
cool. Wrong, it looks stupid as hell and it breaks down way too
often.

Well, if you are correct then nearly every cruiser in the world is
wrong as I can't remember when I last saw a cruising boat that didn't
have a roller furling jib.

That's because they are suckers for adverts that push that
expensive, failure-prone crap. It makes my point.

Unfortunately, as you have never cruised, you don't know that and so
you flaunt your ignorance for all to see.

I've done plenty of cruising and I STILL cruise.

You rather remind me of the old joke about the crowds watching the
army parading down Broadway. One woman says, "Oooo look at that, they
are all out of step except my Johnny.

She could be right provided she knows the beat. In like manner
I AM right because I don't fall for advertising the sole purpose
of which is to sell product - the more expensive the better,
never mind how stupid it really is.

It wasn't all that long ago that cruising under sail didn't
display a sycophant slavery to stupid and extraneous, not to
mention, downright dangerous products.

All-chain rodes are just as STUPID for cruising yachts. Modern
anchors hold just fine with just a short length of chain attached
to a nylon rode. Modern windlasses handle nylon line just fine.
Chain gypsies can take a finer off in a hurry. Can and do!

The weight of chain alone makes it stupid to use. Why not
use sails made from stainless steel mesh. They would sure
never blow out in strong winds. Another stupid suggestion, huh?
Who needs all that extra weight aloft. It would make the yacht
too tender and it would negate ballast weight.


No, actually the advantage that chain has is that it is heavy. If
weight is not an advantage than one could be quite happy with a light
- say one ounce - anchor.

Duh, the anchor itself does the holding - not the chain that would
drag itself merrily along without the anchor. It is so very environ-
mentally irresponsible to use an all-chain rode. It destroys coral,
fish habitat, mollusks and mollusk habitat. It dredges up sea grass.
Hundreds of square feet of productive bottom is destroyed by a
heavy chain dragging back and forth, back and forth. And this by
hypocrite folks who claim to love the sea. Well, I have a clue for
you. The sea bottom is part of the sea and you don't seem to care
one bit about destroying large quantities of it with no real reason
for doing so other than some stupid all-chain rode fetish.

But of course, if one has never been to sea one doesn't know this.

Wrong again, dock boi!

Bow lockers full of heavy chain cause a yacht to hobby horse.
One needs to keep the ends of the boat as light as possible
so the bow easily rises on the waves/chop/swell instead of
plowing through making for a wet ride. Putting weight on the
ends of a yacht causes a bad ride.

Again you display your ignorance for all to see. If one carries a
large weight, relative to the boat's size and weight, one simply
locates the chain locker in the bilges of the boat. Added ballast you
see.

In the bilges in the center is the best place for any weight that is
NECESSARY to carry. But, anchor chain is totally unnecessary as modern
synthetics are superior in every way.

But, as I've mentioned, in most cruising boat the weight of the chain
rode is negligible.

Not when it's on the bow as in a bow locker which is where most all
modern boats and many older boat store the chain.

The bow rises less easily to wave action because of it so it tends
to plow through them which slows the entire vessel and causes a wetter
ride.

--
Sir Gregory