Wow! a new experience!

[carstenb]

hi all,

We were on Raiatea/Tahaa and because our anchor winch was leaking oil (gearbox) we decided not to anchor (I'm getting a little old to haul up our anchor by hand) but to get a slip in a marina.

So we did - Apooiti Marina. Both Vinni and I felt it was strange being able to just step off the boat onto the dock.

Then we started figuring on it.

The last time Capri was on a dock was in Panama City - 14 months ago!
So we've been on the hook for the past 500 days or so. Figuring further, we've been on the hook for about 1000 days since leaving 'denmark.

For the anchor purists - we have a 30 kilo Mantus on our boat and 100 meters of chain. During all this time we have only dragged once - Fatu Hiva

During this time we have experienced winds (gusting) over 50 knots and sustained winds over 40 knots. We have anchored in swells (chop) over 5-6 feet.

[Don C L]

I know you’re excited to be able to step onto a dock, but the news of 1000 days at anchor turned my avatar green with envy!!

[Mike OReilly]

My kind of cruising … you’re my hero .

We’re still lingering up here in Newfoundland, so don’t really have the option of cruising straight for more than a few months per year. But our most recent journey took us up and over the northern peninsula of The Rock. Eight weeks, and we touched only one wharf the whole time.

So not quite in your league, carstenb, but we’re trying .

[SVRocinante]

Wow! Congrats!

[finding41]

Was the anchor fouled in the chain when you dragged?
I use Mantus 17 with 6' 1/2" chain on my Mac26D. I've taken 30 knots gusting 40 on the beam with my 13 lb no chain Mantus off the stern Anchors in mud.
They didn't budge. Just went deeper.
The only time I've seen a Mantus drag was on flat rock in Georgian Bay.
Marty

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by finding41

Was the anchor fouled in the chain when you dragged?
I use Mantus 17 with 6' 1/2" chain on my Mac26D. I've taken 30 knots gusting 40 on the beam with my 13 lb no chain Mantus off the stern Anchors in mud.
They didn't budge. Just went deeper.
The only time I've seen a Mantus drag was on flat rock in Georgian Bay.
Marty

No the anchor wan't fouled. The anchorage at Fatu Hiva is a thin layer of sand over hard rock. A Kiwi anchored next to us told us that if we didn't drag at Fatu Hiva we would probably be the first one who didn't Everyone drags there - which we could confirm as 2-3 boats dragged per day

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by Don C L

I know you’re excited to be able to step onto a dock, but the news of 1000 days at anchor turned my avatar green with envy!!

I don't know about being excited about it - but it certainly was a new and strange experience.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

My kind of cruising … you’re my hero .

We’re still lingering up here in Newfoundland, so don’t really have the option of cruising straight for more than a few months per year. But our most recent journey took us up and over the northern peninsula of The Rock. Eight weeks, and we touched only one wharf the whole time.

So not quite in your league, carstenb, but we’re trying .

Well you know, after a while, the hook just seems natural and you never think about marinas.

[Toccata]

Im sure there are lots of answers to this question elsewhere however I'd like to ask it on this thread because you seem to have real world experience..
Would you mind describing what sort of anchor wash down system you have installed?

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by Toccata

Im sure there are lots of answers to this question elsewhere however I'd like to ask it on this thread because you seem to have real world experience..
Would you mind describing what sort of anchor wash down system you have installed?

Very old fashioned I'm afraid - a bucket with a length of rope. Throw enough seawater at it and it comes clean (builds up the arm muscles too)

[Nicholson58]

We left Muskegon, Michigan in 2016 and went out the St Lawrence Seaway to Nova Scotia and south to the Chesapeake. We joined the Salty Dawgs rally to Virgin Gorda and have been in the Caribbean since. We are anchored out every night November to June for three years. The Rocna 54 kg never drags. Our deck wash pump failed along the St Lawrence but we rarely pick up mud. Typical stays in the Caribbean harbors for us is 1-6 weeks.

[Jim Cate]

Marinas for us are places for doing boat work that is expedited by being alongside, or for leaving the boat unattended for a longish time... like occasional trips back to the States for surgery or weddings or whatever. Oh, also when one needs access to doctors in areas where anchoring out is contraindicated by some external factor like local law or simply no dinghy access, etc.

I'd have to go back through about 15 volumes of logs to do the actual math, but I'd estimate somewhere less than a fortnight per year on average for the last 32 years.

They are useful, but noisy, crowded, and expensive... and give far too good access to other means of spending money!

Jim

[Nicholson58]

I agree Jim. Add also that tied to a dock is how you get rodents, roaches, other vermin and loud music. Daily dock fees add up to well more than our mortgage used to be. BVI moorings also exceed the mortgage. If you are a diver, marinas are not where to be. Used every day, the cost of chain and a good anchor is pretty cheap.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by carstenb

Well you know, after a while, the hook just seems natural and you never think about marinas.

It’s true. We don’t. When planning our next hop we look at the charts and look for good places to drop the hook. Unless we really need something, like diesel, water or food. We just don’t go to the dock.

That said, we do tend to spend the beginning and ending parts of each season tied to a dock. We have to haul out and disassemble, and then launch and reassemble, the boat each year. It’s far easier to do this at the dock. If we were able to sail all year I know we’d rarely touch a dock.

Originally Posted by carstenb

Very old fashioned I'm afraid - a bucket with a length of rope. Throw enough seawater at it and it comes clean (builds up the arm muscles too)

Works for us. Mostly it works well, but we have cruised in areas where the bottoms are sticky, slimy mud. This is when I pine for a high pressure wash down hose.

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

...They are useful, but noisy, crowded, and expensive... and give far too good access to other means of spending money!

So true Jim. And I think this is something few people really think about. For us frugal cruisers, the absolutely best way to save money is to stay off the dock. Docks represent urban development, which represents all manner of way to spend money.

For those on limited budgets, the best thing to do is avoid marinas, and urban areas in general.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

They are useful, but noisy, crowded, and expensive... and give far too good access to other means of spending money!

Jim

Especially if there is a sailors bar with pitchers of beer for happy hour!