[Public-List] Anchored Stern To

[Rob Alley]

More than a few years back, I was doing a night voyage up to St Marys 
City, MD from Solomons Island--Chesapeake sailors will recognize this as 
the last leg of the Governor's cup.  Following the 20 foot depth line, I 
motored into light winds. It had been a couple years since I had come 
this way, and some fool had put an unlit pound net on the line.  I found 
it, became entangled, realized that there was nothing to be done before 
morning, and took wife and dog below.  I closed up the boat and awaited 
dawn in winds which veered South and built, waves about 3 feet. At low tide.

As the boat was thoroughly entangled in the net, she could not rise to 
the waves, and the stern took a beating with each passing--I tied the 
tiller amidships.  The only thing good about this night was that the 
cockpit drains got a good wash-out.  By high tide, the occasional wave 
would break over the transom, fill the cockpit, and squirt water into 
the cabin through the bug screen behind the hatch, but we stayed pretty dry.

The idiot who had sited the net without the legally required lights 
showed up just after dawn, begging me not to cut the net--I was 
brandishing a USMC KABAR and making myself as unpleasant as possible.
It took our idiot's brother until 1030 to extricate my prop from his 
nets and set us free. I know for a fact that my call to the USCG 
resulted in the legally required lights being put on the net within a 
day or two.

In Mike's situation, I would have put a buoy on the line, cut it, and 
come back later.

R



Gordon Laco wrote:
> I am not a hydrodamicist; but would suggest that it would be a very
> fortunate circumstance if going full ahead with the rudder hard over
> resulted in anything good occuring.
> 
> Consider the situation - the rudder with the prop wash blowing on it is a
> few feet downwind of the point at which the stern is fixed to the anchor
> cable.  The windage on an A30 is all way forward.  I can't see any way the
> rudder would be able to lever the boat to windward so long as there is load
> on the cable (sort of like pulling up on your boots and hoping to get off
> the ground!).
> 
> Consider also that while one was vainly trying this another couple of waves
> filled the cockpit... And significant amounts of water started getting in
> through your lazaratte and cockpit hatches or even the companion way.  You
> could be sunk in a few moments.
> 
> Better if caught by the stern this way to just cut the line and save the
> boat.  Then remember never ever to get into that situation again!  The cost
> of an anchor and the lost cable is not much against the consequences!
> 
> Cheers - Gord #426
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> At 10:10 PM 4/9/2008, Mike Lehman wrote:
>>
>>> Then there was the time I was anchored (single-handed) in the middle of
>>> the Chesapeake in 107' of water as a stake boat for the Canadian Races.
>>> The wind was 30+ out of the north and the waves were 6 feet. I went to
>>> pull up the turning mark over the stern  and the rode for the
>>> mark  slipped and wrapped around the stern cleat. I was anchored stern to
>>> the waves. To free up slack, I had to put the engine in full reverse,
>>> directly into the weather, to get enough slack in the line. With me
>>> standing on the lazerette, a large wave broke over the stern pulpit into
>>> the cockpit. I looked around and the cockpit was full to the bridge deck.
>>> I started to ask "what the hell am I doing out here". All turned out fine,
>>> I lived and the boat did not sink.
>> Interesting situation, Mike; it's astonishing how many different ways you
>> can have a problem in a boat.
>>
>> I wonder what would have happened if you had motored *forward* with full
>> rudder to  try to come about into the wind to get your slack? A couple of
>> things might happen:
>>
>> 1. The engine plus wave force breaks the anchor loose, in which case you're
>> fine.
>>
>> 2. The turning moment of the rudder gets you around and you get your slack.
>>
>> 3. You're only able to turn part way until the wind & waves stop the turn,
>> you get pounded and broach?
>>
>> I ask the resident hydrodynamicists to analyze this: How much turning
>> moment can a rudder constrained by a line on the quarter produce? What's
>> the moment of a 30kt wind vector from the side on an Alberg's
>> freeboard?  Mike, J, anyone?
>>
>> Bob Kirk
>> Isobar 181
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> These businesses support your Association:
>> http://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
>> Please support them.
>> _______________________________________________
>> Public-List mailing list
>> Public-List at lists.alberg30.org
>> http://lists.alberg30.org/listinfo.cgi/public-list-alberg30.org
> 
> _______________________________________________
> These businesses support your Association:
> http://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
> Please support them.
> _______________________________________________
> Public-List mailing list
> Public-List at lists.alberg30.org
> http://lists.alberg30.org/listinfo.cgi/public-list-alberg30.org
> 

 1208137609.0