The adventures of Adagio - A tempo having slow movement; restful at ease.

[Bob23]

Great story, JT:
   If you'd made it down to my waters, you would've found yourself motoring back last night. After dinner, I got the urge to sail so rigged the Force 5 ( affectionately named after my wife" The Linda Gale") and went out. The wind was almost non existent about 10 minutes after I got out and I ghosted back in against an incoming tide. It took about 45 minutes to sail 1/4 mile. Oh well, that's sailing! as they say.
   I usually carry 2 anchors aboard Koinonia for a number of reasons. First is that I like to minimize swing while at anchor and that second anchor really helps a lot. I set them at about 45 degrees to each other and together with my steadying sail, swing is almost nil. Makes for better nights sleep.
   Danforths work well in Barnegat Bay where it's mostly sand. If you get into eelgrass, well, you need to make sure the anchor is set...don't assume...I found that out a few times. However, my stainless steel Danforth look alike anchor held me overnight at Tice's a few years ago in sustained 25 knot NW winds all night long. Not much sleep that night but we didn't end up on the beach.
   Glad you had some time on the water. Very hot today and tomorrow..maybe I'll make it out tomorrow before dawn.
   That lightening you saw also brought us some heavy rains on Sunday night. We've been having such weird weather...it's not usually this hot till August.
   Looking forward to BBB 2012. I hope we have nice weather. More on that soon.
bob23

[jthatcher]

so..  now the question is..  what type of anchor for the second one..   there seems to be a fair amount of support for a bruce as an all around good performer, particularly for a rocky bottom where the danforth is not so good..   any thoughts?

got up bright and early this morning.   i was able to sleep with the ports and the hatch open last night..  no bugs!   i sure am glad that the green head flies that i encountered in lanoka harbor did not follow me back

dinner was enjoyable last night..  3 of us at the mexican restaurant.   Rich , the former owner, now sailing a bristol 32 ( which will be for sale in the near future as he intends to move up to a larger boat)  and Andy , owner of a hunter 23..  and a wood-worker - lots of boat talk.   

and today, i will be going out with my neighbor on his boat, a capri 23..  looking forward to that, although it is going to be hot!   so , time to put a plug in for my wife..  she was the main force behind getting the bimini.. and i am liking it a whole lot..  it sure is nice to keep the sun at bay on these hot days..   it does make it just a little difficult to get around on deck, but, as i read somewhere, everything involving boats is a series of trade-offs..   i will have to post a pic of the sunrise when i get home..  it was awfully nice..  it is so quiet here at the marina..  I guess that I naively thought that everyone would be wanting to be spending nights on their boats..  apparently, that is not necessarily true...  or maybe , they are all still asleep 

[Shawn]

JT,

I would strongly suggest getting the anchor back on board. It is a *very* important piece of safety equipment. If the wind/waves ever get too bad or fog comes in knowing you can simply stop and wait it out is a huge. Many boating accidents that occur in poor conditions could have been avoided by simply stopping and waiting for conditions to improve. Not having that ability limits your options.

A Danforth has very strong holding power but if you hang out on cruising forums most don't recommend a Danforth as the main anchor while cruising. Most use them for a kedge, lunch hook or stern anchor. The reason for this is a Danforth does not handle tide/wind shifts as well as some other anchors. If it breaks free they tend to foul themselves on the chain/rode and will not reset again. Not what you want to have happen in the middle of the night.

Serenity came with a Danforth in the same place. Because I intended to anchor overnight I swapped out the Danforth that came on Serenity. My ground tackle is a Raya 800cm anchor on the anchor roller with 38' of 3/8" chain and 300' of 1/2 double braid. The Raya is oversized for Serenity and is rated for a 5 ton 33' boat in 60 knots of wind. Due to the design it only weighs 16 pounds as most of its weight is in surface area which is really what holds the ground. These are no longer available though. I also have a Raya 400cm with 10' of chain and about 200' of rode in a seat locker as a stern or kedge if needed. I was originally planning on that being a lunch hook but end of using the main all the time.

If you are thinking about spending nights on the hook you might want to think about a 'next generation' anchor that will handle shifts and reset well. If I were looking now a Manson Supreme or the Boss (sort of like my Raya) would likely be at the top of my list. A used NZ built Rocna would be good but not the cheapened and weaker made in China version. A used Spade would be great but they are heavier and very expensive. Deltas are supposed to be pretty good for the money as well. Justify the cost of the ground tackle based on the savings at other marinas and in the safety factor.

Whatever you do get an anchor back on board.

Shawn

[brackish]

My primary anchor is a CQR 15 that came with the boat.  I'm a believer.  Several times while at anchor in the gulf, storms came through with 40 mph sustained and 60-70 mph gusts and 180 degree wind shifts causing a swing.  Boat did not budge an inch.  Pricey but good.

My secondary anchor is a Fortress Guardian G-11.  It is a danforth style with twin flukes made of high tensile aluminum and can be disassembled for storage, although I don't do that.  Very light and I was looking for that, you are depending on a good set with it.  I'm told that you should drop it straight down, then back up to set to make sure.  I think I would trust it as primary in sand, but maybe not so much on a rocky bottom.  I sail in sand on the gulf and mud on my home lake so it works fine.

All anchors helped by the total ground tackle system.  The appropriate size chain the length of the boat is a great start.

I'm a single anchor guy, would prefer to swing on a single rather than putting out two.  I have resorted to Bahamian style when in a crowd.

[jthatcher]

good point, Shawn.    i actually did store it in the v berth this trip.   not so good for an emergency, but available just the same.      i have a first generation boat..  no  bow sprit / anchor roller.   i was looking things over this afternoon, and i am wondering about  leaving the fore stay where it is , but building a platform / bowsprit that would hold an anchor roller.   it does not seem like too big of a project.  while i was at it, i would replace the nav lights on the bow with led style nav lights..    i think that i could do some careful measuring and make it at home.   the only tricky part would be undoing the fore stay to fit it over the tang and then re connecting - i might need some extra help with that!    i was thinking of taking it back as far as the "pad" for the bow cleat - and re-seating that on the new platform as well..     then i could mount an anchor roller ahead of the fore stay and mount the anchor properly on that.     not sure if this will get done this season, but   it would probably be the best solution.     i am not particularly interested in moving the fore stay forward, so i think that i would get away with just bolting the platform down and leaving it cantilevered out over the bow..      if i go with a cqr  up on the bow, i can hang my danforth  and its rode off of the stern rail..   so maybe i have a plan for that issue.. 

now,  i think that i will need to consider putting an antenna  on top of the mast  as well as an all around anchor light..  and, while i am at it..  replace the steaming light with an led and run new wiring for it..      that can wait till the spring when the mast is down, but any thoughts on these jobs are appreciated..  nothing like planning ahead!   

[brackish]

now,  i think that i will need to consider putting an antenna  on top of the mast  as well as an all around anchor light..

My thoughts as follows:  the antenna came with a 90 degree SS bracket that I screwed to the side of the masthead casting, using one of the attachment screws that existed and drilling and tapping the other two.  I installed the antenna with a nylon bushing beneath and above the windex and a piece of heat shrink tubing on top to lock it.   The bushing below has to act like a spacer to get the windex above the anchor light.  Since I was converting a conventional windex, I took a small piece of aluminum plate and added it to the back of the antenna bracket, then cut the post for the reference flags to be the right clearance to the windex.  It all works well, can be removed for towing, probably too delicate to tow with it on.  Light was already there.

[Shawn]

Having it on the v-berth is still having it available if you needed it. Far better than it sitting in a garage.

" the only tricky part would be undoing the fore stay to fit it over the tang and then re connecting - i might need some extra help with that!"

That is easy to work around. Use one of your halyards and tie it off to the forward anchor cleat. Use the halyard winch to take the tension off the forestay and then cleat down the halyard. You could then move the forestay at your leisure.

"so i think that i would get away with just bolting the platform down and leaving it cantilevered out over the bow.."

Make sure you work out how far it should be out over the bow to be sure an anchor stored there will clear the hull.

CQRs are an old design. If you can get a used one cheap that could work but if you are buying new look at the newer designs. Better setting, holding and resetting with less weight. See any number of anchor pull tests. Manson makes both a CQR type anchor as well as their next generation anchors. Their 15 pound Boss (or Supreme) anchor (next gen) is rated for boat length of 18-30', their 15 pound CQR type anchor is only rated for 15 to 20' boat length, to get an anchor recommend for a 30' boat you have to double to weight to 30 pounds.

Going to LED lighting will save a bunch of juice. The only non-LED on Serenity at this point is my steaming light.

Shawn

[Shawn]

Brackish,

How do you like having the anchor light on top of the mast? I'm always worried about power boaters that don't pay enough attention to the height of the light. If they judge its distance based on their more familiar anchor light height they might think it is further away than it really is.

I use a Bebi LED Light Sensing Lulu Kaukaua anchor light that I hang when needed. Downside with that is there is a small angle where the light can't be seen as it is blocked by the mast depending upon how/where I hang it.

Shawn

[brackish]

Brackish,

How do you like having the anchor light on top of the mast? I'm always worried about power boaters that don't pay enough attention to the height of the light. If they judge its distance based on their more familiar anchor light height they might think it is further away than it really is.

I use a Bebi LED Light Sensing Lulu Kaukaua anchor light that I hang when needed. Downside with that is there is a small angle where the light can't be seen as it is blocked by the mast depending upon how/where I hang it.

Shawn

I've never thought about it, have had a masthead anchor light on every boat I've had.  When I sailed primarily in the Gulf, I felt like that was good as visibility from a distance was enhanced.  However, at Bay Springs Lake I often anchor in coves amongst the trees and the masthead light is often blocked.  I hang an LED lantern when anchoring there, usually from the end of the boom.

[jthatcher]

thanks for taking the time to share these thoughts.. and for the pic!   i just took a trip to the local west marine and listened to a pitch on the manson supreme anchor..   also checked out their youtube video on the manson..  seems pretty convincing!     the idea of hanging an led lantern from the boom seems like a pretty good idea.   one less wire and hassle up the mast..     thanks for the idea about using the jib halyard to hold the mast while i work with the stay!   it sure is nice to be active on this site

[jthatcher]

well, this entry probably should be posted under unrelated topics.. except that I am at the marina, on the boat,  but today's adventures did not involve sailing.. 

I woke up really early.. like 5:30 or so, and enjoyed the sunrise from the cockpit, anticipating going sailing with my neighbor.   But, he called to tell me that he reconsidered due to the heat - probably not a bad idea..  it really got hot, and there was little more than an occasional puff of air.. so, i turned to boat maintenance..   sanded the eyebrow molding  and some spots on the grab rails and put a coat of cetol on them.     puttered around for a while and then headed to west marine and barnes and noble, both of which are air conditioned  ( unlike the boat and my truck!)   then i headed up to ocean grove ...

I may have been 5 the first time that my family went to ocean grove, and with the exception of one summer, we spent at least one week and a couple of weekends there right through my college years..    so, i get pretty nostalgic every time i get to go there, and the past few weeks, i have been looking for any excuse to take my wife and the girls, but  we simple did not fit it in.   so i am flooded with pleasant memories as soon as i pass the entrance to the town..   well.  most of the memories are pleasant..  i remember one evening begging for an ice cream just as we were leaving to come home..  my dad reluctantly gave in, and  i enjoyed half of the frozen custard..  the other half ended up on my hands, my clothes and the interior of the car..  and dad was not very happy about that!   

I found a parking spot on main street, right outside of the small bookstore that we enjoy so that was my first stop - found what i imagine will be an interesting book about life in Lowell Mass.   and then strolled down the street and around the corner to Day's  ice cream..     and I did not hold back..  ordered a large chocolate peanut butter icecream cone  and then headed to the board walk..     when it comes to ice cream.  i can be pretty predictable..  but then maybe not only with ice cream..   i remember my first wife telling me that i was too predictable..  hmm, and i always thought that was a strength..  but that is another story..
 
walking along pitman ave towards ocean ave, i stop in front of a 3 story building - it used to be a guest house called White Hall , and we stayed there often..  knew the owners well.... played with their kids,  nancy, alvie and ernie..  but, like so many of the hotels and guest houses,  it is now a condo     i looked at the second floor porch where i sat, writing a letter to my  junior high girlfriend, telling her that it was ok that the wave took away the necklace that i gave her ..  i was just happy that she and her family had come down to visit..   i turned to see the  utility pole in front of the building and a not so pleasant memory returned of arriving for the week as a young guy, too excited to pay attention to what i was doing and dropping a bag that had my mother's body lotion in it right there in front of the pole..  that was an expensive mistake - took my allowance right out of my pocket!  

Two elderly ladies stopped, noticing my ice cream, and mentioned that they were on their way to Days - very friendly folks in ocean grove    only two blocks to the ocean, and while i was not gazing at the wonderful Victorian architecture along the way, i was thinking that, in fact,  every girlfriend that i have ever had, including both of my wives, has been to ocean grove.  hmm..  maybe Anne was right -  too predictable..  but i am sure that i did not order choc peanut butter ice cream with all of them! 

i got to the board walk and looked at the bench where my high school girlfriend and i sat, watching the waves with the sun setting over the auditorium behind us..   and a few benches down where my folks and i sat right after my second year in college..   i was writing to Anne, telling her that our mutual friend gave me a hug and a kiss at the end of the year but i did not get one from her..  flirting with a pen as best as i knew how!   and it worked - the next year we were dating, and i brought her to ocean grove  

and then i sat on a bench which afforded a wonderful view of the ocean..   and thought of the first date that i had with Janet.   i brought her to OG , very early in the morning.. so we could see the sun rise...   and then we rented bikes and rode the boardwalk.. all the way to belmar basin where we gazed at all of the boats tied up - and i told her of my dream of owning a boat one day   and then we went to days for lunch and then the beach store where i bought her a hat and a dress..  the hat still fits!    ( i hope she does not read this )    it was a wonderful day..     and, we have returned numerous times..  once in my van..  we slept in the van that time..   modern day hippy wanna-be's    and that worked great till we woke up the next morning and realized that the authorities locked the doors on the restrooms on the boardwalk till 9 am..   thank god for dunkin donuts!   we have brought my step daughters down and i think that it has become a special place for them as well...   I am not quite sure what this all says about me, but it is pretty obvious that ocean grove  has played a pretty significant role in my life!   in fact, it was after spending a week down there that i started to look at boats in earnest..   and my selling pitch to Janet was that  " for what we spent for a week, we could have a boat at the dock for the whole summer !"    how was that for logic?

I steadily licked my cone, as these thoughts flooded my memory..  and, recalling once again the ice cream all over the car,  i took pride in the fact that, at 52 years old i really knew how to eat ice cream - dad would be proud    ...   and then i looked down to find choc drips all over my t shirt and shorts!!   imagine that ....    jt

[brackish]

 their 15 pound CQR type anchor is only rated for 15 to 20' boat length, to get an anchor recommend for a 30' boat you have to double to weight to 30 pounds.

I have to say I was initially very concerned about this because my boat came with a CQR 15.  That was until I actually had a chance to let it perform.  My original, drop forged CQR worked so well in severe conditions as described in my post above that I no longer have any doubts.  I would say it worked far better than some oversize danforth style anchors I've had with other boats.  Additionally, I've seen a couple of conflicting charts with regard to the recommended length.  Can't remember where, but several charts had the original CQR drop forged 15 at good to 28'.

I do, however anchor in shallow water for the most part and have twenty feet of 1/4" chain as part of the ground tackle.  I've not tried this or any other anchor in say 60-100' water depth.  It would not be normal for me to see that condition, I'm usually anchoring in less than 20'.

[Shawn]

"worked so well in severe conditions as described in my post above that I no longer have any doubts. "

That is good, glad it is working for you. The main complaint I have seen against the CQR is it taking multiple attempts to get it set in some bottoms. Hard sand is apparently one of the tough bottoms for it.

"I've seen a couple of conflicting charts with regard to the recommended length."

Yes, that is one of the hard parts about anchors. Different manufacturers base their recommendations on differing conditions (wind speed). That was why I was comparing two types of anchors from the same manufacturer. The Lewmar CQR recommendation for their 15 pound model go up to around 23' or 24' from their graph. The Lewmar 14 pound Delta is rated to 34 or 35' long.

"I would say it worked far better than some oversize danforth style anchors I've had with other boats."

Danforths are interesting as small changes in design seem to result in large differences in performance. For example compare the differences in performance in the two Danforth type (Fortress and West Marine) anchors in this test:

http://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/boat/anchors-aweigh

The Fortress has several optimizations to the Danforth design such as the sharpened shank and flukes to aid in penetrating the sea bottom.

"I've not tried this or any other anchor in say 60-100' water depth.  It would not be normal for me to see that condition, I'm usually anchoring in less than 20'."

I'm the same though I have enough rode to go deeper if it were needed. I hope it isn't as the anchor and chain combined are 76 pounds. Doable, but not fun to pull up.

Shawn

[jthatcher]

I think that i will look for a manson.. In the meantime, i brought the bent hanger home so that i can try to straighten it out.  The next time i am at the boat, i will see if that will work on the sternrail.

So.. The epilogue for my trip.   Including a couple of pics.. I wish that i had my camera, however.  These are from my phone.  Last night this heron landed about 20feet from the boat.  He had a fish in his beak that was at least 10 inches, and he put it on the sand and then turned it around and swallowed it head first.. What a scene to watch!
.  He then stood there with his neck stretched straight up while the fish made its way down into his belly.. Pretty fascinating ..

I also watched as my neighbor showed up with two friends and enough beer for a dozen people and then took off..not quite as fascinating.. When i turned in at 11, they were still out.  At 12 i was vaguely aware of voices and a muffled engine. And then i felt a thump.. Probably sounded extra loud because i was below, but i shot out on deck pretty quickly to find his boat totally cockeyed in his slip.  His swim platform had thumped my hull.   I quickly determined that we we not going to have an intelligent conversation about the situation.  No apology was offered..  I watched for a couple of min., thinking that he must feel rather embarrassed in front of his friends.  I went back below until his friends left, and then i went topside again.    Do you see any damage? I asked.  Oh, did i hit you?  He said  ...  Then he looked and said  i don't see anything ....sorry about that. We agreed that we would check it out in the morning


But, i couldnot go back to sleep. I grabbed a Flashlight and went over onto his boat and looked over at my waterline.. Nothing noticable... That enabled me to sleep peacefully.   It does make onewonder, however... How often does stuff like that happen when i am not around??

[jthatcher]

Meant to end on a positive note... Here is a pic of the sunrise that greeted me on tues morning!  I sure love being on the water!!     Can't wait for  BBB 2012!   Jt