Left in the rain this morning with the forecast for NE winds of 15-20 knots rising to 25-30 this evening with gusts of 45. We had a great trip down and dropped the hook in a great anchorage of Mile Hammock Bay.
Of course, nothing ever runs to plan.
Well, first we had one boat rudely screaming at us over the VHF that we couldn’t anchor where I had chosen – not sure why but it seemed perfectly ok to me!!! So we up-anchored and dropped the hook in another place. I always spend about 20 minutes making sure that the anchor has set and is holding. Later we heard that two boats had dragged their anchors from my first spot,
Ahead and to the left of us were 2 sailboats rafted together and Mary and I commented on this fact given the forecast for stronger winds. We assumed that they would be separating before the night set in.
Well, they did separate but not in the way they had anticipated!!!
We had just got the generator going to prepare for dinner when Mary remarked that these two boats seemed to be much closer than before. I got a flash light and jacket on and made my way up to the foredeck to find that both boats were really, really close!!!
It was obvious that they were dragging their anchor and bearing down on us rapidly!! I shone the light into their cockpits and started shouting and then all hell broke loose as they connected with our boat. The smaller of the two boats I fended off and he released the rafting lines and motored away – he had not had an anchor set!!!
The bigger boat was more difficult and I was worried that the captain would try to motor off as I could see my anchor chain under his prop and his dinghy was also still attached. His boarding ladder was also still down and hooking onto our anchor chain.
Well, with the help of Robert and Christina we were able to fend him off and untangle his ladder from our chain without disturbing our anchor.
He had also untied his dinghy and passed the painter to me and as I was securing his dinghy to our boat he crashed into the side or our boat again – this I was unaware of as it was on the other side to which I was working on.
He then yelled that he had lost power and could not maneuver!!! Fortunately his anchor started holding and he let out a lot more chain and came to stop somewhat behind us.
Later his friend rowed(!!!) his dinghy to his boat and somehow they got his motor/transmission sorted and he was able to re-anchor further away – but still to windward of us 
Well, we finally had a belated dinner and a few drinks for the nerves and have decided to take turns on anchor watch throughout the night! I’ve got the easy shift from 10 to midnight and then Mary, Robert and Christina in 2 hour shifts to 6 am.
What an introduction for Robert and Christina to spending their first night on the hook!!! But we’re very thankful for their help.
So now it’s watching the position of the other boats relative to ours and taking bearings on some fixed navigation lights to ensure that we aren’t dragging our own anchor.
Meanwhile the wind continues to howl!!!
Hi Lance,
I have been enviously watching your progress down the ICW!!
I am getting even greener with envy since you are now approaching that part of the waterway which our boat was taken down, from Wilmington to Newport Cove Marina at the Port of Palm Beach in Florida. 26-31 March of this year, a distance according to the captain who took it down of about 745 miles.
We considered going over there and bringing it down ourselves, but time and other things were against us. So, second best, I will watch you guys take your boat down!!
I read with interest your anchoring problem; well not yours, the other two boats. Two toys will help you get a sound nights sleep. First a GPS with an anchor watch on it, and for real luxury, a radar with a proximity alarm on it. Most GPSs do in fact have an anchor watch – I assume yours does not.
We always put on our anchor alarm – it has saved us once, and lets me sleep a lot more soundly than I would without one.
We have had only one brief trip in our boat, taking it from Pine Harbour up to our berth in Tutukaka, via Islington Bay & Kawau. We then took our old boat, a Marline 900, down to Westhaven to sell(hopefully).
At the moment we are very busy in our newly replanted vineyard. Roll on Feb – March; that will be our time for boating!
Anyway, all the best, and I shall keep following your progress.
Cheers,
Geoff