SteveinLA wrote:
Hi Ralph,
Both books address anchoring. They refer to the scope, or legnth of the anchor line, (is the anchor line the only line on a boat that is referred to as a "rope"?) They talk about using a minium of seven times the depth. So if you anchor in 10' of water, you want 70' of anchor line...with a long chain between the anchor line and the anchor. The lines diameter is dictated by the weight of the boat. There are several types of anchors. You will choose one by the bottom material that you are anchoring on/into.
I am a fresh water sailor. Just a few months after I bought my boat, we went to the lake for the 4th. WooHoo! My boat was anchored in the cove. All was well. My wife said, "let's go to Yosemite". What? ...and leave the boat? "Of course", she said. Hmm. So, being properly conditioned, I went along. When we got back, my buddy told me that my boat had washed up...onto the rocky part of the beach. Fortunately, it wasn't that bad. My outdrive has the scratches to this day that serve as a reminder to:
Choose your anchor and ground tackle wisely. ( I now use two 5 gallon buckets filled with gravel.)
Be certain the the anchor line is securely attached to something before dropping anchor.
I use an Anchor Buddy, (bungy cord), to absorb shocks from waves and wind. (I don't know if these are appropriate for ocean use.)
Don't go running off.
If you do, have someone watching your back...err your boat.
There are people here who are much more experienced than me. Seek their opinions and go with what works for you.
Good Luck!
Great story Steve! No way I will ever let the boat out of my sight if it is anchored. I did read about Scope and other anchoring facts. I have 2 anchors and what I am going to want to do is drop the front anchor and back the boat an appropriate distance from the beach, set the front anchor, jump in and set the rear anchor in order to keep the swim platform facing the beach. I figure the tricks are to get in the right depth of water and know what the tide is doing while I am there. It's Florida and the bottom is all sand. I'll only try that on really calm days too. Thanks for you advice.
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