Day 1 on Lake Powell ends with a HABOOB!

[tuxonpup]

I posted this video on day 2 of our first extended Lake Powell trip using the Starlink Mini on the stern. Spoiler alert, we survive the cliff hanger ending in the video:

[Russ]

Ah, nice. You look relaxed despite the impending storm.

Those Danforth anchors don't work well on dry sand. Our marina store sells these "beach anchors" which are more like stakes you drive into the ground.

Your refuling operations is freaking me out. That must weigh a ton and must be difficult to get onboard. I once tried to lug a half empty tank OFF the boat and it was next to impossible with the weight.

I've seen folks use gas caddies like this one to transport fuel to their boat tanks.
https://www.amazon.com/Scepter-FDMG141- ... B09B2KXLMQ

You are just going to the ramp from hard storage so the trailer chains are not that important. I never connect them if going a few hundred yards.
However, on the road, you need 2 chains in a crossed pattern and not dragging on the ground (sparks).




Thanks for posting. Always fun to watch Mac videos.

[tuxonpup]

I was surprised to see that houseboat was carrying two Danforths that they just buried on the beach at 45 degrees to each side. I had just beached us in a nice spot we could step off the back into shallow water, but as the first heavy sustained wind blasted us the bow spun right off and landed us facing the opposite way on the other side of the cove, hence me fetching the Danforth to bury it on the opposite beach. Pretty careful picking sandy inlets where it doesn’t matter to much if we drag.
One more major haboob predicted to start in about 3 hours with 19mph winds by noon, but atm the water is like glass.

We picked up the new fuel tanks from the boat and drove them into town to fill up at Circle K with rewards points. The toughest part is sliding them back in more than carrying them, I’ve added a strap to help pull them out enough to fill at the marina.

We ran our house LiFePO4 below its cutoff last night, woke up to no lights and did some emergency rigging with the second battery. Recharging now, looks like it’s coming back fine. We were experimenting with our shower, probably need to do that earlier in the day to give the solar a chance to replenish before night lights and Starlink are used more. We’ll probably shelter in a guest slip at Antelope marina to replenish water/check battery levels before heading further up lake.

Definitely need new chains and trailer wiring before we tow the rig anywhere!

[Russ]

Okay....so I had to google "Haboob" as I thought it was slang for something. It's real thing. Wow. Look like it can be scary stuff.

Was your boat from Vermont? The old registration letters look like Vermont.

It looks like you pumped over 22 gallons of fuel. That's over 130 pounds of gasoline. I couldn't lift my half full tank out of the boat onto land until I siphoned it out. Looks like you had to modify the compartment for clearance. The 26X doesn't let you drop it in from the top?

I've beached the boat a few times and the boat doesn't stay put. I find 2 anchors are necessary to keep it from crabbing. I've never tied to shore overnight. Afraid critters would walk the lines.

THIS is clever. How does it work. I carried a small folding ladder for beaching, but storing it was a problem.
Yours looks like it would do the trick and be stowable.

[tuxonpup]

Okay....so I had to google "Haboob" as I thought it was slang for something. It's real thing. Wow. Look like it can be scary stuff.

Was your boat from Vermont? The old registration letters look like Vermont.

It looks like you pumped over 22 gallons of fuel. That's over 130 pounds of gasoline. I couldn't lift my half full tank out of the boat onto land until I siphoned it out. Looks like you had to modify the compartment for clearance. The 26X doesn't let you drop it in from the top?

I've beached the boat a few times and the boat doesn't stay put. I find 2 anchors are necessary to keep it from crabbing. I've never tied to shore overnight. Afraid critters would walk the lines.

THIS is clever. How does it work. I carried a small folding ladder for beaching, but storing it was a problem.
Yours looks like it would do the trick and be stowable.

My gf actually bought that ladder for snorkeling from the kayak, which looked like a great way to practice rolling the boat to me. The large metal clip on rings fit the bowsprit just right and are quite strong. While it’s listed as a ‘boat ladder’ on Amazon it’s more akin to a ‘bow stirrup’ where you get your left foot in to swing your right leg up on deck, but it works when I’m pushing the boat off the sand and need to scramble up from the shallow end!

That afternoon storm just ended, we were racing for shelter from it after the lunch stop at Antelope Point Marina, where we took on 10 gallons of fresh water as well. Picked a cove on Warm Creek Bay we’d stayed in last time and landed her on a soft patch of sand over lime stone at the narrow end.
When the white caps started there was no stopping the bow spin again and we were sideways on the sand with the stern way to close to an exposed lime stone slab. I re-centered the anchor straight up beach and pushed from the stern forward before tying the anchor line to the stern cleat. Ran the spare line to the forward cleat and back out to the anchor shackle so neither the bow or stern would swing out to deeper water again. Buried the anchor with loose limestone slabs for a more restful sleep.

The boat was from Utah, that’s a UT in the mirror image registration, I believe the original owner used it on Lake Powell as well judging by the old key float and map under the table plexi.

I put 9 gallons in each tank and 5 in the Scepter can under the captain’s seat. It was $86 but we’ve been motoring for 3 days and are still on the first tank, which is a vast improvement over the fumes we ran on during previous trips.
The tanks are 60.8# full, which isn’t fun, but is my chosen over head lift limit when doing PA installs. Not fun lifting onto the boat, but better than on top of a 12’ ladder!

Hopefully we have an uneventful evening and make it up to Padre Bay tomorrow to deploy our new mainsail in the less than storm strength winds that are forecast for the rest of the week!

[tuxonpup]

Well, the anchor scheme held through the night and since it's a rainy morning I figured I'd upload some footage from day 2 & 3 of the trip. I wouldn't classify this last blow as a haboob, as it didn't pickup large amounts of sand to pelt us with, just thunder, lightning, wind and rain, you know, regular sailory stuff:

[OverEasy]

Hi Tuxonpup!

Great trip you guys are on!
Looks like you’re having fun and enjoying it all!
Thank you for sharing!!!

More power to ya for being able to sheep this tanks onto & around your boat!
Personally I’m with Russ on the lifting bit!
60 lbs is well past what I’d consider or recommend personally.
I try to keep things below 30 lbs for the fit and able bodied…. ( Me @this stage in life it’s more like 15 lbs ).
30 lbs is equal to a 5 gallon can of gasoline (5 gal x 6 lb/gal = 30 lbs)… there’s a reason jerry cans were sized to 5 gallon capacities ).

We’re fortunate in that we can access a couple of marinas with fuel docks.
It worth the ‘service’ charge for the convenience for us to save what I have left of my back!

On the anchoring bit…
Can I make a possible suggestion?
While a Danforth is a pretty good ‘universal’ anchor (and is our primary use one) you might want to consider a second anchor like a CQR or a Rochna (with a retrieval line if you can) if your gonna mainly anchor in loose sand. I think loose sand and flat rock shelf are the two hardest conditions for an anchor to find valid purchase. To work in loose sand an anchor has to be able to ‘dive’ into the surface to find sufficient purchase. Some loose sands may never provide a grip. Flat rock is like trying to anchor on the interstate … it just ain’t.

There are lots of techniques for ‘beach’ anchoring to help preclude going sideways to the shore.
One is to drop an anchor off the stern well before getting to the beach and setting it.
One then slackens that line and drive in to the beach as best as the situation allows.
One then Carrie’s the bow anchor ashore and buries it (yes, like digging a hole with a shovel).
One then tensions the bow line and after that the stern line. (I’d suggest a Y-bridle on the stern to center the stern line).
This way you’ve got something to keep your boat perpendicular to the beach so it can’t turn sideways to shore.
The stern line also provides you the capability to haul yourself off the shore in a stable and controlled fashion.

Another approach to avoid going sideways is to use a three line shore anchoring approach.
After driving the bow ashore set the main bow anchoring line straight ahead securely.
Then run a line from each side of the stern at about 45 degrees if you can up onto shore.
Set each side line with a buried ‘deadman’ such as a log or sturdy board or a ‘mid choked’ duffel bag.
Then cinch up on the anchor lines.
This approach should also help keep your vessel perpendicular to the shoreline albeit a bit more difficult to get back out in a controlled fashion.

Yet another common approach is to drop and set the bow anchor well before getting to shore then swing the stern around to face the shore line.
Then go ashore and set one (in-line) or two shore anchors (at angle) to the stern.
This one can then leave the stern afloat or pull it ashore if desired with the shore anchor lines and slackening of the bow line appropriately before tightening everything up.
This approach tends to be a bit smoother a ride as the bow splits any incoming waves and ‘water-vanes’ and might be somewhat smoother a ride if left afloat rather than in hard contact with the bottom.
This approach can also allow for one to pull oneself off shore to deeper water in a controlled and secure fashion.

For what it’s worth… Hope it helps…

Best Regards
Over Easy

[tuxonpup]

Hi Tuxonpup!

Great trip you guys are on!
Looks like you’re having fun and enjoying it all!
Thank you for sharing!!!

More power to ya for being able to sheep this tanks onto & around your boat!
Personally I’m with Russ on the lifting bit!
60 lbs is well past what I’d consider or recommend personally.
I try to keep things below 30 lbs for the fit and able bodied…. ( Me @this stage in life it’s more like 15 lbs ).
30 lbs is equal to a 5 gallon can of gasoline (5 gal x 6 lb/gal = 30 lbs)… there’s a reason jerry cans were sized to 5 gallon capacities ).

We’re fortunate in that we can access a couple of marinas with fuel docks.
It worth the ‘service’ charge for the convenience for us to save what I have left of my back!

On the anchoring bit…
Can I make a possible suggestion?
While a Danforth is a pretty good ‘universal’ anchor (and is our primary use one) you might want to consider a second anchor like a CQR or a Rochna (with a retrieval line if you can) if your gonna mainly anchor in loose sand. I think loose sand and flat rock shelf are the two hardest conditions for an anchor to find valid purchase. To work in loose sand an anchor has to be able to ‘dive’ into the surface to find sufficient purchase. Some loose sands may never provide a grip. Flat rock is like trying to anchor on the interstate … it just ain’t.

There are lots of techniques for ‘beach’ anchoring to help preclude going sideways to the shore.
One is to drop an anchor off the stern well before getting to the beach and setting it.
One then slackens that line and drive in to the beach as best as the situation allows.
One then Carrie’s the bow anchor ashore and buries it (yes, like digging a hole with a shovel).
One then tensions the bow line and after that the stern line. (I’d suggest a Y-bridle on the stern to center the stern line).
This way you’ve got something to keep your boat perpendicular to the beach so it can’t turn sideways to shore.
The stern line also provides you the capability to haul yourself off the shore in a stable and controlled fashion.

Another approach to avoid going sideways is to use a three line shore anchoring approach.
After driving the bow ashore set the main bow anchoring line straight ahead securely.
Then run a line from each side of the stern at about 45 degrees if you can up onto shore.
Set each side line with a buried ‘deadman’ such as a log or sturdy board or a ‘mid choked’ duffel bag.
Then cinch up on the anchor lines.
This approach should also help keep your vessel perpendicular to the shoreline albeit a bit more difficult to get back out in a controlled fashion.

Yet another common approach is to drop and set the bow anchor well before getting to shore then swing the stern around to face the shore line.
Then go ashore and set one (in-line) or two shore anchors (at angle) to the stern.
This one can then leave the stern afloat or pull it ashore if desired with the shore anchor lines and slackening of the bow line appropriately before tightening everything up.
This approach tends to be a bit smoother a ride as the bow splits any incoming waves and ‘water-vanes’ and might be somewhat smoother a ride if left afloat rather than in hard contact with the bottom.
This approach can also allow for one to pull oneself off shore to deeper water in a controlled and secure fashion.

For what it’s worth… Hope it helps…

Best Regards
Over Easy

Thanks for the anchoring advice, the reality here is everybody runs a pair of stern lines to shore as 90% of anchoring is done in a submerged canyon, so your bow is on shallow sand and your stern is over submerged canyon walls offering little anchor purchase. I think we'll end up getting a heavier anchor option so we can 'wing-on-wing'' our anchor set-up as well. The bow and stern tied to a centered shore anchor kept us in place throughout the trip, just had to be careful that the stretch of sand we targeted had no buried rocks that the hull could rub on in wave action.

Been back a bit over a week and the admiral is already looking for a longer window so we can try a multi-week stay on the water and I've ordered some new solar/battery gear to support installing our additional electronics. In the mean time, here's a video from day 4 as we explore Padre Bay for the first time, try a little 'just the genoa' sail and I demonstrate the 'bow stirrup' mount for Russ:

[Russ]

Nice video. At first I was worried you needed a longer furler line, however, I see you sorted that out and can now furl it in from the cockpit. Antyhing to keep me off the deck is a plus. This year I added lazy jacks to the main with a looped main haylard so I can pull the main down from the cockpit.
Tip: When furling it up, get a couple of wraps of the jib sheets around. I've seen a small tab of sail catch the wind from a T-storm and pull the sail out and shred it.

Maybe you already know this, but I teach my crew what to do in a man overboard. FIRST is to throw flotation to the person. Next mark it on the GPS if possible and lastly, they need to know how to turn the boat around and retrieve. This applies mostly to ME if I go over.

We have a similar problem anchoring on our lake. It's often too deep for a bottom anchor. Especially on the mountain side where it drops off quickly.
I see many folks using one of these Shore Anchors. I don't know how well they work, but it's designed for achoring on a beach.
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/bass-pr ... -101644539

Thanks for posting. It's always fun to watch boating videos.

[OverEasy]

Hi Tuxonpup!

Thank you for sharing your video!
It looks stunning!
Must be a lot of fun exploring out there!

Hi Russ!
Liked that self setting shore anchoring thing!
Built in impact setting is really cool!
No extra sledges to fuss with and it looks pretty well constructed too!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[tuxonpup]

Nice video. At first I was worried you needed a longer furler line, however, I see you sorted that out and can now furl it in from the cockpit. Antyhing to keep me off the deck is a plus. This year I added lazy jacks to the main with a looped main haylard so I can pull the main down from the cockpit.
Tip: When furling it up, get a couple of wraps of the jib sheets around. I've seen a small tab of sail catch the wind from a T-storm and pull the sail out and shred it.

Maybe you already know this, but I teach my crew what to do in a man overboard. FIRST is to throw flotation to the person. Next mark it on the GPS if possible and lastly, they need to know how to turn the boat around and retrieve. This applies mostly to ME if I go over.

We have a similar problem anchoring on our lake. It's often too deep for a bottom anchor. Especially on the mountain side where it drops off quickly.
I see many folks using one of these Shore Anchors. I don't know how well they work, but it's designed for achoring on a beach.
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/bass-pr ... -101644539

Thanks for posting. It's always fun to watch boating videos.

You're exactly right, the original jib furler line was too short for the new genoa, but I had ordered new running rigging for the furler that we brought with us, so much of that genoa sail was replacing the old lines with new ones. I'm still using a messenger line as our temp in-furler halyard, but we'll replace that while on the hard.

They used to use iron stakes and sledge hammers for anchoring house boats in the park, but the erosion it was causing lead to that being banned. Now the most common call over VHF is for the beachbag service that comes out and places large bags on the shore and then pumps hundreds of gallons of lake water into them to moor the house boats to: https://beachbagsanchors.com/

We've only made it up through the first three major bays so far and the lake is 186 miles long, so lots more to explore!

[OverEasy]

Hi Tuxonpup!

Hey! Thank you for that link about the beach bag mooring!
That was really interesting!

While I sorta kinda understood the lake environment you’re on this really helped clarify things a lot!
There’s really no way to get a grip on smooth sandstone with anything short of drilling a hole which would be a major ‘No-No’ as things would in short order have the place looking like Swiss cheese!

Those water filled beach bags are a great solution! (But probably not cheap…)

Thank you for sharing this!
I learned something new!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[tuxonpup]

Quick video shot on day 5 as we motor out of Padre Canyon onto the Bay to do a bit of sailing, then go down Gunsight Bay to beach it for the night:



Have an actual tour of the boat at trip's end I'll try and upload this weekend.

[OverEasy]

Hi Tuxonpup!

Really nice video!
Looks enchanting!

Best Regards
Over Easy

[Russ]

Thanks for posting the video. Must be hot as blazes this time of year.