On the Hook

We've done two weeks at anchor (in several locations) without topping anything up.*

Pioneer holds 180 gals of water which will last two*of*us up to 20 days, but add two additional less frugal crew and we are empty after 7 days - unless it rains a lot. The wheelhouse roof is plumbed for rain-water collection. We let it rain heavily for 15mins to wash the crap off and then connect to the tanks.

-- Edited by Bendit on Sunday 19th of December 2010 09:08:06 PM

I suspect the true intent of this thread was to determine how long we could go before resupply. If that is the case, we can go for a week. Fresh water is the limiting factor. Power is via six golf cart batteries, to supply power to lights, electric toilet, and refrigerator. With a 105 amp alternator, we can re-charg quickly. Propane used for range and BBQ will last many weeks. The water must be used carefully, as we have only seventy gallons, but sponge baths with solar showers every other day, it lasts a week.

No, we don't spend more than a few days anywhere, so it's never a problem.

So, what is your strategy and favorite tools to clean off*the anchor gear before it comes aboard and fouls*the boat?

"I have read that as long as the rain is coming in from the water (ocean) and not the land, that it should be ok to consume. It doesn't sound like rain water is used by many of you folks to replenish your tanks. Any particular reason? "

Most of the posters here are usually inshore , so a stop in the marina for beer, gas and water takes less time than doing the laundry during a lunch break..

ALL rainwater has "dirt" in it called condensation nuclei it is required for the water droplets to form, all is easily filtered out with a Home Depot in line filter.

Sailors may have sun covers (boom tents) that can easily be raised to work as a water catchment, harder for marine motorists.

"So, what is your strategy and favorite tools to clean off the anchor gear before it comes aboard and fouls the boat?"

Simple proper boat and ground tackle design , in advance.


On out 90/90 the anchor comes up in a hawse hole , is carried over the water , so who cares about mud?

Same on the lobster boat a bow roller holds the anchor overboard .

ON both the chain is only long enough to engage the chain stopper bolted to the deck.

A bucket takes care of the 4-5 ft of chain. Since this chain never has to be fed thru a windlass it can be really over sized , to match the strength of the line, and big links are easier to clean than tiny.

markpierce wrote:

So, what is your strategy and favorite tools to clean off*the anchor gear before it comes aboard and fouls*the boat?

Click to expand...

Our favorite is tool Mother Nature.* If we have been anchored in the same spot*long enough for the anchor to start growing stuff, we just let out more chain for 2 to 3 days before we leave.* If we are in 20 feet*of water we'll let out another 25 feet or so.* As the*boat swings around,*the bottom does a nice job of cleaning off*the chain.**We also have a salt water wash-down on the bow.*

Larry/Lena
Hobo KK42
Isla Grande, Guerrero, MX

In our experience the messiest problem is mud on several or many feet of chain.* Our chain and anchor doesn't weigh as much as those of a large cruiser, and the PNW anchorages are fairly deep, so I can generally let the muddy part of the chain down into the water, and then yank it up and down a bit, which easily releases the mud.*

For sticky mud remaining on the anchor, or mud from the chain splattered around on the foredeck, a bucket with a line on it does the job.*

When the anchor brings up a collection of kelp, I'll lean over the bow pulpit rail and remove it by hand, with occasional help from the boathook.

A washdown hose on the foredeck might be nice, but would add obstacles to trip over, and seems unnecessarily complex on our small boat.

Our master shower is in the bow, so we use the shower hose.* This year I have to drag the chain out and clean it up as it's a little rusty especially at the bottom of the pile that does not get used.* *Might have to replace the last 50 to 100 ft of the chain. Athough, the chain locker could hold/pile more chain, and having an extra 100+ ft would not hurt in the PNW.
*

Phil Fill wrote:

...*and having an extra 100+ ft would not hurt in the PNW.
*

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Am always curious as to how you anchor in the fjords.

*

I dont know yet as we have not anchored that much. Remember, I am a DOCK QUEEN.* *We have a 94 lb Fjord with 200 ft of chain, but would sleep better with the 146 lbs. Fjord and 300 ft of chain.* **A neighbor bought a big Ronoc anchor and swears by it for his 65 ft Pacific Marina.* Most of the PNW commercial trawlers and bigger boats have Fjords.* I tend to follow the commercial more than pleasure.* *

markpierce wrote:

So, what is your strategy and favorite tools to clean off*the anchor gear before it comes aboard and fouls*the boat?

Click to expand...

A previous owner installed a huge Jabsco washdown pump in the engine room powered by a 1hp Westinghouse AC motor.* It would not have been our choice as we have to start the generator to use it but since it's there I overhauled it a few years ago, repainted it, and that's what we use. It puts out 23 gpm and will blast pretty much anything off of anything.* There are deck spigots mounted at the bow and stern.

This pump is still available new--- it's classed as an agricultural pump--- but it's way expensive and the requirement for AC rules it out for any boats that don't have either a generator or a hell of a big battery bank with a high-amp inverter.

There are DC washdown pumps that would probably be a better choice.

Wow, lots of stuff to cover here.
Longest trip has been 2 weeks and in that time we went to short for supplies 3 times water once and food at all three. We have 400gal fuel, 200gal water, 12kw gen, Satellite & LCD TV which pretty much requires running the Gen twice daily if you run the TV much. We also have a small (apartment sized) Sears chest freezer which when stocked would far out last our two week food need but we also use it for crab bait and that gets it full. My wife uses the sink as though she were home a habit I cant seem to get her to break but Im not about to fight over it and if it means that we have to go to a dock to tank up, so be it after all, this is supposed to be fun. We use the whaler to zip around fishing and to get to shore for daily walks both for the dog and for some good old beach combing.

RE: ground tackle. We use 200 5/16 HTS chain + 200 5/8 rope and a 40# claw (held us + a side tied 40 Spindrift sundeck trawler in 35kt winds without budging). Most mud rinses off the chain on return. When some is on the Anchor / chain I just have my mate put the boat in gear at idle and take us out of the anchorage. Within 3 min. its usually clean. We have a deck washdown but I only use it to wash down the deck

-- Edited by carvendive on Monday 20th of December 2010 11:53:16 AM

Several people have mentioned leaving the anchor hanging down in the water and motoring forward to let the water wash the mud off it and the chain This is a good practice but it doesn't work on boats with a plumb or nearly-plumb bow unless it has a very long pulpit. On our boat if we do this, the anchor chain angles back and the chain ends up hard against the stem or scraping against one side of the bow or the other. So hosing the muck off is the only practical choice.

Been out for as long as a week.
Pretty remote here the only place to get water was to rig a hose with a funnel made from a milk jug and find a small waterfall. The wall was pretty steep so we pulled up to shore one person went ashore and held the funnel in the waterfall and filled the tank.

*Then we ran out of beer so we had to head back to the harbor.
*
Funny how you can live without water.

I have wondered about those little stick thingy's that you put on or in the end of your faucet you have to move it to get the water to flow. Sounds like it would work so the water doesn't flow constantly.*

Now I'm wondering whether the new and becoming-to-be-annoying expression "off the hook" has nautical originations.* I still haven't figured out what it means.

Steve wrote:
... a separate raw water source at the galley sink maybe tee off of the washdown pump. Wash dishes in raw water, salt or fresh, and a quick rinse with potable water.

Steve W.
I believe this is common in sail boats and earlier trawlers?

Click to expand...

This was the set up we used on a two week offshore passage with no access to any supplies.* We had ~115 gal of fresh water for 7 people.* Needless to say there were no showers.* There was a salt water pump that supplied the anchor washdown and a sprayer at the galley sink.* dishes got a quick rinse in potable water after a salt water bath.* Baby wipes were a lifesaver, though we ran low at the end and had to ration.* Of course we found more stashed away once we got to our destination.

We planned the menu so that as time went by the meals relied less and less on anything that needed to be refrigerated, just in case we had power issues and lost our reefer.** the last two dinners were 1)*fritos with chilli on top and 2)*tortilla chip casserole--tortilla chips baked with cheese soup (undiluted from the can) and chili.* We still had sour cream in the reefer for topping, and I think*even avocado. *People liked these better than the fancier stuff we did earlier on.* Of course we were all really tired, hungry and smelly by then so who's to say if they would have been such hits earlier on.*

... Wash dishes in raw water, salt or fresh, and a quick rinse with potable water....

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...* There was a salt water pump that supplied the anchor washdown and a sprayer at the galley sink.* dishes got a quick rinse in potable water after a salt water bath.. On our last boat we had a salt water tap in the galley and we were*real careful where*we used it.* A friend got real sick with out realizing that the salt water he was rinsing with was very polluted and the quick fresh water rinse didn't remove all the bacteria.*

Larry/Lena
Hobo KK42
Zihuatanejo, MX

We have a wash down pump outlet on the fore-deck but rarely use it.

If the anchorage is very muddy, we'll*stop the anchor at the surface and reverse to wash the mud off. Works well as you can easily see the anchor over the bow to know when it's clean. Obviously, you need a bit of space behind to do this.

Larry M wrote:

*It is getting harder and harder to get remote.

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That's because you keep going where it is warm. Come on up to Alaska.
And I don't mean south east.*
I can show you places within reach. You won't see another sole for months.
Not that many recreational boaters up here.

SD*


-- Edited by skipperdude on Monday 20th of December 2010 04:06:46 PM

skipperdude wrote:


Larry M wrote:

*It is getting harder and harder to get remote.

Click to expand...

That's because you keep going where it is warm. Come on up to Alaska.
And I don't mean south east.*
I can show you places within reach. You won't see another sole for months.
Not that many recreational boaters up here.

SD*


-- Edited by skipperdude on Monday 20th of December 2010 04:06:46 PM
Now*we get this great invite, we removed the central heat, installed AC*and we're headed toward the equator.* Maybe next time around.* Thanks,*Merry Christmas.

Larry/Lena



*

Marin wrote:

Several people have mentioned leaving the anchor hanging down in the water and motoring forward to let the water wash the mud off it and the chain This is a good practice but it doesn't work on boats with a plumb or nearly-plumb bow unless it has a very long pulpit.

Click to expand...

Simple solution, back down slowly. When I anchor in Chesapeake Bay, I break the anchor free, haul up till the chain is still just below the surface, then slowly back down for a couple of minutes. Rinsing Chain is little about speed and more about duration.

Ted

O C Diver wrote:

When I anchor in Chesapeake Bay, I break the anchor free, haul up till the chain is still just below the surface, then slowly back down for a couple of minutes.

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That probably works well in the open Chesapeake.* In the places we anchor there is usually no room to back down or back very far*as the anchorages are generally pretty small and enclosed*and*we're already pretty close up against the shoreline, which is most often a semi-cliff.* So you have to go forward to find any sort of maneuver room.

*

Bendit wrote:

We have a wash down pump outlet on the fore-deck but rarely use it.



We have one also and my wife reminds me to use it.*

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*

Hiya,
** Mr. Marin.* Could you not do a 180 turn and back into your maneuver room?

RT Firefly wrote:

Hiya,
** Mr. Marin.* Could you not do a 180 turn and back into your maneuver room?

Click to expand...

Sometimes, maybe.* But since the places we anchor are often rather narrow it wouldn't buy us much.* Anyway, I've found that the sticky, gooey mud we have in many anchorages up here usually*won't come off from the movement of a chain through the water.* You have to blast it off and the more powerful the blast the more successful it will* be. I see some boaters running a brush over their anchor rode as it comes aboard while they spray it down with water.

So far our "firehose" washdown stream has done a pretty good job by itself*but even at a force of some 23 gpm at some 20 psi*out the nozzle it can take awhile to get the muck off.

A sandy or less "gluey" bottom would be a different deal I expect.

*

Hiya,
* OK, I understand now, thanks.

When we are inside San Francisco Bay we commonly encounter very sticky, non-soluable, muddy clay, like Marin observes in his cruising grounds. Our salt water wash-down pump has to work hard to remove the glue!

Ray

-- Edited by Giggitoni on Monday 20th of December 2010 07:00:40 PM

-- Edited by Giggitoni on Monday 20th of December 2010 07:01:59 PM

I installed a washdown outlet at the bow. I put two outlets on the pipe, one for a garden hose with a nozzle, one that pipes the water to the bow roller, so the stream intersects the chain as it comes up to the underside of the roller. When the mud is too sticky for this to take it off, I use the nozzle.

Sticky San Francisco bottom mud was one reason I preferred the Bruce over the large-fluked Danforth type.