Get Real, Get Gone: How to Become a Modern Sea Gypsy and Sail Away Forever by Rick Page & Jasna Tuta

Author:Rick Page & Jasna Tuta [Page, Rick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-07-21T21:00:00+00:00

Always err on the side of caution and never fixate on trying to reproduce that tourist brochure image of a boat 6 feet off the beach with the happy nuclear family swimming ashore to pick bananas. The minute the photographer got that shot, the skipper would have probably anchored further out anyway. Also be aware that catamarans often swing the other way when the wind changes (particularly in tidal flows) and try and anchor with other monohulls (the owners are much more likely to be fellow sea gypsies anyway).

Approach your chosen anchor spot directly into the wind if you are on engine power or as close as you can if under sail. Bring your boat to a stop (turn dead into the wind if under sail) and drop the anchor so that it just touches the sea bed. For example, if your depth sounder is reading 10 meters, drop just enough chain (probably 13 meters to account for the distance between the bow and the bottom of the keel. See above for more info on depth sounders). Using the wind (or the engine in dead slow reverse) allow the boat to move slowly backwards as you slowly let out more chain. The idea is to match the speed you drop the chain with the backward motion of the boat so you lay out the chain in a nice straight line. If your partner is going too fast backwards, then lay out the chain a little more quickly or ask her to slow down by reducing or cutting the power to the engine or easing the sheets (if under sail). The idea is to lay out the chain in a straight line rather than dump a big pile of it on top of the anchor. Imagine you are decorating a cake; you need to start moving at the same moment (or slightly before) as you start squeezing the icing bag, or you end up with a big blob of icing at the beginning. Once you have paid out at least 5 times the depth (in this case 50m) use a nylon line with a chain hook (see picture) or a rolling hitch to take the strain off the windlass gypsy (anchor winch) so you can test your anchor. Attach the line to a solid deck fitting so that all the strain from the anchor chain is being directed there. This line will later become your snubber (see below).

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