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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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scarry anchorage

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Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2984 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/28/2002 : 14:24:18

This years cruise to the Great Lakes offered a bit too much excitement our first night out.... arrived at evening anchorage at dark just as a thunder storm approached.

Tossed the 12lb danforth over, backed it down, and it set just as the heavy rain started. Within seconds...high straight line winds accompanied the rain and I retired below...to watch the depth sounder (swings into cabin) to monitor anchor drag.

Depth remained the same at 12-13 feet...but... some windward shore lights were getting farther away...we were dragging, the bay was known to be fairly flat...but I didn't realize that flat.

Back in the cockpit...I was drenched in two seconds...but could see we had drug two thirds the way across the harbor (natural large bay perhaps 3/4 mile across). Winds were very high to the point where raindrops felt like pellets stinging my face (does any one know how high winds have to be to cause this?). The wind was driving the boat sideways sailing it on a starbored tack on the rode. We were being driven towards rocks ...if the anchor let completely out...we would be on them in seconds. If it continued to drag....I had a couple of minutes at most.

I quickly threw the 16lb bruce clone over but within moments the wind slackened some...and the danforth held firm with the bruce's rode never taughtening.

My reflections.... Was glad for a 12lb danforth instead of a lighter one. Was happy to have 1/2" rode instead of 3/8".

Should have backed up the danforth with the bruce right away. The bruce has always set better and provided better holding.

If there had not been shore lights...I may have falsely thought that the depth sounder indicated we were being held.

Even the bruce has failed to set at times...fouling on weeds... what if the wind hadn't subsided and the bruce hadn't burried. I doubt if I could have motored to any relief... I would have had two rodes to cut...and my crew was inexperienced...

What if I there hadn't been several wraps of sheets on the jib after it was furled?

Scarry...but to go sailing is to go where nature's conditions exist...good or bad.

Arlyn C-250 W/B #224

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 08/28/2002 : 17:03:43

Arlyn,

Instead of using your depth finder to determine if your anchor is dragging, use your GPS and mark your anchor's position when you throw it over the side and set it. If you pay out 100 feet of rode and the anchor is set, then the GPS should read approximately 100 feet to the anchor if it is holding, but if the anchor starts dragging, the distance will start increasing letting you know that something needs to be done.

Don Lucier, North Star
C25 SR/FK

Edited by - dlucier on 08/28/2002 17:28:13

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Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3324 Posts

Response Posted - 08/28/2002 : 17:19:24

Don - that is one heck of a great idea!<img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle> I usually take compass bearings on two widely separated points - if the differential remains the same, you're held fast - but yr idea is much quicker and you don't need reference points on shore.
Arlyn - I don't know how fast the wind has to be to sting you with rain - but the shrouds whistle at 40k...
Derek

Edited by - on

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5937 Posts

Response Posted - 08/28/2002 : 19:05:15

Arlyn,

That sounds like an incident that happened in an anchorage just inside an inlet on Lake Michigan, on my old C-22. The initial blast of wind that hit us was 65 mph. We dragged the anchor and were blown onto a sandy beach. During a lull, I got out and pushed her off, motored out and re-set the anchor. The wind continued blowing all night at about 2/3 that strength. The anchor dragged all night, and I re-set it repeatedly during lulls. Finally, at 3:30 a.m., I tied her to a channel marker buoy and went to sleep. The coasties checked us out the next morning, but were fortunately very understanding.

The next day I bought 25' of heavy chain, and haven't dragged my anchor since. At that time, I didn't have the foresight to carry a second anchor, but I have one now.

Steve Milby "Captiva Wind" C-25 T/FK #2554

Edited by - Steve Milby on 08/28/2002 19:08:12

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Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2984 Posts

Response Posted - 08/28/2002 : 20:39:18

Don, sounds like a good plan....marking the anchor drop.

Unfortunately my gps doesn't have distance alarm setting (at least I don't think it does) so it would have to be visually monitored...

I almost always set the depth-shallow limits of the anchor swing as the gps/sounder combo has an external very loud alarm that is impossible to sleep through.

Yeah Derek......the shrouds were whistling....

Arlyn C-250 W/B #224

Edited by - on

Steve Raffel
Captain

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262 Posts

Response Posted - 08/28/2002 : 20:54:06

If you set out a 2nd anchor, what angle would you use?

Last week we were out in a real blow but fortunately we were able to pickup a mooring. I never sleep that well on my anchor.

Steve Raffel
C 250 WK #408

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 08/28/2002 : 21:18:51

"Unfortunately my gps doesn't have distance alarm setting (at least I don't think it does) so it would have to be visually monitored..." - Arlyn Stewart

True, the GPS would have to be visually monitored, but isn't that what you were doing when you said you were watching both the depth sounder and the windward shore lights to monitor anchor drag?

Don Lucier, North Star
C25 SR/FK

Edited by - on

ssteakley
Captain

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USA
467 Posts

Response Posted - 08/28/2002 : 23:32:06

Don, I love the GPS setting idea. We could have used that when we (were chartering) had to anchor in a crowded harbor last June in the Virgin Islands, My hand held GPS does have a alarm and I should have used it to help the sleep thing. Learn something everyday!
Steve Steakley

Edited by - on

Ben - FL
Admiral

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880 Posts

Response Posted - 08/29/2002 : 22:11:24

This reminds me of one Forth of July weekend on the old C-22.
My wife and I gunkholed at Ft. Matanzes close to Marineland, FL. There is a national park there and we anchored the boat and swam to shore to see the gardens. When I looked back the boat was dragging the anchor. So we swam back and moved her and set two anchors, then fished until dark. There was another sailboat staying there and the chap came over on his dingy. He told me I needed 12 to 16 feet of 3/8" chain for my size boat on the rode. I had none! That night I awoke to a flapping noise. Sure enough, a huge storm had come up in the night and the bag had blown off the jib. After braving the needles and pins and lightning I got the jib sto'ed below. Looking out the porthole I noticed the other sailboat a long way off when it should have been close by. We were dragging two anchors. Then when I tried to raise them one was fouled on the swing keel. I was finally able to get them both aboard and motored over to the park rangers dock and tied up to the water taxi that takes tourist to the fort. When morning came I pulled 'Desi' into the shallow water and put my dive mask on to clear the anchor line. Set the anchor to make breakfast and then when I pulled it up it had fouled again. Only this time it was on another old anchor someone had lost. So now I had three.

Ever since that time THE ADMIRAL has not liked sailing anymore, mostly because there was so much lightning she thought she was going to die.

BTW, How many C-25/250 owners previously had a C-22?

Safe voyages,
Ben, FL s/v Chick-a-pea C250wk

Edited by - on

Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2984 Posts

Response Posted - 08/30/2002 : 09:48:32

thought every sailor had previously owned a C22

Arlyn C-250 W/B #224

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.