Aft Wanders Like Crazy on Mooring?

[Boblee]

It's commonly called the Macgregor dance and you either get used to it or when the swell and or wind really gets up you can put a stern anchor down or a bridle.
Have used many different solutions for the many different situations.
Here we are next morning after having two anchors out and then strapping her broadsides to the wind (at 2 am) as the swell was coming in from the sea at 90 deg, as you can see wind is still side on but tide (6m) turned and swell dropped, should have listened to a Cat owner who told us it was a rough anchorage
This was a particulary awkward anchorage also due to being shallow at low tide, it was on the west side of Lacrosse Island at the mouth of the Cambridge gulf WA.

[Sumner]

I keep Shoal on a three anchor mooring system. ....Idneigh

Hey we are in Sunset Cove off Key Largo at the moment and for at least tonight, where are you?

We use an......



..... anchor sail that Ruth made from a Sailrite kit most nights, and have it up right now.

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... vas-5.html

If you read the link above you will see that I had a couple reservations about it after using it last Fall.

On this trip I set it up so that it is.......



... just above the solar panels. Above is how it was, now it is down further on the backstay to where the two arrows are in the picture by the solar panels.

It ties off forward at the bottom of the starboard stanchion at the cabin/cockpit bulkhead instead of at the bottom of the next stanchion forward like in the pictures in the link above.. There is no more banging around unless the winds are over 25-30 and even then it is not bad. Also now the line too it is behind the pop-top and not next to it. It also seems to be working with its center of effort a little lower and further back. The boat sails way less on anchor than without it.

Now keep in mind that we have a S which helps some also. As I mentioned above we use it about every night and also used it on the mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor at Marathon with good results.

c ya from Key Largo,

Sum and Ruth

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

[Sumner]

One other option that helps is to anchor using a Bahamian Moor even if you don't need to. We use that method quite a bit now. It also keeps you from swinging around into shallow water on anchor.

Be very careful about anchoring or tying off from the stern. The following link
documents how I was injured as a result of tiying off like that...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... ll-09.html

The stern line exploded and it was new. We use to tie off from the stern quite a bit, but no more unless I was absolutely sure there was going to be no wind or the wind wasn't going to shift and when can you be that sure? If the wind shifts you can put a tremendous load on the anchoring or shore lines. After the line broke at Lake Powell we ended up being tied to shore in basically a Bahamian Moor, but didn't have the lines slack enough for the boat to rotate over them and that also presented problems. I'll never again anchor in a similar location.

Good luck,

Sum

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

[FAAbaddog]

All,

Thanks for the feedback, I should have my Starlite hanked on by WEND night.

BADDOG

[bastonjock]

I tried a lot of things to slow the mac dance down,none of them were particularly sucess full as it was tidal flow that was the main cause for mine,however i did add a safety link to the bow roller,a simple bolt accross the top to stop the bow line from jumping out and causing damage,a lenght of plastic hose over the line also cut down on chaffing caused by the swinging action and a safety line clipped from the towing eye to the bouy was added just in case my lines parted.,note do not use the towing eye as your anchor point leave the line slack,its just a back up. I did all this after i went down to check my x,after two weeks the bow line had chaffed through two of the three braids.

[Boblee]

Unless you are anchoring in the same spot no anchorage is the same and even then you will get changes caused by winds etc so IMHO it would be prudent to experiment when you don't have to rather than when you do in a howling gale at 2 am.
Pulled up to catch some fish one day at a large river mouth (Norman) and because I was not confident on how to set a bridle or whether to use one or two anchors (and didn't want to be seen as a fool) just threw the main anchor out in the shallow sand bottom and hoped, but due to the high tidal flow and high wind "trust me" was rolling and swinging all over the place so had to get back on to rescue her as everything on board was tossed everywhere (dinghy was fine).
Would be so easy now in that situation, got caught in a quirk of nature called a "morning Glory" in the east side of the Gulf of Carpentaria (or west coast of Cape York) at 4 am and then on successive mornings about half an hour later each day (tide related), the first one caught me with only one anchor out and being spun in circles for about 1/2 an hour but luckily had clearance from each shore to swing.
Succeeding nights had two anchors out straddling the river which limited the arc but was still pretty hairy especially as I had no idea what was happening in the pitch dark as this phenomenon is accompanied by rolling clouds which look fantastic when it occurs at dawn and well worth the stress.

[mastreb]

We anchored today in mission bay. Eight feet of water, hung out for four hours. 3knot current at a 45 degree angle to a 15knot breeze.

The boat paced back and forth like a dog on a chain. Non-stop for four hours, it went to one end of the rode, turned, went to the opposite end, and turned back. Never settled. Put boards and motor down, up, pulled out a little jib, nothing settled it. The power boats anchored near us were constantly worried that we were going to wander into them.

Besides an anchor sail on the stern or a fore-and-aft anchorage, is there a simple way to just get the boat to go to either the current or the wind?

Matt

[Ixneigh]

Weather curtains on the aft lifelines?
I am just cross the highway from sunset cove practically and the winds over here are brisk. Shoal is doing hula big time. I thought maybe weathercurtains would fix the issue, plus provide shelter for the cockpit and a nice amount of drag while sailing to windward.

Ixneigh

[mastreb]

Weather curtains on the aft lifelines?
I am just cross the highway from sunset cove practically and the winds over here are brisk. Shoal is doing hula big time. I thought maybe weathercurtains would fix the issue, plus provide shelter for the cockpit and a nice amount of drag while sailing to windward.

Ixneigh

I like the weather curtains idea--Not only would it increase windage to keep the aft steady, they can also eliminate cockpit spray when motoring at speed and decrease the likelihood of one of the young crew slipping under the lifelines and into the drink. Easy to take down and roll up as well.

Has anyone ever penetrated their hull with snap-head screws? Any regrets or did it work well? That seems like the ideal way to handle the bottom area, with grommets and lace through the lifelines for the top.

Matt

[Ixneigh]

Actually my plan was to run a very tightly tensioned line from the bases of the to stancions and lace the bottom of the weathercurtainn to that. I feel that would keep them sucure enough to do the job.
Not sure id want all those snap screws in the boat.

[mastreb]

Actually my plan was to run a very tightly tensioned line from the bases of the to stancions and lace the bottom of the weathercurtainn to that. I feel that would keep them sucure enough to do the job.
Not sure id want all those snap screws in the boat.

Seems like there's be quite a gap directly aft of the cockpit forward stanchion base, which is about 8" higher than the aft stanchion base. Otherwise I agree it's a simpler and better solution.

Matt

[c130king]

Has anyone ever penetrated their hull with snap-head screws? Any regrets or did it work well? That seems like the ideal way to handle the bottom area, with grommets and lace through the lifelines for the top.

Matt,

I have snap-head screws about every 12" around my cockpit to hold my cockpit cover in place. But I didn't do this...the original owner did. They are just screwed into the fiberglass. They seem to work very well. I have only had one of them pull out in the last 4+ years.



Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König

[Boblee]

Mastreb
Have a look at the photo I posted earlier with the wind still hitting at 90 deg but very little at that time and the tide on the nose it moves but very little and can be adjusted by moving the bridle length.
The problem is when the tide changes but then if still strong just adjust in reverse in this particular case there was no reverse tide as we were well shielded as we thought we would have been during the night.
Play around with a bridle but a stay sail will keep you more in unison with other boats even if it doesn't stop the rolling with a big swell.

[mastreb]

I have snap-head screws about every 12" around my cockpit to hold my cockpit cover in place. But I didn't do this...the original owner did. They are just screwed into the fiberglass. They seem to work very well. I have only had one of them pull out in the last 4+ years.

Hey that's a really sharp looking cover, and the snaps will be outboard of the cockpit, so I'm sold!

Matt

[mastreb]

Mastreb
Have a look at the photo I posted earlier with the wind still hitting at 90 deg but very little at that time and the tide on the nose it moves but very little and can be adjusted by moving the bridle length.
The problem is when the tide changes but then if still strong just adjust in reverse in this particular case there was no reverse tide as we were well shielded as we thought we would have been during the night.
Play around with a bridle but a stay sail will keep you more in unison with other boats even if it doesn't stop the rolling with a big swell.

Did you make your bridle? I'm googling for info and find a lot of people talking about them but nothing on where to find one or how to make one.