Not so long ago a fellow marina neighbor had his ground tackle laid out on the dock, cleaning the chain rode and then planning to re-mark the chain in 10' lengths. We had talked about using a white or bright orange blaze (sprayed Rustolium paint works very well). Said neighbor decided to leave all this ground tackle on the dock as he headed out for a three day cruise to the south Sound.
Wrong.
Sure he was not planning to anchor - - there are great moorages in Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Olympia. But that's not the issue.
Some years ago we had exited the locks and just cleared the West Point buoy, making for the Bell Harbor Marina in downtown Seattle's waterfront. The sea was choppy, the sun bright and reflecting off the water back at us. A bit breezy, so with the reflection we had slowed down to about 5 knots. Suddenly the starboard engine shuddered and stopped, then the port engine. A quick shift into neutral, both engines restarted, but when engaged quickly shut down again. Trouble. Something had probably fouled the props.
Now adrift the wind was pushing us towards the shoal Magnolia Bluffs, so we prepared to drop anchor. My son David manned the winch, and as we drifted to shallower water, when the fathometer read 15 feet (tide was flooding) he let go the anchor. Now, secure and riding comfortably, we called Vessel Assist, suggesting that they bring a diver.
Long story short, it took close to three hours to cut loose a very long six-inch thick hawser that was adrift just under the surface, now a ball around the props and shafts. Three hours, five dulled knives, and who-knows how many hacksaw blades, but we were clear. The diver reported no visible damage, so once we finished the paper work, thanked the VAAA crew, raised anchor, we were off again.
Anchoring is not just for a fun way of "hanging out" in a cozy cove. It is also one's "emergency brake." Don't leave home without it.
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