We just spent two days at an SSCA cruising boat gathering (with also a good dose of OCC boats). We had about 60 boats, all 'real' cruisers, and no-one dragged anchor. It's always very enjoyable to catch up with old friends and meet new cruisers.

I have always said that for me it is fun and enjoyable helping other people with their boats when the same jobs on my boat would be 'work' and make me scowl and swear. But I got involved in two such fun jobs today.

One boat had a new rig, which had one set of the shroud fittings not quite right (wire coming off the swage at an angle and the wire rubbing on a spreader below it). I went up their rig and looked it over, and said (1) yes it was not right, (2) but it was not immediately dangerous, and with one simple little fix I would be happy taking it across an ocean if I had to, and (3) the way to put it perfectly right was not going to be all that hard or expensive (they needed to reinstall the mast fitting a short distance down, using a universal ball joint, and should also change the stay to dyneema single braid (to reduce mainsail chafe).

The other boat got their anchor snagged on something and could not work it loose. They had a trip line when they tried to winch up with a halyard and it broke. We first tried the 'drop a small loop of chain down the rode and pull forward' technique, which did not work. I anchored Hawk in front of them and pulled quite hard and got nothing. I have a hooka (deck air compressor with long hose and breathing regulator). So, we tired them to Hawk with a floating line so they would not go anywhere if I freed the anchor, I put on my wet suit (water was not all that cold so the my drysuit, which I use in really cold water, was overkill), and took a strong line and when down their chain. The visibility was miserable and I thought I might not be able to see anything, until I got within 3' of the bottom and for some reason there was a thing layer on the bottom with excellent visibility and I could see the situation clearly. There was a large ship chain and they had the tip of their anchor jammed into one of the links. I loosened up tip in the chain by pushing with my feet and then tied my line to the anchor roll bar (Manson Supreme). I came back to the surface, and they took up on my line with an halyard and let off the chain and the tip came free. I am honestly not sure why their trip line did not work and broke unless the tip was really jammed in that line and it too a direct foot push to free it.

The prior day I was able to fix someone's broken outboard steering linkage.

All in all a fun and rewarding time.