Friday, December 2, 2011

Anchors aweigh...


masts and clouds, originally uploaded by CidnieC.
We've made do with the standard issue Bruce and Danforth. We haven't been going much out of the muddy bay so there was no real reason to hurry up and spend money until we were a bit closer to actually being able to leave the dock. The same has been true for us remaining dinghy-less. I am very happy to report that Capt. Perfecto has deemed it time to visit these topics and to make some purchases- right in time for Christmas.

After I inadvertantly started an International Incident a while back by asking a simple question about the 2 anchors we were debating on a sailing forum, I got more information than I could have ever wanted on anchors. After my brain exploded, the bits of grey matter left over came to the conclusion that we need a Manson Supreme on our bow. I do believe that there will be one wrapped beneath the tree once we figure out what we have to do to the bow roller to make it happen.

We've decided to add a Fortress to our anchoring arsenal as a secondary/stern anchor. Seems simple enough but Mark has made a friend who we will call "Salty Gene."

Mark views the average Top Sider/Ralph Lauren Polo wearing sailor with suspicion. Sailors whose answer to a given problem is "whip out the Am Ex and get someone else to fix it" are not the kind of folks Capt. Perfecto is likely to listen to. Mark, who is a big fan of doing it yourself, making it work and not wasting anything will take advice with a grain of salt and if the person giving the advice is wearing a West Marine name tag they are viewed with double suspicion. Salty Gene probably does not own a Polo shirt. He does though wear a Greek fisherman's cap and it works because Salty Gene has the requisite grey whiskers as well as more miles under his keel and more years spent cruising than most sailors will get in a lifetime. Salty Gene can make anything (which is tops in Mark's book) Salty Gene said that we need an additional anchor to kedge off and since Mark thinks Salty Gene is the business it will be so.

So that brings our soon to be acquired anchor collection to 3. I made the mistake of asking Mark "Why do we have to have 3 new anchors? Why can't we just use the oversized kedge anchor as our stern anchor?" Because I do not understand physics. Because you don't want an oversized anchor as your secondary. Because Salty Gene said so.

I still don't quite understand why we need a smaller stern anchor AND a larger one as well. I figure if you are deploying an anchor you want it to hold the boat so an oversized secondary anchor could be pressed into service to kedge off when needed and when you haven't screwed up, it can work as a secondary for the stern or the bow and it means one less anchor to take up space. Then again, I do not have grey whiskers or a Fisherman's cap nor do I smell like Old Spice. No matter. I'm just glad that Mark has found a suitably salty pal whose opinion he values, whose stories he enjoys hearing and who is making this stage of the refit a whole lot more fun for Mark.

So 3 anchors it is.

7 comments:

  1. That picture is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO pretty! I can't really speak to the anchor problem/solution, but Salty Gene sounds like a great find!

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  2. Salty Gene is making this fun for Mark so even if his suggestions mean procuring more stuff than I would want, its all good. The entertainment Salty Gene is giving to Mark is well worth the cost of an additional (and to me unnecessary!) anchor.

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  3. LMAO here. Salty Gene needs to be part of FLOAT :)
    You character that is, not the guy whispering sweet nautical nothings into Mark's ear.
    Off to check out the Manson Supreme... sounds like a prison band.

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  4. Seamus would like me to remind you that the dinghy, as yet un-purchased, nevertheless has a name. XO

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  5. The stern anchor has to be big enough to hold you in current and shifting winds, yet small enough that you can deploy it easily and simply - otherwise you might get lazy and not. It will also serve as a second front anchor (set 45 degrees off the primary). My stern anchor is the same size as my bow anchor - even though I tie my stern to trees more often than use the anchor.

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  6. Chuck while youare correct, it still does not answer the question of WHY we can't use the kedge anchor as a stern anchor. The whole point of going with a big ass Fortress for the kedge is that it is light and easy to deploy.

    Never mind. Salty Gene says 2 Fortress anchors and you do not quibble with Salty Gene. ;)

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  7. Love the picture! And does Salty Gene often (and by that I mean always) wear overalls? Cause if so, that's the same guy that keeps telling Vlad that we should just leave now, cruising kitty be darned. A very inspiring fellow!

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