[Rhodes22-list] anchor off the stern (LIS)

[Michael D. Weisner]

Joe,

We sail out of Kings Park, NY.  Depending on the wind, the crew, the
Admiral, etc. We sail on the "North Shore" somewhere from Port Washington to
Mount Sinai, usually.  There is much to do and see in the areas along Long
Island and the wind is usually pretty good, although it is stronger on the
South Shore.  The benefit of sailing the LIS is that it is less than 20
miles to CT, a good destination for both daysails and overnights (try the
Thimble Islands near Norwalk, CT).

I am sorry that you spent a night at the dock.  Unless the wave action is
less than 1 foot (no wind either) the boat will move against the dock and
lines all night.  Remember, the tide difference on the north side of LI are
7-8 feet!  This does not make for a restful night.  At least the wind would
have kept the bugs away.

When we are at our mooring at the Nissequogue River, we are quite firmly
attached to a single 200 lb mushroom anchor, although we do use dual bow
pennants for safety.  This permits us to point into the wind (and the
current.)  When mooring in the vicinity of other craft, it is particularly
important to observe the anchor systems in use so that your boat will
respond to changes in wind and current in a similar manner to avoid bumping
and damage.  Do not anchor too close to dissimilar boats since some sail and
motor crafts respond to changes in wind and current direction at different
rates.  This was a difficult lesson for a previous harbormaster who tried to
locate moorings too close together.

When away from our mooring, we use a stern anchor in conjunction with the
bow anchor to limit movement.  Sometimes this is necessary when anchored in
close quarters with other craft such as off a beach when swimming.  Since
the water is shallow, one must let out quite a bit of line to maintain rules
of scope.  If a single anchor was used, the resulting movement could be
dangerous.

The other times that I employ two anchors is to maintain the position of the
boat with respect to waves and wind.  One of our favorite beaches has a
jetty and sandbar configuration that results in strong wave action that may
not correspond to the wind.  In order to keep the boat pointed into the
waves and not necessarily the wind, I use a stern anchor.  This makes it
much easier to discharge and reboard passengers using the swim ladder,
minimizing injuries since the boat is not pitching and rolling.

Mike
s/v Shanghai'd Summer ('81)

From: "Joseph Hadzima" <josef508 at yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 3:09 PM


thanks for the update Mike:

And which parts of LIS do you sail?

We did a little trip this Summer (Noank CT to Newport RI
with quick swing by Orient Pt NY).  We did a bearboat
charter of an O'Day 28.

We used only a single anchor, or rented a mooring.  First
night tied to the dock (owner set us up) & I thought we
were gonna split the hull (not literally - but didn't like
it)!  Deployed all the fenders and a cushion on the dock
side, and was up all night checking for damage.  Strong
winds and current pushing us into the dock all night.

Same conditions another night (plus rain), but at the
mooring, and we had a very nice rest.  Head to wind all
night, checked several times and noticed we did swing a
bit, but then so did everyone else at the other moorings.

I'd be concerned that two anchors would mess with the
natural order of the boat to point to windward, and
increase the probability to drag an anchor, or just have
the boat rock side to side.  I guess you're saying that
this isn't the case with you?


joe/hadz.


--- "Michael D. Weisner" <mweisner at ebsmed.com> wrote:

> Bill E, Art, Hadz, et al,
>
> We carry both a bow and a stern anchor.  In LIS, it is
> necessary to use a
> bow/stern anchor technique (or a forked anchor) to limit
> movement due to the
> number and proximity of other craft.  I also favor a b/s
> form to minimize
> the effect of the wind and wave action on those staying
> aboard.
>
> Although I favor setting the bow anchor initially, we
> sail in a fairly
> congested region of the world, and it has been very nice
> to be able to
> deploy the stern anchor alone and quickly while working
> to quickly furl and
> drop sails in an emergency situation.
>
> I maintain two fluke anchors, one on the bow pulpit and
> the second bungeed
> to the stern rail.  The bow anchor is cleated to the
> forward mooring cleats
> on the deck.  This requires crew on deck to deploy and
> recover.  The bow
> anchor line is stored in the forward locker without
> problem or tangling -
> storage requires careful technique.  The stern anchor
> line is cleated to one
> of the side mooring cleats accessible from the cockpit.
> The stern line is
> in a spackle bucket in the laz, also carefully stored for
> tangle-free
> deployment.  I have always been taught to take the time
> to properly store
> any line since it may need to be deployed in a hurry.
>
> Mike
> s/v Shanghai'd Summer ('81)
>
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