"Shaun Van Poecke" wrote in
:

recently i read a post where someone described how he kept his anchor
in the cockpit, with the chain stored in a bucket. he would then
deploy the anchor from the cockpit, see that it was set well, then
walk the rode up to the bow and tie off there. While it could really
only work with small boats and small anchors too, this idea seemed
simple and brilliant to me. Am i the only idiot who never thought of
it?



One of my friends, Dan, had a Hatteras 56 FBMY. He didn't really have a
cockpit, the helm was in his living room and another one on the patio
(flybridges don't have enough room for a pool, ya know..)

The medium Hat would deploy its anchor from either helm station. There
was one button for UP and one for DOWN.

He never used the anchor until I challenged him to go to the Charleston
Tugboat Races near USS Yorktown (CV-10). Just out of the channel, but in
plenty of tidal current coming down the Cooper River, I pushed the DOWN
button and let the anchor hit bottom in about 35' of water in the pluff
mud. I let the current drag us away putting the train engines in neutral
and keeping the DOWN button pressed backing away about 80 yards. When I
let up the button, the chain groaned and the Hat just sat there on her
tether, much to his amazement.

She held just fine for hours until way after the race was over. (White
Stack one by a pollard...(c We had dinner and sat on the patio under
the stars, then pressed the UP button until the anchor showed up. I
dragged it in the water while backing down to wash the mud off it before
winding it all the way into the chain locker. (I don't know how much
chain it had but it was a lot!) We motored back to the marina enjoying
the lights of Charleston passing slowly by about 10PM...how beautiful she
is....

That started a great Summer of anchoring out after I proved to him she
would trail her hook just fine. The next weekend we spent two days
anchored off Bird Key behind the island. We dragged by jetboat behind so
we'd have something to buzz around in leaving the "Big Camper", as Dan's
wife used to call her, on her hook in calm waters.

I liked the part about refilling her tanks on DAN'S credit card....(c;

She's sold and renamed, now. Dan and Kay have a huge diesel pusher
motorhome that dwarfs a Greyhound bus. They liked it so much they've
ordered an even grander road mansion, custom made to their tastes this
time.... I miss the old Hat and spending Saturdays in her bilge fixing
this or that or playing with the 8V92TA train engines in her two engine
rooms....on DAN'S credit card, of course...(c;

"Fill 'er up!", I said to the diesel dockhand while Dan held both hands
over his pulsing heart...(c;

Larry
--
Vista has been out a week.
Is Service Pack 1 ready yet?