Bob wrote in
ps.com:

On Oct 31, 2:56 am, Geoff Schultz wrote:

We regularly have to pull the Rocna out with the engine whereas that
was a much more rare event with the CQR.

I also know that anchors are like religion.
-- Geoffwww.GeoffSchultz.org

Hi Geoff:

Anchors as religion............................. agreed there.
For a guy who spent a few years in a Catholic grade school those
Sisters cured me of that problem.

I am very interested in you expernce with the Rocna. Specifically, ID
like to know exactly the bottom type. Ive been all over the GOM but
never that far east where you sailed. I read closely your praise but
If you have a spare moment would you please detail the bottom type
where you deployed the ground gear?

Sand -mud-silt-rock-shell-coral % of mix?
Color?
What is the visibiltity/clarity/turbidity of the water in feet.
Were there any rivers/creeks that emptied into the anchorges?
What was the flora description for surrounding area: heavy jungle, dry
grass, trees, rock outcrops with short scrub/grass cover??
What is the anual rain fall?
Can you squeeze the bottom stuff and make a snowball or does it just
fall between your fingers?
Does it stick to your anchor or chain if so how much?
When you walk through it does it stick to your feet.... suck your
shoes off.... or "churp" when you scuff your bare feet?
How does it smell? Rotten eggs or sweet like the sea, or earthy like a
good woman?
When you retrieve the anchor is there a clowd of silt but the chain/
ancor is clean? If there is silt cloud what size is it?
What kind of creatures live in the water?

Bob

Bob,

Clearly you maintain much better logs than I do. My typical log states
something like "Anchored in 8' over (sand, turtle grass, mud, etc.)
Holding was (very good, good, marginal, etc.)." All of my logs with
cruiser info such as the above have sailboat incons next to them.
You're more than welcome to peruse the logs and glean what you can from
them. I think that I created about 50 logs last year and I'd guess that
about 50% of them have cruiser info incons next to them.

However, I will state that in the Caribbean and Bahamas that I typically
anchor in sand or turtle grass over sand. Up and down the US East
coast it's typically been mud.

The times that I've seen other boats drag where we haven't has typically
been in very coarse sand or turtle grass over silty sand.

When we deploy/retrieve the anchor I drive the boat while Sue handles
the anchor. In tight locations she prefers that I drive, so we tend to
maintain that arrangement. We do swap on occassion, but most of the
time she's at the bow and I'm at the wheel, so I typically don't get as
up close and personal as she does with the bottom material.


-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org