Promotes an increase in self-esteem, helps control of gastric juice during the night, fights insomnia and regulates the mood of the Commander
(and hence that of the entire crew)
Here, to begin with, an ‘interesting and realistic definition from an American volume:
Anchorage 1) Destination at day’s end. Always found at the junction of two charts, in the gutter of a chart book, or on a chart not aboard.
2) Any location on the water where at least twenty boats may be accomodated in sufficient proximity to one another so that a sound of 10 decibels (roughly equal to the noise produced by folding a paper towel in half) made by a member of the crew of any one boat may be heard clearly by a person of average hearing on any one of the other boats.
The fact that in this definition there is some truth is also testified by ‘how many the idea of anchor means: it gives little chain, so as to limit the “round” if the wind changes and not bumping into the neighboring boats.
Who thinks so, he reckoned without his host, because if the chain is the poor still can not keep with the wind just a little ‘fresh and bang there you go anyway.
The anchor works well if you have sufficient length of chain and / or chain + rope (all together has the name of Calum) that allows, under tension, to work horizontally.
The anchors have a well-defined shape, in fact, that only works if they are subjected to tensile parallel to the bottom. If Calum is too short, traction is skewed or even nearly vertical and still can not help but let go (ara slipping on the bottom, or even Speda, that is spring all the socket on the bottom).
Under these conditions, other than if you go crashing into the boat near, perhaps while everyone is in the water for a swim, or late at night. This does not help the quality of social relations.
What is certain is that a night in a bay with clear water, a cliff or a deserted beach around, a beautiful starry sky on the head and maybe the anticipation of a fresh morning swim before coffee, is one of the true pleasures of life and – like all true pleasures – to be earned. So, we need to organize.
A good anchor consists of three phases and an important Preamble:
1) The Preamble is the fact of not EVER go to wield an anchor and a chain without shoes or gloves.
2) STRATEGY regards the choice of the place (the usual “soliloquy of the pilot”, to do with the help of the weather report, but also the Pilot book, GPS and nautical chart of the area) to assess depth, nature of seabed , weather conditions and forecast any change in wind direction during the stop.
– THE WEATHER FORECAST
in case of good weather held, it is expected that the night brings with it the normal land breeze and the anchor will therefore made providing for the direction of origin of the latter;
in case of bad weather, it will not feel the breeze and the decision on the point to be chosen for the anchorage will be made only with respect to the expected direction of wind and wave dominant.
This does not exclude the possibility of surprises, as can happen when the forecasts prove to be incorrect and the wind starts to blow from a different direction reversing all our calculations on the choice of close, these outputs are frantic in your pajamas, in the middle of the night and with the rocks suddenly downwind (when we have to fund were obviously on the opposite side) to make us dream – as Alain Grée – country houses with the foundation of granite. But you know, going to sea is also made of this and it is because of this that attracts us.
– THE NATURE OF BOTTOM
The idea is to have an anchor on board of form, which is the usual equipment on recreational boats; these types of anchors, such as eg. the Delta, the CQR, the Bruce, the Danforth, have the honor to do their job precisely because of their shape, without being too heavybackdrops good containers: mud and sand;seabed bad containers: algae; seabed to avoid: rock (the risk is that still going to get stuck under a few boulders, making it very difficult to recover at the time of departure);
– THE DEPTH
Must of course be compatible with the length of Calum of which has on board, ie of a set of chain and rope that is attached to the anchor. The Aeolian islands, because of the depth of the seabed also very coast, are a prime example of places where the seal anchor with wind is almost always a gamble.
– THE CONDITION OF THE COAST
An anchor in the vicinity of a low-cost and offer low flat close to the wind, but you can still ensure smooth sea, which is the primary condition to be able to count on a good holding force;
If the coast is high there will also protected from the wind, except for the presence of valleys in which it can be channeled and increase in intensity, it is very high, there is the risk of strong gusts that swoop down from the top ( a classic of the Aegean islands). Aside from the discomfort and lack of comfort of such a situation, the most important thing because the anchor into the sea remains flat.
Better to strong wind and flat water than the other!
3) TACTICS, which is the actual execution of the maneuver, which is identical for both sailboats and for those motor, like the previous phase.
Things to keep in mind there are not many, but they are all important to achieve the goal:
the anchor must rest on the bottom and then undergo traction horizontally, so grab (if it remains just resting there and not sticking in the bottom, can not hold even a shoe)
Grab IF YOU DO WE WILL grab
DO NOT MAKE THINGS ALONE AND DO NOT just put the anchor ‘there’.
And so:
– The boat stops, with the bow into the wind, just beyond the point of bases chosen (maybe a nice patch of sand) and starts to go back in slowly.
– On the chosen point, the still must come down fast enough to the bottom (no use of electric anchor to anchor it, which is too slow, you spring the clutch and let them get off free).
– Continuing the slow reverse, the anchor must be immediately followed by the length of chain required (not too much because it does not have to pile up on the bottom, not too little otherwise it will not pull on the anchor horizontally, you work by loosening or tightening the clutch of anchor-still. At a depth of 5 meters, for example, if they can give more or less a dozen at this early stage, then stops. E ‘useful to paint a sign on the chain links, to indicate 10, 20, 30 meters etc.).
– Continue reversing serves to stretch the chain and then to make traction on the anchor, so that agguanti, that engages the bottom; when grabs, who is at the bow sees that the chain stretches and you should feel the tear; Already here the Commander is raised, put in neutral and can finally look around.
– Then you row anchor chain, in order to have the right length of Calum in water.
– Once you have done all this, if space is short and the many boats around, you can also recover temporarily a few feet of chain (for the most part, towards evening, the majority of the vacationers if it goes through and leaves free space, which we can take the necessary meters spinning again), but at least we are sure to have an anchor that holds it.
– THE MOST USUAL RULES ON THE LENGTH OF Calum: For a short break during the day and, with winds not exceeding force 3 on the Beaufort scale: is a row to the sea Calum equal to 3 times the depth (for example, at a depth of 5 meters will give you 15 meters);
For a prolonged or night: the length of Calum will be 5 to 7 times the depth, in function of the intensity of the wind.
The fact remains that if you want to sleep peacefully, it is worth to be even more generous, which is the most immediate measure of safety even in the event of a wind bracing, wire rope or chain more (to the limit, even all that that it has on board, or even more, adding a piece of top adequate) allows to have a Calum ELASTIC and a more horizontal traction on the armature, with the consequence of it better penetrate into the seabed.
The disadvantage of this operation is mainly in increasing the field of boat ride, and should be considered if there are other boats around.
It is worth noting that, if the place is really busy, maybe you should go somewhere else: you can not exchange an anchor that holds us with a little rotates but does not guarantee the tightness!!
Under the influence of wind and wave the chain runs at an angle and makes plowing or even spedare the anchor
under the effect of wind and wave the chain tends but the portion which remains on the bottom makes the grab still even better.
NO! YES!
4) The CONTROL or what to do to be sure that it has grabbed
Here you can indulge: some dips and goes to check on her again and there are those who put the control board has been doing it (if it were January, I want to see who are immersed).
Bearing in mind that any boat at anchor slewing (ie performs the classic pendulum movement, a bit ‘here and a little’ over there, always coming back in line with the anchor), it takes an alignment more or less abeam: a rock on the shore lined with a light pole higher up on the coast, a bush with a tree lined recognizable higher; quelchec’è a near shore with a quelchec’è behind …).
The two references taken will be staggered during the swing, but they have to realign every time, otherwise it means that the anchor ara.
It takes a little patience to sit there for 5 minutes or to check that it serves, while all the plunge and make a mockery of the Commander that picky, but it’s worth it.
