Features Section
This section is reserved for those who would like to tell of a personal experience on the water. If you have such a sea tale that might be of interest, please email the same to the Webmaster.
Are We Teaching Anchoring Correctly?
Sometimes we just teach things like we were taught, like we've always taught, and don't really take the time to consider that some things might not be totally correct. As someone once said, "Never say never, and never say always!" Maybe we are doing just that with our version of anchoring.
Some things are basically just good guidelines and good common sense. We teach that the 7:1 scope is the minimum for safe anchoring - overnight and in normal conditions. We teach that 10:1 is the minimum scope should be used in more extreme conditions. We also recommend having a good length of chain as part of the rode. These are good guidelines for anchoring. I think that most of our coxswains practice this religiously.
One thing we teach that caught my attention is the idea that, if the anchor is dragging, the first thing we should do is increase the scope. Here's where the mud fouls the ground tackle, so to speak. If we adhere to the minimum scope principle and our anchor still drags, more scope most likely will not help. If you are dragging anchor with 7:1 on a normal day, there's a problem somewhere that must be addressed. If the anchor is a Danforth type, most likely we've been fouled by grass or something. Increasing scope will only delay the inevitable. Retrieve and inspect the anchor first and save yourself time and effort. (Of course, you could avoid this problem altogether by using a Bruce!)
Can you identify the object on the mooring hawser in the picture below?
Leave your answer with Sandy .
The Flotilla Commander will take the winner out to dinner!
Answer revealed at the Flotilla Meeting!
This Month's Feature:
A Foggy Subject
If there is “pea soup” fog, most likely the Coast Guard will not approve orders for Auxiliary patrols on that day. Fortunately, in our area, the chance of actually getting “socked in” by fog after a mission begins is somewhere between slim and none.
However, as part of my work teaching sailing, I regularly take multiple-day “cruise-and-learn” classes which usually last five days. Once away from the dock, we must accept and deal with any and all conditions, both man-made and God-made. The phrase, “Experience is what you get when you’re looking for something else!” is told to sailing students at the beginning. The “something else” may include mechanical failures common to boating and unfavorable weather. While we will check all forecasts and not place the vessel and crew in known danger, there remains the variable of unforeseen bad weather. Such was the case in February, 2006.
On our fifth day out and upon wakening after a great night’s sleep at anchor just a hundred yards from US Coast Guard Station Cortez, we realized that our navigational skills were about to be tested…we were socked in,” with visibility under 100 yards. As this was advection fog and not the radiation variety, it most likely would be with us for a while. The options were as follows:
·
Exit the ICW via
· Wait until the fog lifted.
·
Proceed
northbound up the ICW and into the open waters of lower
The second was not really considered, as I have seen this type of fog last for several days, and we needed to be back at St. Pete Municipal before 1700. The first option still left us with considerable distance on the ICW before arriving at open water. Since some critical navigation lay ahead with any course, I decided on the third option.
With the VHF scanning Channel 9 to monitor bridge activity, and keeping charts, plotting tools, and compass deviation table handy, we weighed anchor and preceded north on the ICW. Two bridges had to be contacted by VHF and opened, and numerous narrow channels had to be meticulously navigated with several boat lengths of visibility. My usually reliable GPS/chart plotter had been out for several weeks, but my handheld GPS was still functional. It provided our true course over ground as feedback to our progress.
We had to use all the input data available, which included the following:
· Visual, which was limited at best.
· Charts and plotting tools.
· Steering compass.
· GPS giving COG, etc.
· Depth sounder.
· Aural input, including engines from other boats, fog signals, etc.
Each leg of the ICW had to be plotted, corrected, labeled, and passed to the helmsperson. As the ATONs were occasionally over a half mile between, visual was not available most of the time. We proceeded ahead at approximately 4 knots. At this speed the RPMs provided the least engine noise and vibration to permit better aural input. Although technically a power driven vessel, I chose to use the sailboat fog signal (one prolonged, two short), which would give other vessels a better clue as to what was coming toward them in the channel.
Occasionally, the “Braille system” was used, i.e., deliberately moving toward the starboard side of the channel while watching the depth sounder. As it began to shallow, we moved back towards the center of the channel. This constant “feeling” of the side provided reinforcement of our position.
We
came upon a small open fishing boat (shallow draft) whose crew wanted to accompany
us into open water. They went ahead of
us, looking for ATONs. We continued our
navigational procedures as they crisscrossed about 30 yards ahead. At ICW marker “68,” AKA “The Bulkhead,” we
entered lower
Once
into open water, the engine was killed and we sailed once again, providing us
with even better aural input. Plotting
was continued to assess our position. The
depth sounder eventually confirmed our entrance into the shipping channel, so
we tacked to vacate the path of any large ships. Eventually, we began to hear the sound of the
traffic on the
On
the VHF, now reset to 25 watts, we transmitted the following message on Channel
16: “Security, security, security. Sailing vessel Endeavor now transiting
under the
Once inside the big bridge we were able to sail with relative safety outside the shipping channels. Only an occasional signal from the freighters was heard. Although we sounded fog signals on a regular basis, we heard none from other small craft.
Sandy Whetherholt, Licensed Captain
