Watching my yacht drift out into the bay

[Akapeterc]

We were anchored in black wattle Bay just under the Anzac Bridge in Sydney the other day, a After putting out 30 m of chain and digging it in I was pretty confident that we wouldn't move. What a shock when we were returning in the tender from fish markets to see our boat drifting out into the bay. After we got aboard and pulled up the chain which I think had stopped us by then again, a catamaran which seemed to be where our anchor was, lifted their anchor and drove out past us. I can't understand how we drifted never happened before. So I assume that the catamaran must've pulled my anchor out of the mud. I said to them as they went past "we were lucky we came home when we did and they just said yeah and waved and kept going. Anyone else had an experience where someone just doesn't give a stuff about your boat after their actions cause something like this. So glad I decided to go back to the boat when we did or we could have lost our boat

[Sea Dreaming]

Wow! I am glad you made it back in time too. Sounds like the cat was totally unaware. This is why we give offerings of rum to Neptune!

[keepondancin]

We had crossed over the Mona Passage from the DR, and anchored in Boqueron. Was there for several days, winds would come and go, seemed like everything was good. Went to do some errands, and was gone a good part of the day. When we got back, a couple cruisers came running up saying our boat was dragging. The boat was almost on the horizon, or so it seemed. One cruiser had a skiff with a bigger outboard and ran us to the boat, all the way, telling us how to anchor, what we did wrong, not enough scope, etc. Got on the boat and started taking up the all chain rode, and taking it up and taking it up. Our ride said something about more than enough chain. Anchor came up with the head of a mop wrapping the whole CQR. A good laugh, and for years, when we would meet up with friends, would be hailed as "KEEP on MOPPIN'".

[Fence Man]

There is an old junky houseboat in the marina where we keep ours.... Last summer, the owners loaned it to some friends, and the friends managed to hit six other boats on the way out, and never even slowed down. When they came back in a few days later, they didn't have the marbles to put it back in the slip where it belonged, next to all the boats they had wrecked. Lucky for us, they came to an empty slip on our dock and shagged out pretty quick. Last time I was there, the windows were still open on that boat.... The marina owners left a note on the door to come to the principals office ASAP, but nobody has been back since.

[Eggbah]

New boat owners, I assume? (them, not you, Akapeterc) Thank goodness you got back when you did!

Note to self when I become a boat owner: Do not be an a****** and pull someone else's anchor up and head out without a care in the world.

[44'cruisingcat]

While it's easy to blame someone else, there's pretty dodgy holding in Blackwattle/Roselle bay. There's an awful lot of rubbish on the bottom in there.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

While it's easy to blame someone else, there's pretty dodgy holding in Blackwattle/Roselle bay. There's an awful lot of rubbish on the bottom in there.

All too true, but sometimes that rubbish causes rather excellent holding... like not being able to get the hook free from it.* A nasty place to anchor, not aided by the silly restrictions on legal anchoring areas. Most are too shallow for fixed keel boats (one of those times I envy you catamariners).

* We hoisted a huge coil of very rusty, very muddy, very smelly wire rope from the bottom there a few years ago. Took a lot of unhooking, it did!

Jim

[brianlara 3]

I'm sure know already that Blackwattle & Rozelle Bays are mostly deep black mud. And I'd say you were quite possibly right that the Cat people lifted your pick off the bottom. Assuming that they did then I would have expected your pick to re-hook itself as soon as it hit the bottom again.
I was onboard a 55' Schoinning Cat at Balmain/Birkenhead once. Richard asked what I had in the way of a pick and as I had just dumped at sea the CQR copy which came with the boat, I answered proudly "a Lewmar Delta". He then told me how they drifted for miles one night near Darwin because their Delta, they later found out, was actually notorious for pulling in soft mud.
Two weeks later, in Hen & Chicken Bay my Delta on an a 7:1 scope of heavy chain pulled badly and releasing heaps more chain did nothing.
If your pick is a plow design then be suspicious that possibly it wasn't the Cat but the pick ??
That said, with an obviously drifting boat it was the moral responsibility of the Cat to do something prior to your arrival. At least, I would have thought so.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Glad to hear that you got your boat back. I know all too well how it feels to learn that such a famiy member has gone off on an adventure without you, & without permission.

A tip, should you have to find the mother ship, is to put pieces of SOLAS reflective tape the size of a playing card just below the gunwale every 8' or so around the perimeter of the boat. And then do the same somewhere high up on her structure, again, such as the mast, on all sides. It helps even if you just go out to dinner, & are coming back to the boat after dark. But especially if she decides to move on her own while you're gone. Also, do the same to the dink, & ourboard.

By all accounts the reflective tape is what allowed my boat to be found when she disappeared. She was home at the time, & I was out of town when she went wandering, so I definitely got lucky!

[donradcliffe]

I can also attest to the crap holding in Blackwattle. I've been drug into, and the boat went walkabout when I was gone. Of course, back then I was still using a Bruce.

[Don C L]

Glad to hear you caught your boat in time. I had a couple of enterprising characters cut the nylon rodes on my old boat once in order to let it drift ashore so they could then claim "free salvage." It did drift ashore but with help I was able to recover it while it still flopped around in the surf line. But to have someone pull out your anchor and then leave it, if that was the case, well, I'd hate to think what kind of bad luck that will bring them...

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Akapeterc

So I assume that the catamaran must've pulled my anchor out of the mud.

An alternative explanation is that your boat dragged and the cat simply anchored in the vacated spot. While you can never be sure, I think this is more likely from your description.

If the cat owners realised you were dragging they should have come to help, but quite slow drags are not uncommon in soft mud so it may not have been obvious even if they were paying attention.

Anchoring should be reliable, but even with the best equipment and techniques it is never 100% secure. Anyway glad in ended well .

[svseachange]

Question for the old salts: is holding better opposite the Birkenhead Point Marina next to the Iron Cove bridge? Protection is excellent there.

[boatman61]

Scary innit..!!!
I've never rowed as fast as I did one day in '96 when my boats anchor snapped at the shaft while anchored in Cascais.. luckily a fishing boat grabbed her as she drifted past and held her till I caught up..

[brianlara 3]

Originally Posted by svseachange

Question for the old salts: is holding better opposite the Birkenhead Point Marina next to the Iron Cove bridge? Protection is excellent there.

Right where Balmain Power Station used to be . Yes, excellent holding. And on the western side, right at the bridge is the no longer used ferry wharf which is a perfect place to leave the dink whist shopping at the super markets etc. Tie up on the inside of the steps. Easy, any tide, dry shoes.
And Whitworths are a ten minute walk west along Victoria rd. And gas bottle exchanges 5 mins walk same direction.