Sailing with Nine of Cups

We've encountered perhaps as many as 100 anchorages over the years that were idyllic and protected, but were too small and too deep to anchor safely using the traditional single anchor method. If we dropped the anchor, we either couldn't deploy enough anchor rode or chain to give us our desired scope, or we ran the risk of being on the rocks if and when the tide or wind direction shifted. We've used three methods in these situations, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The first method is to deploy a second bow anchor. This is the easiest method, but our least favorite. Often, the anchorage is too small and too deep to safely deploy two bow anchors. If the anchorage is in an area where the winds and tidal currents shift, we invariably end up with the two anchor rodes twisted around each other, and it always takes time to unwind them. Once we were anchored off Key West for a couple of weeks, and the two rodes were wrapped around each other 15 times. It took us a good hour to unravel them. Not a good situation if we wanted to leave an anchorage in a hurry.

The second method is to use a stern anchor. While the anchorage might still be too small to safely deploy a stern anchor, there are many other situations when using a stern anchor is the best alternative. It has saved our bacon on more than one occasion and has often made a very unpleasant anchorage much more comfortable. This will be the subject of another blog.

The third method is to drop the hook and run lines ashore. We have used this technique in numerous anchorages in Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, Fiordland and Stewart Island in New Zealand, in some of the Pacific atolls and in Maritime Canada. In fact, we've probably used this method more than the other two combined. We use anywhere between one and four lines ashore depending on the situation, but most often two lines suffice. Sometimes we are so close to shore we need to avoid the tree limbs. Marcie always enjoys picking flowers without leaving the boat.

I briefly discussed this method in my previous blog “The Blue View – Storms at Anchor”, but I think it is an important enough topic to merit a more detailed discussion. Our shore line “kit” is made up of two, 300' (90m) lengths of 3/4” (18mm) polypropylene line, two 35 pound (16kg) anchors, four 15' (5m) lengths of 3/8” (10mm) chain and several large shackles. We prefer polypropylene line because it floats, so towing it ashore in the dinghy is easier, and it is quite chafe resistant. In the event we need more than two lines, we use one or two of our spare anchor rodes.

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