By using the saved track on our chart plotter, we went back to the scene of the crime on Monday with our friends Gary and Judy. Gary and I used a small anchor to drag the area behind the dinghy. We didn't find the anchor, but have not entirely given up yet.
How could this happen to such as an experienced boater such as I? Let's call it a momentary lapse in judgement and just move on, OK?
We had been flying an old bikini top from the mast on the dinghy for the last two years or so and we had to retire it this week. The garment was becoming unrecognizable, but was still receiving agreeable comments from most people who did realize just what it was. You can't tell from the picture, but I put our Duck Club burgee in its place, a parting gift from Sonny Robbins at our Bon Voyage Party.
Rosie and I took Holly for a walk to the Sea and Shore store on Tuesday and ordered a new Delta anchor from the proprietor, Dick. The price couldn't be beat on a new Delta anchor and he promised to have it in by the next day. The Delta is stock equipment on our boat and is self deploying, meaning the anchor will fall off of the bow pulpit once you undo the safety lanyard and let some rode out. I had considered a Rocna anchor, which is similar in shape to the Delta, but Dick didn't have a good supplier for the Rocna. A Bruce type anchor is liked by some, but the shank is straight and the anchor won't self deploy. I also had concerns about the blade tips on a Bruce anchor coming into contact with the bow when it is retrieved.
Although we have two Danforth type anchors that we have on deck, to be used as spares or when we need to deploy a stern anchor, a Danforth in our environment is not a good choice, especially if you just use a single anchor. When you have tidal currents that change in opposite directions several times a day, the Danforth can be pulled out, where the Delta will "spin" more or less and stay dug in. The Danforth will also not hold in grass, but you don't want to anchor in sea grass anyway. I'll swear by a Danforth in the sand in a constant river current, but not here in this environment. Sorry James.
After our visit to Sea and Shore, where I also had to buy a new float switch for our aft bilge pump, we went to the grocery store and picked up a few things. I waited outside of the store and held Holly at bay while she barked at everyone that walked by. She has not learned that cute is not loud. On the plus side, Holly has become very accomplished on the leash, prancing along at a fast pace. When we get to a street crossing, she knows she is going to be picked up and carried across, so she sits at the proper moment and doesn't make me work at snatching her up. On a side note, she is also coming along nicely in our effort to train her to do her business on the swim platform without the aid of fake grass or potty pads. The money we'll save in potty pads alone will make us rich.
We had attached our bigger spare Danforth to the remaining anchor line so we could still use our windlass while we waited for the new anchor to come in, and when we returned to the boat after our walk, we found that Swing Set had slipped back on her anchor. We were lucky that it didn't run into to two sailboats we had been anchored between. Embarrassed, I moved over to a more open spot to avoid a similar mishap.
Yesterday we took our boat over to the dock at Gary and Judy's so we could remove the anchor line and take it up to Sea and Shore where Dick was going to splice new chain onto our remaining line. Not sure if you can tell from the picture, but Swing Set is in a slip more suited to a 20 foot boat and is sticking her nose far out into the canal. I'm not sure if I'd have the audacity to attempt docking like this on a busy weekend, but only two boats came by and they made it past easily.
I had some chain hanging in our anchor locker since we left St. Louis, and thinking it was only 10 feet or so, decided to give it to Gary or Dick, but I discovered that we had 25 feet of G4 chain, perfect to splice onto our remaining line. Gary and I loaded the chain and line into his car and hauled it all into Sea and Shore. Dick did a fine job of splicing the chain onto the "new" end of our anchor line, saving us about $400 in the process. He didn't charge for the splicing, so I splurged and bought a grappling hook to use in another hunt for our missing anchor. We're sure to find it now that we have a new one.
Back at the condo, Gary and I installed the new anchor and ground tackle while Rosie did some laundry. When the work was done we gathered around their pool and had an impromptu party of sorts. Although we knew Denny and Sharon Vermilye would be coming with their daughter and grand daughter, but some other neighbors joined in too. We BBQ'd and sat around the pool way past dark. We might have had a beer or two.
I should have slept all night like a log, but was up at 3 A.M. I settled a computer issue we had with our email account and before you know it I'm writing the blog. The nice thing about it is that I can go right back to bed and that's just what I'm about to do.
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