Strange story about anchors
 

When I bought my boat two summers ago, it had a nice, expensive anchor
hanging on a thick, expensive rope with a plastic-covered expensive
chain on an expensive, stainless steel shackle.

Two weeks later, we were drifting along Buzzards Bay channel, and the
anchor and the chain and the shackle fell off. They just fell off, and
went to the bottom, and I don't know why. I don't even know how: the
rope was OK. Anyways, I just bought a new chip anchor and a new chip
zink-plated chain. It worked for a while.

The following summer, what was the first thing I noticed when I came
back to marina one week after the boat was put back in the water? A
missing anchor. Carefully unbolted, the chain and the rope untouched.
Cheap, I mean: cheap anchor that nobody would buy but me. I couldn't
find a cheaper one, so I bought the same. It worked for a while.

Now, one year later, two weeks ago to be precise, I was again drifting
along Buzzards Bay channel, with a squid on my hook. The engine was off,
and it was off for quite a while. Suddenly, a loud metal noise... clank.
Couldn't figure where it came from, until the time came to move the boat
up the channel. The engine started OK, but there was no hydraulic power,
and the volt meter showed 12 volts. Naturally, the belt was off - but
how! The water pump shaft broke off right at the edge of its bearing...
Clean crack across the shaft, nice and fresh, not a trace of rust...

Well, what do I do? Call the tow guys. Can you anchor right there where
you are, they ask. Just sit there and wait. Sure I can. I drop my
anchor, then I drop back my hook on a line, with a squid on it, and sit,
and wait.

Twenty minutes later a nice yellow boat comes to the rescue. I pull back
my hook on a line, still with the same squid on it. Then I try to pull
back my anchor. It hangs to the bottom and does not come back. I ask the
captain of the nice yellow boat to pool me over the anchor. He does. The
anchor still hangs to the bottom. He revs up his engine. My boat drags
slowly, as something the size of a whale had swallowed my anchor. I
momentarily imagine that it IS a whale, and my hand instinctively cuts
the anchor rope. So, I have no anchor again, and no chain, and now no
anchor rope.

Now, I've replaced the water pump and even bought a new anchor - the
same cheap one, with a 20% discount. And a somewhat thinner rope, and
all the chain stuff.

But now I wander. Can it be that my boat just doesn't like anchors? Or
maybe it wants a new anchor each year? And how to figure it out, and
what the hell should I do about it?

Strange story about anchors
 

"Buzzihd Beah" wrote in message
...
When I bought my boat two summers ago, it had a nice, expensive anchor
hanging on a thick, expensive rope with a plastic-covered expensive
chain on an expensive, stainless steel shackle.

Two weeks later, we were drifting along Buzzards Bay channel, and the
anchor and the chain and the shackle fell off. They just fell off, and
went to the bottom, and I don't know why. I don't even know how: the
rope was OK. Anyways, I just bought a new chip anchor and a new chip
zink-plated chain. It worked for a while.

The following summer, what was the first thing I noticed when I came
back to marina one week after the boat was put back in the water? A
missing anchor. Carefully unbolted, the chain and the rope untouched.
Cheap, I mean: cheap anchor that nobody would buy but me. I couldn't
find a cheaper one, so I bought the same. It worked for a while.

Now, one year later, two weeks ago to be precise, I was again drifting
along Buzzards Bay channel, with a squid on my hook. The engine was off,
and it was off for quite a while. Suddenly, a loud metal noise... clank.
Couldn't figure where it came from, until the time came to move the boat
up the channel. The engine started OK, but there was no hydraulic power,
and the volt meter showed 12 volts. Naturally, the belt was off - but
how! The water pump shaft broke off right at the edge of its bearing...
Clean crack across the shaft, nice and fresh, not a trace of rust...

Well, what do I do? Call the tow guys. Can you anchor right there where
you are, they ask. Just sit there and wait. Sure I can. I drop my
anchor, then I drop back my hook on a line, with a squid on it, and sit,
and wait.

Twenty minutes later a nice yellow boat comes to the rescue. I pull back
my hook on a line, still with the same squid on it. Then I try to pull
back my anchor. It hangs to the bottom and does not come back. I ask the
captain of the nice yellow boat to pool me over the anchor. He does. The
anchor still hangs to the bottom. He revs up his engine. My boat drags
slowly, as something the size of a whale had swallowed my anchor. I
momentarily imagine that it IS a whale, and my hand instinctively cuts
the anchor rope. So, I have no anchor again, and no chain, and now no
anchor rope.

Now, I've replaced the water pump and even bought a new anchor - the
same cheap one, with a 20% discount. And a somewhat thinner rope, and
all the chain stuff.

But now I wander. Can it be that my boat just doesn't like anchors? Or
maybe it wants a new anchor each year? And how to figure it out, and
what the hell should I do about it?


When you have to cut an anchor loose, tie a buoy or small beat up fender to
the rode and mark the position with your GPS. You might be able to find it
and work it loose if you get back to it before someone else does.

The screw in the shackle probably has a hole in one end. Run some SS wire
through the hole and around the body of the shackle and twist the wire. When
storing the boat take anything of value, including outdrives and small
outboards, off the boat. Anchor theft is not that common. Do you keep the
boat in a high crime rate area?

Strange story about anchors
 

Buzzihd Beah wrote:
When I bought my boat two summers ago, it had a nice, expensive anchor
hanging on a thick, expensive rope with a plastic-covered expensive
chain on an expensive, stainless steel shackle.

Two weeks later, we were drifting along Buzzards Bay channel, and the
anchor and the chain and the shackle fell off. They just fell off, and
went to the bottom, and I don't know why. I don't even know how: the
rope was OK. Anyways, I just bought a new chip anchor and a new chip
zink-plated chain. It worked for a while.

The following summer, what was the first thing I noticed when I came
back to marina one week after the boat was put back in the water? A
missing anchor. Carefully unbolted, the chain and the rope untouched.
Cheap, I mean: cheap anchor that nobody would buy but me. I couldn't
find a cheaper one, so I bought the same. It worked for a while.

Now, one year later, two weeks ago to be precise, I was again drifting
along Buzzards Bay channel, with a squid on my hook. The engine was off,
and it was off for quite a while. Suddenly, a loud metal noise... clank.
Couldn't figure where it came from, until the time came to move the boat
up the channel. The engine started OK, but there was no hydraulic power,
and the volt meter showed 12 volts. Naturally, the belt was off - but
how! The water pump shaft broke off right at the edge of its bearing...
Clean crack across the shaft, nice and fresh, not a trace of rust...

Well, what do I do? Call the tow guys. Can you anchor right there where
you are, they ask. Just sit there and wait. Sure I can. I drop my
anchor, then I drop back my hook on a line, with a squid on it, and sit,
and wait.

Twenty minutes later a nice yellow boat comes to the rescue. I pull back
my hook on a line, still with the same squid on it. Then I try to pull
back my anchor. It hangs to the bottom and does not come back. I ask the
captain of the nice yellow boat to pool me over the anchor. He does. The
anchor still hangs to the bottom. He revs up his engine. My boat drags
slowly, as something the size of a whale had swallowed my anchor. I
momentarily imagine that it IS a whale, and my hand instinctively cuts
the anchor rope. So, I have no anchor again, and no chain, and now no
anchor rope.

Now, I've replaced the water pump and even bought a new anchor - the
same cheap one, with a 20% discount. And a somewhat thinner rope, and
all the chain stuff.

But now I wander. Can it be that my boat just doesn't like anchors? Or
maybe it wants a new anchor each year? And how to figure it out, and
what the hell should I do about it?


There's nothing unusual about losing at least one anchor a season if you
are a salt water fisherman. :)

Strange story about anchors
 

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:51:38 GMT, Buzzihd Beah
wrote:

Two weeks later, we were drifting along Buzzards Bay channel, and the
anchor and the chain and the shackle fell off. They just fell off, and
went to the bottom, and I don't know why.

Unless the screw pin of the shackle has been secured with safety wire
or a nylon wire tie, the pin will work itself loose from wave action
and vibration.

Strange story about anchors
 

"hk" wrote in message
...
Buzzihd Beah wrote:
When I bought my boat two summers ago, it had a nice, expensive anchor
hanging on a thick, expensive rope with a plastic-covered expensive chain
on an expensive, stainless steel shackle. Two weeks later, we were
drifting along Buzzards Bay channel, and the anchor and the chain and the
shackle fell off. They just fell off, and went to the bottom, and I don't
know why. I don't even know how: the rope was OK. Anyways, I just bought
a new chip anchor and a new chip zink-plated chain. It worked for a
while. The following summer, what was the first thing I noticed when I
came back to marina one week after the boat was put back in the water? A
missing anchor. Carefully unbolted, the chain and the rope untouched.
Cheap, I mean: cheap anchor that nobody would buy but me. I couldn't find
a cheaper one, so I bought the same. It worked for a while. Now, one year
later, two weeks ago to be precise, I was again drifting along Buzzards
Bay channel, with a squid on my hook. The engine was off, and it was off
for quite a while. Suddenly, a loud metal noise... clank. Couldn't figure
where it came from, until the time came to move the boat up the channel.
The engine started OK, but there was no hydraulic power, and the volt
meter showed 12 volts. Naturally, the belt was off - but how! The water
pump shaft broke off right at the edge of its bearing... Clean crack
across the shaft, nice and fresh, not a trace of rust... Well, what do I
do? Call the tow guys. Can you anchor right there where you are, they
ask. Just sit there and wait. Sure I can. I drop my anchor, then I drop
back my hook on a line, with a squid on it, and sit, and wait. Twenty
minutes later a nice yellow boat comes to the rescue. I pull back my hook
on a line, still with the same squid on it. Then I try to pull back my
anchor. It hangs to the bottom and does not come back. I ask the captain
of the nice yellow boat to pool me over the anchor. He does. The anchor
still hangs to the bottom. He revs up his engine. My boat drags slowly,
as something the size of a whale had swallowed my anchor. I momentarily
imagine that it IS a whale, and my hand instinctively cuts the anchor
rope. So, I have no anchor again, and no chain, and now no anchor rope.
Now, I've replaced the water pump and even bought a new anchor - the same
cheap one, with a 20% discount. And a somewhat thinner rope, and all the
chain stuff. But now I wander. Can it be that my boat just doesn't like
anchors? Or maybe it wants a new anchor each year? And how to figure it
out, and what the hell should I do about it?


There's nothing unusual about losing at least one anchor a season if you
are a salt water fisherman. :)

That was helpful.

Strange story about anchors
 

In article ,
Wayne.B wrote:

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:51:38 GMT, Buzzihd Beah
wrote:

Two weeks later, we were drifting along Buzzards Bay channel, and the
anchor and the chain and the shackle fell off. They just fell off, and
went to the bottom, and I don't know why.

Unless the screw pin of the shackle has been secured with safety wire
or a nylon wire tie, the pin will work itself loose from wave action
and vibration.

Yeah, see, there's nothing unnatural in any of the incidents.
But the pattern, the pattern....

Strange story about anchors
 

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:22:57 GMT, Buzzihd Beah
wrote:

Two weeks later, we were drifting along Buzzards Bay channel, and the
anchor and the chain and the shackle fell off. They just fell off, and
went to the bottom, and I don't know why.

Unless the screw pin of the shackle has been secured with safety wire
or a nylon wire tie, the pin will work itself loose from wave action
and vibration.

Yeah, see, there's nothing unnatural in any of the incidents.
But the pattern, the pattern....

Boats are like that, they will find the weak link every time.

Strange story about anchors
 

Wayne.B wrote:
On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:22:57 GMT, Buzzihd Beah
wrote:

Two weeks later, we were drifting along Buzzards Bay channel, and the
anchor and the chain and the shackle fell off. They just fell off, and
went to the bottom, and I don't know why.
Unless the screw pin of the shackle has been secured with safety wire
or a nylon wire tie, the pin will work itself loose from wave action
and vibration.
Yeah, see, there's nothing unnatural in any of the incidents.
But the pattern, the pattern....

Boats are like that, they will find the weak link every time.



Your boats must be orgasmic...they found you.