I'm a bit surprised that after the first drag, you didn't set an anchor
watch for the night. I think you are using up your luck here, Skip.

-paul

October 26 - What A Drag!

When we left you, I promised to tell you of more that I learned
in Oxford, MD. Boy, Howdy, as they say in the south where I used
to live...

We're in Oxford, a charming (are all Chesapeake area towns like
this??) very small city on the Tred Avon River. It's home to an
amazing wooden boat builder who uses kevlar in his construction,
a couple of museums, a major Hinkley shop, and the usual
assortment of very nice people, dogs, birds, squirrels and other
fauna. Just tonight, a goose swam up to our platform and begged;
we fed her a piece of bread which she daintily took, piece by
piece, from our hands. On our trip into town earlier, we
encountered yet another very friendly dog walking his owner, who
was also friendly, so we chatted both up for a while before
heading in for the touristy stuff.

That was today, what we expect, if the weather holds, to be our
last day here. I'd slept in, dramatically for me, for reasons
we'll discuss anon, but it's been really nasty weather for the
last couple of days. To bring you up to date on our education, I
have to back up a couple of days...

As usual, the ladies slept in yesterday, and so the laundry and
shopping got off to a late start. Worse, the weather was really
stinky, with pretty constant rain, and going off in the dinghy
wasn't much fun to consider. However, it looked like it was
clearing up, so Lydia and her Mom went off to load the machines
at Mears. Lydia was going to bring her mom back and then go for a
long walk but as soon as they got there, it commenced raining
even harder than before. So, they stayed and instead took
advantage of the showers there and chatted up the locals.

One of them, Pete, was considering the liveaboard and full-time
travel routine that we're doing, and asked to join us for dinner,
providing the ride to Latitude 38.

We'd noted that the other boats in the anchorage had left
overnight. Pete said that the power boat anchored in front of
Mears had dragged all the way across the channel in the storm in
the morning, coming to rest against a marker post. That would
prove very interesting to us later, but we felt smug on our 55
pound Delta and all chain rode, still stuck where we started.
Anyway, laundry finished, all showered up, they finally returned
in a lull in the rain.

Because it was so nasty, and also, by that time, so late, we
elected to stay another day, having still not gotten in to do our
exploring. After all, it seems a bit much to come all this way
only to go to dinner.

We dinghied in to the landing and Pete picked us up, heading off
to another memorable dinner at Latitude 38. Wednesday night is
Prime Rib night, and the place is packed. However, Wendy, the
owner, recognizes us immediately, and after asking how we got
there (she expected to come pick us up), got our table ready
quickly.

Pete and I talked at length about all the realities and
challenges of full-time cruising, but, even if he keeps his
Freedom 33 (he thinks it might be too small) to do that, he could
do it. He's a double retiree, Army and teaching, and has the
means to cut the cord. So, all that we'd been through was very
interesting to him, and we had a lovely time together as he
picked our brains.

By the time we returned to the dinghy, the weather had
deteriorated, not only raining but blowing rather energetically.
We'd found good holding, though, and our 55# Delta has been
criticized as too big for the boat as it was, so we felt
reasonably comfortable with our position.

The first thing we learned was that we likely had fouled our
anchor in all the changes of direction. In the morning, we'd been
facing, with relatively high winds, all 4 points of the compass,
but eventually straightened out from what had been a strong wind
South to land in a relatively northerly position. I say "likely"
because I couldn't believe that big mother of an anchor and the
long all-chain we'd put out, after being firmly set, could slide.

Wishful thinking. We were sliding, and in danger of winding up in
the docks of where we landed our dinghy. Hurry and start the
engine, pull up the anchor while motoring into the wind, but
still get blown on to, at the very end of the boat - our arch - a
marker pole.

No big deal, as we get off, and then go for a re-anchor. Once
again, we stick it firmly, and let out lots of scope. As the
winds are forecast to remain very consistent, after watching the
GPS like a hawk for about an hour, at close to 1AM I go to bed as
the winds outside howl.

A little after 3AM, I feel something's not quite right. We've got
more heel than would be likely with the level of wind we've got,
and even more strangely, it seems to be coming from more abeam
than would be the case from just sailing around at anchor. So, I
get up to have a look.

EEEK! There's a boat behind us, in a dock, not 15 feet from our
stern. Off to our port, about 100' away, there's a seawall. The
wind is exactly on our beam, and blowing pretty good. Worse, I
don't see anything I've ever seen, let alone recognize nor know
where I am. However, the good news, if you can call it that, is
that we seem to be aground, and appear not to be in any danger of
running into the boat behind us, nor the seawall. I grab a
boathook to confirm that we are, in fact, aground. Our chain is
stretched out nearly perpendicular to the boat. Obviously, we've
dragged, went aground, and the bow swung around until it stopped,

I got out the searchlight and tried to find any familiar
landmark. I couldn't. I didn't recognize anything. However, I
could see channel markers, much higher in number than I recalled,
so at least we could find our way out, if we could get off the
ground. I turned on the inverter, fired up the laptop, booted the
Cap'n, and saw that we were at high tide. Great! Just like in St.
Michaels, if we don't get off immediately, we're not going to,
for a while. However, this time, we're reacting in realtime,
rather than later, and it makes a difference.

I got Lydia up, raised the front window of the dodger so we could
see against the glare I was creating, put on our Marriage Saver
headsets so that we could communicate even in the howling wind,
with me on the bow and her driving, and commenced getting off.

Fortunately, our anchor, while it had dragged all that way, was
still stuck, so my kedging got the nose around, and as Lydia
applied full starboard and throttle, she stood up and we were
off. We picked our way back to where we'd been, as, now that we
were the only boat in the anchorage, there was plenty of room.
Later, in the daylight, I was able to see that we'd dragged
probably a quarter mile, managing not to hit anything along the
way to our sandy/muddy resting place. WHEW!

(Back to the education.) I also learned that I was very annoyed
that our already oversized anchor should have dragged. However,
we also have a second, even bigger anchor up front. The 75# CQR,
with, also, all chain at this length, was deployed for the first
time, following a longer-than-normal rode on the Delta. It hooks,
and I let out about a 7-1 scope on it. The two hold, with about
an initial 30* angle between them.

However, twice burned, infinitely shy. All this has taken about
an hour and a half, and it's about 4:30. I send Lydia to bed and
take up anchor watch. I look at the GPS in thousandths of a mile.
Each thousandth represents about 5 feet, and the boat's swinging.
Initially, it looks like it must be dragging again, but I watch
it like a hawk. It varies enough that I figure the only way I'm
going to have a comfort level about whether it's actually
dragging is to log it. As some of the N/S variances were as much as
10, that would mean 50 feet or so. Not a comfortable feeling,
especially as it's happening over a relatively short time frame. But,
I can't really see any apparent movement with the circle-scope trying
to do mental calculations about what that would mean in N/S and E/W
movement.

So, every minute, beginning at 5AM, I log the thousandths of
north and west. After about the first hour, I also log the wind
at the time, in order to calculate the swing and change in
location. More education, I think I learn that I can't fully
trust the GPS, as it seems that we've actually moved, based on a
landmark reference, but the GPS doesn't track that. However, I'm
able to see that our noted position has recurred in several cases
throughout the total of logged minutes, so we're revisiting the
same spot(s). Whether or not the "automatic rough" (the syndrome
that has pilots hearing something wrong with the engine when
visibility declines making them not have ready emergency landing
places visible - but the engine's actually just as it always is)
was responsible or it really was slightly dragging, if we were
going back over the same spots we'd been in over that time, we
couldn't be doing too badly.

None the less, as no further apparent (negative) movement occurs,
after 2 hours, I go to every 5 minute logging, and finally, at
8AM, when it's light again, conclude that we're fully hooked, and
aren't doing anything more than swinging on our two anchors.
Lesson learned is that our two anchors will hold when one
oversized one, on excess scope, in good holding, apparently, won't.

Another lesson learned is that were this a hurricane, we'd need a
great deal more holding than we had put out last night, as I don't
have confidence that our second anchor would have made the
sufficient difference. I'll save our hurricane prep for another
time, but it's enough to say that we have a great deal more
holding and tying aboard than we've used here, so we think we'll
be ok. Of course, the main thing will be to not be where there's
a hurricane!

So, in the end, I slept until 2, unheard of for me, and we went
to town in lots of wind, but still relatively warm. Our return
was dry, if a bit spitty with rain, and lots of wind, and we
settled in to an early dinner and movie in the still-warm cabin
made even toastier for the cooking. We've stayed fixed in exactly
(swinging aside, of course) the same position throughout the
20-25knot winds all day (and for that matter, since before 5AM),
so we're relatively comfortable that we'll still be here in the
morning.

Winds are forecast for 15knots east all day for our run to
Solomons, where we expect to anchor in Back Creek. We'll be there
for several days as we pick up various shipments sent to us, and
try to enjoy the area with a little less drama than here!

Postscript to that is the weather deteriorated to the point that not
only would it be not much fun out there, but vis would decline in the
afternoon. This morning, as I type, we're actively thinking in terms
of going to Cambridge, with hopes that we'll be in graduate level
studies there, rather than the painful underclassmen studies we're
enduring here :{))

Stay tuned for further adventures.


L8R

Skip

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery !
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"You are never given a wish without also being given the power
to make it come true. You may have to work for it however."
(and)
"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in
its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts."
(Richard Bach, in The Reluctant Messiah)

"Skip Gundlach" wrote in message
ups.com...
October 26 - What A Drag!

snip...

Did you mention an alarm on your GPS to sound if you drag a specified
distance?

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 13:32:35 -0000, Skip Gundlach
wrote:

Winds are forecast for 15knots east all day for our run to
Solomons, where we expect to anchor in Back Creek. We'll be there
for several days as we pick up various shipments sent to us, and
try to enjoy the area with a little less drama than here!

Be advised that the holding in Solomons is marginal also. It is one
of the few places where our 120 pound Spade has not gotten a firm bite
on the first try. The bottom is soft, silty mud with shells mixed
in, not a good combination. Probably the best anchor for conditions
like that is something with lots of fluke area, perhaps a large,
oversized Fortress. Since they can be dissassembled, it is not that
difficult to carry around a big one for "special" conditions.
Something like their FX-85 would give you a great deal of holding
power and only weighs 21 pounds.

http://www.fortressanchors.com/fortr...hor_guide.html

http://www.fortressanchors.com/safe_anchoring.html

On Oct 26, 10:05 am, Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 13:32:35 -0000, Skip Gundlach

Since they can be dissassembled, it is not that
difficult to carry around a big one for "special" conditions.
Something like their FX-85 would give you a great deal of holding
power and only weighs 21 pounds.
Correction: FX-37 is 21 lbs, the FX-85 is 47lbs

Wayne.B wrote:

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 13:32:35 -0000, Skip Gundlach
wrote:

Winds are forecast for 15knots east all day for our run to
Solomons, where we expect to anchor in Back Creek. We'll be there
for several days as we pick up various shipments sent to us, and
try to enjoy the area with a little less drama than here!

Be advised that the holding in Solomons is marginal also. It is one
of the few places where our 120 pound Spade has not gotten a firm bite
on the first try. The bottom is soft, silty mud with shells mixed

We anchored off Oxford (between the point and the ferry dock) in
2000and had no trouble with the holding although Bob had to reset the
anchor once.

At the time I wrote:

!Tried to find the place in Town Creek, but there were 2 boats there
already.
!
!Went back out near the ferry dock and anchored. It took Bob two
tries to get the anchor set.
!Ernie came and rafted with us on our anchor (50 lb Max anchor with
125 feet of 5/16ths chain). Ernie called the restaurant he was going
to take us to (Latitude 38) and then we each took our own dink and
tied to the other side of the ferry dock. The restaurant sent someone
to pick us up and take us to dinner.

!This is a very fancy restaurant with fancy dishes and fancy prices.
I took part of my steak home with me Alice had quail, and Bob had a
scallops. Afterwards, we went back to our boats and had a nice chat.

!In the morning, Ernie came over to our boat, and then I went over to
his to show him how to use electronic charting software, but it is
different from mine. I think he got cold feet and decided to figure it
out himself after I said that I found out how to do it myself by "keep
on trying until it either worked or broke".

!Bob was concerned that we were dragging, because we had 2 heavy
boats on one anchor. I thought that "Another Day" a motor boat that
was anchored near us was dragging. We were in the same relation to the
little orange and white buoy near the ferry dock that we had been. Bob
and Ernie said he couldn't be dragging toward his anchor. Bob took in
50 feet of chain.
!
!Eventually the guy on Another Day came out and looked at his anchor,
but he didn't do anything about it. Bob and Ernie eventually admitted
that I was right and he was dragging, but since we wanted to get to
the South River that afternoon, and Another Day was getting too close
for comfort, we unrafted about 9:50 and Ernie sped off. The anchor was
up by 10:15.

The next time we came to Oxford on that same 2000 trip (August) we
docked at Mears Boatyard.

!We walked over to the Chatterbox Cafe for lunch, and saw Jim and Pat
working on their boat at Oxford boatyard and said we'd be back after
lunch. One of the reasons we came back to Oxford was to visit with
them - they were out of town when we were here before.
!
!A big bowl (which they called a cup) of gazpacho was $4.50, and we
each also had a chicken salad sandwich (had to eat with a fork) was
$3.95. Very good and satisfying.
!
!We walked around to the Oxford Boatyard and saw Jim and Pat's boat
(they've completely torn out the interior - the exterior looks
beautiful), and then it looked like rain, so while they stowed their
tools,...

!.. we walked back to our boat. It started to rain. Bob walked
quickly back to our boat, and was able to close the ports and hatches
that we'd left open before things got too wet, and put down the side
curtains.
!
!He got a little wet, but I (going more slowly) got absolutely soaked
to the skin - it rained so hard I couldn't see very well because of
the rain on my glasses. After I got to the boat, I stripped all my
clothes off in the cockpit - the curtains were too steamed up for
anyone to see me, and I didn't want to drip in the cabin any more than
necessary. We actually hadn't needed to do a wash, but we did need to
get all that wet stuff dry.
!
!A big Island Packet named ExFed (painted in FedEx colors) had been
put at the other end of our side of D dock. Jim and Pat (using trash
bags as raincoats) came over to our boat and we visited while it
gradually cleared a little. After they came aboard the marina guy put
an Jeaneau in between ExFed and us. Jim asked if I didn't want to go
forward and fend them off our boat and I said I thought our anchors
would do just fine. No one would want their boat in contact with our
ugly pointy anchors (one a Max and one a CQR).
!
!They put a BIG Hattaras named Prima Donna on the T end of D dock.
Their bow stuck out a little past our stern. They had a motor scooter
aboard we found out later.
!
!While Bob attempted the laundry, I used the pay phone (none of the
portables worked) to download pocketmail. The pay phone was under the
steps, right where the rain poured down on it. Everything there was
wet and it was almost impossible to keep to receiver and the
pocketmail dry even when I put it inside my raincoat.
!
!Wearing our foul weather gear (just in case), we walked along the
waterfront to the Robert Morris Inn (by the ferry dock) for dinner. It
was really a nice evening although damp and a little overcast. One of
the houses along the street had some BIG binoculars trained out on the
Tred Avon - on a tripod - the large end lenses looked as big as
saucers.
!
!We dined by the window in the Tap Room. This is another expensive
fancy place (we were put in the Tap Room because that was 'more
casual' although the menu was the same).
!
!Bob had a house salad ($5) and the fisherman's appetizer as a main
course ($8.50 - fried clams, shrimp and scallops). I had a combination
dish (can't remember the name - surf and something) which consisted of
an *excellent* broiled lump crab meat crab cake (a la Robert Morris -
apparently they do two types - and Oxford crab cake and a Robert
Morris crab cake) and a grilled chicken breast. I didn't eat the
chicken - saved it for lunch the next day. I couldn't figure out what
was in the crab cake other than crab. It was a wonder to me that it
even stuck together. My dinner cost $19. It was one of the lowest cost
items on the menu.
!
!With it, I also got a nice warm hard roll, a corn muffin, asparagus,
fried zucchini, and something mashed which I think was rutabaga or
some root vegetable that I don't normally like, but which was good. I
ordered the chicken and crab because it was cheaper than just the crab
by itself. Go figure. I had strawberry pie for dessert and Bob had
coconut key lime cake.
!
!As we walked back we had a friendly discussion/argument about how
many boats were anchored where we had anchored last time, and whether
they had anchor lights or not. One (which Bob didn't see at first)
didn't have any light visible to us, and one apparently had an oil
light that went out as we watched.

in, not a good combination. Probably the best anchor for conditions
like that is something with lots of fluke area, perhaps a large,
oversized Fortress. Since they can be dissassembled, it is not that
difficult to carry around a big one for "special" conditions.
Something like their FX-85 would give you a great deal of holding
power and only weighs 21 pounds.

http://www.fortressanchors.com/fortr...hor_guide.html

http://www.fortressanchors.com/safe_anchoring.html

One of the anchorages in the Back Creek area of Solomons is right near
the museum. It used to be that you could not go to the museum by
dinghy - you had to approach by land and pay admission before you
could land a dinghy. I think that has changed now.

In any case, this is very protected, and also near to things like
grocery stores for provisioning.

The anchorage area has been reduced in recent years by the
installation of moorings.

http://p.vtourist.com/1547007-Anchor...ons_Island.jpg
http://p.vtourist.com/3558627-Sports...ons_Island.jpg

We anchored in Mill Creek off Back Creek. (one of many, many Back
Creek's in the Bay area) where we waited out a storm.

The area is nice and sheltered, but you still need to set your anchor
well. There were 5 or 6 boats there with us, and we were the only ones
that did not drag. Photo
http://p.vtourist.com/3558630-My_pic...ons_Island.jpg
shows Charlie checking his anchor - he had to pull it and reset it.

We have a 55 lb. SuperMax anchor and all chain, and we did not move.
http://p.vtourist.com/3558629-Calver...ons_Island.jpg

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:42:35 -0000, tom wrote:

Correction: FX-37 is 21 lbs, the FX-85 is 47lbs

And you are correct, my eyes crossed the kg row with the pounds row.

It turns out the FX-85 is 21.2 kg.

"Rosalie B." wrote in message
...
Wayne.B wrote:

[snipped]

The area is nice and sheltered, but you still need to set your anchor
well. There were 5 or 6 boats there with us, and we were the only ones
that did not drag. Photo
http://p.vtourist.com/3558630-My_pic...ons_Island.jpg
shows Charlie checking his anchor - he had to pull it and reset it.

Hi Rosalie
Is that a Cabo Rico?
I'm curious as we don't see many over here in WA

thanks
Hoges in WA

"Hoges in WA" wrote:


"Rosalie B." wrote in message
.. .
Wayne.B wrote:

[snipped]

The area is nice and sheltered, but you still need to set your anchor
well. There were 5 or 6 boats there with us, and we were the only ones
that did not drag. Photo
http://p.vtourist.com/3558630-My_pic...ons_Island.jpg
shows Charlie checking his anchor - he had to pull it and reset it.

Hi Rosalie
Is that a Cabo Rico?
I'm curious as we don't see many over here in WA

No, we have a CSY as do Charlie and Ernie that were referred to.

One of them was for sale in Australia not so long ago.
grandma Rosalie

S/V RosalieAnn, Leonardtown, MD
CSY 44 WO #156
http://home.mindspring.com/~gmbeasley/id1.html

On Oct 26, 6:32 am, Skip Gundlach wrote:
October 26 - What A Drag!

Skip

Dear Skip..................................

Please supply the following data;

1) what is the weight of your boat?

2) How much DRAG (pull on your ground tackle) does your boat create
in the following winds

15 knots _________ pounds

30 knots _________ pounds

42 knots _________ pounds

60 knots_________ pounds

What is the SAFE WORKING LOAD of your chain AND conections (shackles)
and any eye splices. "purdy strong" wont work. I need pounds rated for
EACH item in your anchoring system.... or what normal people call
"ground tackle."

Can you tell me exactly what type bottom youre over???
HOw would you find out if you dont know? If you say look at a chart
youre only 20% right.

If you can not supply the requested information simply kiss your ass
goodbuy.

NOw for some other comments................................
The weight of your anchor is not the only consideration when
calculating "holding ability"
ANchoring is NOT rocket science NOR a magical art.

Its just plain old fassioned RIGGING! and i dont mean rigging as the
yachting group defines it. To be honest most choker setters know more
about rigging than the average "captain" on every sail boat Ive talked
to. ANd ya cant get more stupid than a choker setter.! Hell, guys have
been dragging ships off beaches for hundreds of years. How do they do
that???? A few anchors, some wire rope, a purchase or two. If a bunch
of a two pack a day alcoholic thick knecked salvors can do it a Bank
President with a univesity degree should be able to figure it out dont
ya think Skip?

To think all you need is an Acme FX 99 anchor to keep yo from draging
is naive at best.

Dear SKIP............... go read the following book and stop making
such a public fool of yourself.

"The Complete Book of Anchoring and Mooring", by Earl Hintz,

Bob