And another one! Just rowed over to tell a solo sailor he'd dragged his across the mid-channel chain (which holds the big ship mooring buoys in place). Fortunately he got free. Unfortunately he's just dropped his anchor again way too close to us, within our swinging circle. We shall meet again!
Hehe it's great fun anchoring. And to think, most boat owners pay a small fortune for a mooring and don't get to experience this excitement!
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
However, I'm not massively worried. We've got 40m of chain out in water about 7m deep (a very high ratio of nearly 6:1 which ought to be fine in a storm) and I've deployed our bridle arrangement which keeps the loads off the bowsprit (not designed to take much load in the directions the anchor pulls it) and effectively lowers the attachment point a couple of meters too - helping to increase that all important depth to chain length ratio. It also has three rubber snubbers in-line, and uses stretchy rope, which greatly reduces the forces on the anchor as we move around in the current and gusty wind.
Meanwhile, we had a lovely trip to Salcombe and back last week. Sailed all the way there in lovely weather. Spent three nights at anchor and three days with Nina slowly transferring every grain of white sand from the beaches into Towser - no idea where she was hiding it - she'd have been a brilliant tunneller in The Great Escape.
The trip back, despite being rather crunchy underfoot (sand), was in poor visibility and it was cold. What a difference a wheelhouse makes! And I got to use the radar properly for the first time. Very impressed. A very useful bit of kit indeed.
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A couple of days of sand removal and then we had a last minute visit from Rose's parents. Managed to take them out for their first sail and despite my best efforts, failed to get Sue to turn green.
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On returning to anchor a small boat came alongside. The skipper shouted over, "hi Jeff, I read your blog"! Fabulous! Nice to meet you! And thank you for coming over!!
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
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And finally a technical note...
We've got a hydraulic steering system with a header tank which isn't translucent, so the only way to check steering fluid level is to use some kind of a dipstick. But the lid to said tank forms an airtight seal, so to leave a decent amount of airspace (for expansion) above the oil level requires a level below which our homemade dipstick can reach. So I was forever overfilling. I've solved this with the addition of a bodged, transparent header tank in the form of a bent pipe. I'm very pleased with it. It cost me nothing and a regular chore is now replaced by a quick glance.
Some pictures:
Sailing to Salcombe
![Image](http://www.yacht-forum.co.uk/blogfiles/mst1.jpg)
Sailing to Salcombe
![Image](http://www.yacht-forum.co.uk/blogfiles/mst2.jpg)
The In-Laws
![Image](http://www.yacht-forum.co.uk/blogfiles/mst3.jpg)
The In-Laws
![Image](http://www.yacht-forum.co.uk/blogfiles/mst4.jpg)
The In-Laws
![Image](http://www.yacht-forum.co.uk/blogfiles/mst5.jpg)
Superyacht Behind Me As I Type
![Image](http://www.yacht-forum.co.uk/blogfiles/mst6.jpg)
Yacht Dragging Anchor
![Image](http://www.yacht-forum.co.uk/blogfiles/mst7.jpg)
Our Anchor Bridle
![Image](http://www.yacht-forum.co.uk/blogfiles/mst8.jpg)
My Free Hydraulic Steering Header Tank
![Image](http://www.yacht-forum.co.uk/blogfiles/mst9.jpg)