Setting anchor doesn't have to be a drag
What a drag it is -- when you are heading towards shore after a long day of tacking upwind and you turn to see your boat dragging anchor.
Ugh!
These days (if your boat is still alive and kicking after this week's nor'easter), you can forget about racing and turn the bow towards the Elizabeth Islands, Cuttyhunk, Block Island, Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket for a long weekend cruise.
But, if you don't set the anchor just so, you -- and maybe some other boats downwind of yours -- may have a problem.
My experience tells me that one of the toughest places to set an anchor is just inside Hadley Harbor on the southeast side of the channel. The bottom, especially in the inner harbor at Hadley and in parts of the outer harbor near shore, is covered with grass. This makes for a tough time setting an 18-pound Danforth or any other relatively light anchor.
When anchoring inside Hadley or anywhere you don't know the bottom characteristics, be sure to let out plenty of scope. Chapman Piloting recommends a minimum scope of 7 or 8 to 1 (for each foot of water depth, let out 7 or 8 feet of anchor rode) in average conditions and 10-to-1 for heavy weather. A 5-to-1 scope is considered the minimum for most bottoms in Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound waters.
If you suspect the bottom is rocky, it is wise to rig a buoyed trip line before you set the anchor. Use floating light line (3/8-inch polypropylene is recommended) and attach it to the crown of the anchor or through an eye provided on the anchor for this purpose. Use enough light line so that it will reach the surface after the anchor grabs the bottom, and run it through a lightweight buoy or even the handle of a plastic bottle. Make a loop so the boat hook can trip the line.
For most rocky bottoms, this method should work for pulling the anchor off the bottom when you are ready to head homeward -- without so much as the hint of a drag.
AWARDS NIGHT
The Fort Rodman Marine Education Association/Low Tide Yacht Club winds up the 2002 sailing season with its first awards night ever in the new clubhouse at the Fort Taber complex in New Bedford's South End.
Awards night 2002 begins with cocktails at 6 p.m., dinner follows at 7 and the awards ceremony starts at 8.
This year's FRMEA/LTYC dinner is a Portuguese buffet consisting of kale soup, pork Aletejana, fish and chicken Mozambique. Cost to attend is $15 for FRMEA/LTYC members and $18 for nonmembers. Wood and Wire will provide musical entertainment.
To attend, you must RSVP by next Wednesday, Oct. 23, to Lesley Perry at 508-989-8072.
ANNUAL DINNER
The flags will pass to a new set of officers at the Mattapoisett Yacht Club annual dinner and awards night, Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Century House in Acushnet. Vice Commodore Donald Bailey will take over administration of MYC activities from outgoing (soon to be Past) Commodore Fran Grenon.
The MYC also plans to hand out awards for the 2002 racing season at the dinner, set to start with cocktails at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:30. Cost to attend is $25 for adults, with children under age 12 admitted at no charge.
Contact Fran Grenon at Mattapoisettyc@attbi.com for more information and reservations, or fill out the reservation form online at mattapoisettyc.tripod.com. You can also contact Don Bailey at 508-758-2596 or fax your completed reservation form to 508-758-9811.
SAILing THE WEB
This is the final Sea Notes of the 2002 boating season.
However, the boating pages of southcoasttoday.com will remain live all winter long for your (Web) surfing pleasure. Just log in to southcoasttoday.com and click the SouthCoast Navigator link in the Check It Out menu.
If you have news about boating in and around Buzzards Bay, contact Barbara Veneri by e-mail at bveneri@hotmail.com. To join an online discussion of boating issues, enter www.southcoast.com in your browser, then click the Port of Call link.
This story appeared on Page B5 of The Standard-Times on October 17, 2002.
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