It was a bad day for sail boats on GT Bay

[ehall686]

It was a bad day for sail boats on the Grand Traverse Bay in Northern MI. 

I heard that small craft warnings were out and Gail winds were coming I got my boat to dry land. A lot of people anchor their boats in the bay and head back to "home" where ever that is: Detroit, Grand Rapids, Chicago or whet ever inland. last night the Gails were blowing and I counted three boats that ran aground and one is total swamped and sitting on the bottom. 

Do you know of a rule of thumb or a site on the proper way to anchor a boat.  I see this way to much in our bay here, and I  have dragged the anchor too.

Now to get them to float again!

[skip1930]

No substitute for MASS be it an anchor, a mooring, or an SUV.

Additionally the boat MUST remain attached to the mooring. No parting of the ways, when it comes to the HAWSER that goes through the bow chuck, all wrapped in a sacrificial blanket to protect it from chaffing. A long 7:1 rode from boat to mooring for swing and reduction of 'vertical pull' as the boat's 'bouncy ways' try to pull the mooring up off the bottom.

I'll bet in all these cases the hawser parted...or the boat was foolishly tied to an anchor for a long term parking arrangement.

There is a mooring out front of where the lagoon is and it is a semi diesel V-8 truck block without heads and the hefty chain through one bore. You can see it under water mostly buried in the muck. It weighs about 600 lb and has remained un moved through the years. When the water level goes down the bigger more draft requiring sailboat in the Wama-lama lagoon hangs there.

Accident don't happen. You have to let them happen.

skip.

[ehall686]

On that 7:1 do you use an anchor off the stern so it does not "spin" around?

I spoke to our DNR people (Dept natural resources) he said you can't have a mooring without a permit but maybe I should look for a sunken suv if it already down there use it, but I think that the engine block in the water may be a no go in Michigan, but once you get your permit it is yours to keep and you can re-sell it The easiest way in Michigan is to find one that someone does not want anymore and purchase it for about 300 bucks, I have been looking for one for my CP-19.

[Bob23]

Anchor off the stern? Absolutely not!
   The boat must be free to head itself into the wind. My mooring tacking is a 5 foot galvanized auger with a 10" plate screwed all the way into the bay bottom. From there it's 1/2" galvanized chain to a large swivel to a 3/8" steel ring with 2 5/8" lines shacked to it. Each line goes through the bronze chocks and is tied to the factory mooring cleat, not the bow eye.
   She's been out in 60 mph winds and came through without although I aged prematurly that night. It's usually the wave action that get's the boat. I try to be proactive and move her.
bob23   

[ehall686]

Thanks for the reply bob, it is good to read tried and true methods not what you are see down by the water side, then you get your boat is getting its picture taken and put on a web site if something goes wrong. The Great lakes are sometimes unforgiving as seen above.

[HideAway]

 A sad sight to see -- Every time we get a big storm Boca Ciega Bay - Gulfport is littered with scenes like this.   
Some one's dream ends here M

[skip1930]

No stern anchor unless you want the boat to broach sideways to the waves, take on water and sink.
You can drop an anchor, back up, move side ways about 30 deg. to 45 deg. and drop a second anchor off the bow.
Than play out more line. Result two anchors 45 deg off the bow, all nice and snug.
Than the bow will still swing but you'll have two ground tackles down there.

Permit? "We don't have no stinking DNR permit." Just don't put it in the shipping channel. And put a solar light on the stern.
Why would you even ask them about that? Now they'll come snooping around.

If we have a Federal DNR why do we need a State DNR? or if we have a State DNR why do we need a Federal DNR?
Better yet, why do we need any DNR, EPA, Department of Energy, and on and on...at all? Another bad liberal idea. Vote today in your primary elections.

skip.

[ehall686]

The dollar store or home Depot solar lights work great I was thinking about doing that all ready.  I have done the 2 anchors off the bow before that seems to work good too. 

On all the departments I like the way you think Skip. I wonder why we have all those departments that do the same thing a lot of times.

Why would you even ask them about that? Now they'll come snooping around.

I was told by a fisherman one time "you should try this rig it works great!"  Two weeks later I had a $155.00 ticket in my hand for an illegal rig by the DNR I'm glad that I did not have a fish in my position or it would have $200 of each fish tacked on to that fine.  1/4 oz split shot on the wrong side of the hook, I had the split shot on the river bed side.  Now when someone says hey "just go to home depot and get some garden walk way pavers and drill hole in them and just put a bolt thru and moor your boat with that.  I wonder is the fine worth it. 

Now a days if you think it may be illegal it is, and if you think that there is NO way that this can be illegal there is a good chance it is too.  Remember every one we live in a free society, free to follow the rules even if you don't know what they are.