Anchor Management - part 2

Part one of Anchor Management was posted on May 14, 2012

Third Step  - lets do this  already... Anne typically pilots C'est la Vie to the drop site using the MOB mark on the GPS in step two.  Once on approach I go forward and release the anchor so that it is hanging off the bowsprit inches above the water.  Optimally, C'est la Vie's velocity is nil upon reaching the drop site.  Anne and I have developed hand signals to communicate during this process (fodder for a future post perhaps.)  I release the anchor and watch for the subtle change in the speed of the chain across the roller to identify when the anchor strikes the bottom.  Once the anchor rests on the bottom, I slow the rate of the chain to match the speed at which C'est la Vie is moving away from the drop site.  Continuing to quickly drop rode would only serve to create a pile of chain on the bottom next to the anchor.  If the conditions don’t move C’est la Vie away from the drop site, then I signal to Anne to back away using the motor.

Our primary anchor rode consists of 100 feet of chain followed by 200 feet of ¾” braided rope.  Beginning at 40 feet, the rode is marked off in 10 foot increments.  On the chain section we use two zip ties passed through the links of chain.  On the rope section we use zip ties passed through the braid of the rope.  The zip ties vary in color.  If we lose count on the marks, then we refer to a list of marks written down in the cover of our log book.

Colored Zip Ties used to mark the length on the anchor rode

We typically anchor in water less than 15 feet so use of the rope section of the anchor rode is rare (scope 1:7 = 15 feet deep X 7 = 105 feet of rode.)  When setting the anchor on chain only rode we use a snubber line.  The anchor chain has no flex.  In rough or windy conditions C’est la Vie can pull violently against the anchor rode.  The lack of flex in the  anchor system can literally rip the windlass or cleats off the foredeck. .  The snubber line serves as a shock absorber between the chain rode and the cleats on the foredeck.

C’est la Vie’s snubber line consists of a 30 foot section of megabraid line with a chain hook spliced in the middle.   When the hooks is attached to the chain two 15 foot sections of line extend back towards the bow.  I always leave the snubber tied into one of the two bow cleats when working at the foredeck.  

Anchor deployed.  Snubber tied into port cleat ready to be set.

 To set the snubber,  I stop the chain when the appropriate mark passes the bow roller and is hanging in the air.  The secured end of the snubber line and chain hook, typically starboard side out of habit, is tied off to the bow cleat.  The remaining line and chain hook are then fed through the starboard bow fairlead.  The chain hook is affixed to a link of chain out beyond/below the bobstay.  With the chain hook in place the free end of the snubber line is then lead through the port side fairlead and made fast to the port side bow cleat with no slack in the line.   Next, I return to the windlass and continue to run out chain until a long bight droops past the chain hook, approximately 10 additional feet.  Now back to the port side cleat, I slowly release line until the chain hook is just above the surface of the water and then tie off line to the port side cleat.  Back to the starboard cleat, I now take in any slack remaining between the chain hook and the cleat. 

Snubber line set with chain hook at surface of water.

Writing out directions for setting the snubber line makes the process seem complex and time consuming,  it typically takes less than two minutes to accomplish and is essential when using a chain rode.  When completed the two legs of the snubber line act independently to secure the vessel to the anchor and to absorb shock loads when anchored in rough conditions.  The chain is secured at the windlass and serves as a back up should the snubber line fail.

Deck view of the rigged snubber line.

When anchoring in areas where the length of rode moves beyond our 100 feet of chain, the rope rode acts provides flex in the system and an snubber line is not required.  I tie the line off to both bow anchors and then run it back to the windlass.

Anchor tied off when depth required use of rope section of rode.

It is rare that Anne and I feel the need to use C’est la Vie’s engine to set the anchor.  If we are unsure of the holding or are expecting foul weather then we will use the engine to pull against the anchor prior to setting the snubber line.

Yum

Probably the best pizza I have ever made. This was a great meal. We had to postpone the salad, to much champagne !


Anne

Goodness from my galley!

I'm making pizzas from scratch tonight!

Anne

Updates and revisions

Those of you that receive email updates or subscribe to our blog maybe wondering about all the past dated posted that appeared today.  Well I took advantage of the coffee shop's open WiFi to fill in some missing posts, add some additional images, correct some errors, and generally clean up from all the posts made from our "smart" phones. 

All the images and the majority of the posts during our spring travels have come directly from our phones.  I realize this has changed  the nature of our posts - less text and more images. 

Thanks for following along on our northward migration.  The frequency and nature of our post will be changing over the next week as we transition back in life down east along the NC coast. 

Jeff

"Gosh, my life is so hard."

Anne and I are relaxing on anchor in Beaufort's Taylors Creek anchorage.  We were able to get our preferred spot at the west end of the creek near a beach on Carrot Island and directly across from the Maritime Museum's wooden boat shop.

The weather here is sublime for lounging, reading, scrabble, and any manner of lazy day activities aboard. 
Don't expect this to last.  I need to focus my energies on reopening NCOBS OBX program as the staff training starts on May 12.

Jeff

Sub one hour to Beaufort

We anchored last night in Swansboro, NC and have spent the morning motorsailing north in the ICW through Bogue Sound.  We just passed under the Atlantic Beach Bridge and currently have the Morehead City Port off our port side.

Rounding the marks and turning east we encountered a inbound commercial vessel with two tugs assisting.

Sub one hour and we will be dropping the hook in Taylor's Creek... we are back in Beaufort!

Jeff

Sharing the ICW with gun boats

We are motorsailing north bound in the ICW along Camp Lejune.  The military is engaging in live fire exercises so we were delayed at the Onslow Beach Bridge for an hour.

While waiting at the bridge a frantic call to the Coast Guard from MV Bobcat came through.  Bobcat stated they were off shore and bullets are raining down upon him.  The call went out to check fire and a navy patrol boat made contact with a shaken crew that had managed to slip into the restricted area. 
We resumed our travels when the bridge opened at 15:00.  Less than a mile from the bridge we passed 4 of the gun boats in the image.

We are now nearly clear of Lejune and plan to anchor in Swansboro.  If all goes well we will arrive in Beaufort, NC by midday tomorrow.

Jeff

visiting friends and family in Wilmington, NC.

We moved a short distance northward this morning into a slip at Anchors Bend Marina (if you follow the link don't believe the hype. The marina is closer to the pit of nautical living than the pinnacle.)  None-the-less it is great to be tied up along side Ella's new sailboat.

C'est la Vie looks tiny next to the 48 foot SV-Ohana.   Ella and her father Larry were on hand to assist us with docking.  While in Wilmington we were able to catch up with Ella - visit her recently completed house, check out the new boat, and the relocated Ella Vickers Collection business office.

We spent a stormy afternoon with the Lovett's aboard MV Sunshine on the 28th.

Fortunately all the severe thunderstorms remained to the west of our location.

Time for some shut eye

The Wrightsville Beach anchorage in Motts Channel is within a nautical mile of Masonboro Inlet.  So shortly after clearing the Inlet we had the hook down and were ready for a nap after our overnight crossing from Winyah Bay.

Anne

Vanishing cookies

I made these bar cookies a few days ago and some how all but 3 have disappeared.

They were a great treat while on watch in the middle of the night. So easy-I used the recipe on the sweetened condensed milk can. Graham cracker crumb crust with melted butter, then spread on the canned milk, press in chocolate and butterscotch chips, shredded coconut and chopped pecans. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. The hardest thing was waiting till they cooled in the pan!

Cheers-anne

Thank you... to SV Odysseus

Last night during our overnight off of South Carolina there was a thunderstorm off our bow. Geeze there was no mention from NOAA nor on the satilite weather consulted prior to leaving Winyah Bay. So, we had a choice run 20 miles into shore and run against the tide of the Cape Fear River or keep going uncertain of where the storm with lightning was heading. Jeff got on the radio and said our name and where we were located and asked if anyone had any information on the storm. Sure enough another sailboat, Odysseus, that was 12 NM ahead of us radioed back that the storm was off their bow and moving north at 6 to 10 knots. Good!  We were heading east.

By dawn we were east of Frying Pan Shoals and on a northerly course 30NM out from Masonboro Inlet.  Storm cells were clearly visible to our east over the Atlantic Ocean.

Our new course placed us on a light air run in 6 foot seas....not an easy or pleasant point of sail.

Currently we are out of range of thunderstormes and 6 miles from the inlet. SV - Odysseus, the boat that helped us is just off our bow. Somehow we caught up to them!

Anne

close hauled towards Frying Pan Shoals

Once clear of the Winyah Bay Channel, Anne and I reviewed the forecast, tide predictions, and current conditions.  All the while C'est la Vie was sailing close hauled so perfectly balanced that we did not need to touch the helm for nearly one hour.  She seemed to already know that we would make the decision to sail around Frying Pan Shoals and then enter the NC coast at Masonboro Inlet.  This will allow us to avoid entering the Cape Fear River Inlet in the dark and then fighting tide upriver at night.  If the conditions remain as forecasted we should pass east of the shoals dark-thirty tomorrow morning and arrive in Wrightsville Beach by midday.

Jeff

Fighting the tide out Winyah Bay

After a goodnight's sleep and a lazy morning we are currently (pun intended) fighting tide as we attempt to exit Winyah Bay and jump back into the Atlantic for an overnight crossing.

We plan to assess conditions on the outside prior to picking an inlet along the NC coast.  Our likely points of land fall will be either Cape Fear River or Masonboro Inlet.  Either way we hope to be in back in North Carolina by tomorrow afternoon.

Close encounters of the large vessel kind

We are now safely awaiting the opening of the Ben Sawyer Bridge in the ICW just north of Charleston.

The harbor channel was very busy this morning.  We were passed by two outbound container ships and one inbound container ship over took us just as we entered the jetties.

 We did mange to hit 7 knots surfing its bow wave as the vessel passed within a few hundred meters of our position.

Dawn breaks and we are nearing the Charleston Harbor Channel

Despite fickle winds that would tease us with a couple hours of find sailing only to vanish and force our return to motoring, the overnight passage from Brunswick to Charleston passed uneventfully.

Around Tybee Roads was fell in with a group of four other sailing vessels that departed Fernandina Beach and were planning to enter Winyah Bay.  Our heading were similar enough that we were within a couple nautical miles of each other most of the night.  SV - Kismet (sp) was the most talkative of the bunch.  Hopefully we will get the chance to meet up further along our travels.

The vessel visible in the morning haze above is in the channel 3NM ahead.  Our plan is to enter Charleston Harbor and then turn immediately north into the ICW.  We need to take on fuel and water before pushing on northward.

jeff

Close encounters of the aquatic kind

While running off shore on the 23rd we enjoyed multiple close encounters with dolphins.  Anne delighted in cheering the playful dolphins antics while she perched on the bowsprit.

Throughout the afternoon we passed through schools (flocks) of Hog Nose Rays flying just below the surface.  The groups would adopt a vee or diamond pattern much like migrating birds. 

Do rays migrate?  More images of our day' encounters are available via the link to our Spring 2011 - FL to NC photo album on the right side of the viewing pane on the blog or via this link - Spring 2011 - FL to NC Album 

Crazy looking tide line 8NM off shore.

Approximately one hour after turning northeast out of Brunswick Bar Channel we encountered this stark line between crystal-clear ocean water and silt laden water drawn off shore by ebbing tides.

Jeff

Another attempt to run offshore

We anchored off the northern end of Jekyll Island last night to position ourselves to ride the last hour of the ebbing tide out the Brunswick Bar and back into the Atlantic Ocean. 

We are attempting again to make an offshore passage up to Charleston or beyond.  The forecasts have no mention of thunderstorms until Tuesday.

The image included is looking northeast across the channel to the St. Simon's Lighthouse.

Fair winds!

Jeff

More goodness from my oven

These are my cinnamon buns.

 Not as good as Jeff's dad Bud's Buns but still tasty after being seasick all day yesterday.

Anne

Back in the ICW

As evening approached on the 21st we were 26 hours out from Charleston, SC and 24NM west of the St. Mary's Inlet.  The sailing during the day went smoothly with C'est la Vie averaging around 6 knots, winds slowing shifting from a close reach to a beam reach, and Otto managing the helm.

Throughout the afternoon we watched cumulonimbus clouds building over the mainland to our west.  As the sun vanished behind the towering clouds, NOAA began to issue severe thunderstorm warnings. 
It took some creative investigative efforts to deduce the locations of the storms over land - NOAA kept refering to mainland cities and counties.  Minimal inland information is  included in our digital or paper charts.  We did finally confirm that the worst of the storms, 60mph gusts and marble sized hail, was moving east southeast about 40 miles off our bow.  If we continued our present course we would likely cross paths - no thanks!

At 19:33 we jibed C'est la Vie and set a course due west in hopes of slipping in behind the storm once it passed to our north.  More cells and warnings appeared before us.  In preparation we stowed the genny, double reefed the main, and started the motor. 

Around 22:00, as lightening cleaved the night sky on three sides of our position, it became clear that our offshore jump to Charleston or beyond was not to be. 

The St. Mary's River Inlet offered our best option for refuge.  At 01:13 we rejoined the ICW.  At 02:00 we were working to set the anchor off Cumberland Island admist a thunderstorm with 5 counts (5 seconds between seeing the flash of lightening and hearing the crack of thunder.)

The storm passed our anchorage with minimal impact and sleep came quickly for our weary crew.

We slept in are are now motorsailing northward in the ICW along in the Georgia Low Country.