Anchor loss

[jdonalds]

One of our typical boating days combines a beach and the boat on a small lake. When I arrive to the beach with the boat I back up to the shore and hammer a shore spike in for a stern rope. I drop the Richter anchor in off the bow with an elastic (Anchor Buddy) anchor line which pulls the boat away from the shore. I put a float on the anchor line.

When I leave the shore to do some tubing I just untie the stern and throw the line on the shore and leave it there. Then I detach the anchor, and float, from the cleat on the bow of the boat and toss it into the lake. The float (a 9" orange ball) hangs onto the anchor line. When I return I simply pick up the float and reattach the anchor to the boat. It's worked perfectly many times. But today the ball was gone. Someone had messed with it. I didn't see the ball anywhere.

I put in my dive mask and searched in the 8-10' water for the anchor and bright blue anchor line but didn't find it. Finally I spotted the ball about 50 yards away, swam to it, but there was just the ball and tether, no anchor.

I figure either some kids played with the ball and detached the anchor line, which quickly dropped to the bottom, or someone simply took my anchor and let the ball float away. In any case I'm out about $140 for a replacement anchor and line. I usually have to replace the Anchor Buddy every year or two anyway (center surgical stretch tubing breaks down) so that isn't such a great loss. But the anchor is 25 pounds, costs about $90, but the $10 shipping cost is quite gracious.

I guess I'm going to have to pull up the anchor every time and take it with me from now on.

I tried to sort out my feelings about this on the way home. I wasn't angry. I can afford the replacement cost, but of course don't like having to cough up the cash. Delivery time is long enough it could impact my boating next weekend. In the end I figured out I was sad. Sad that kids might play with the anchor and disrespect the property of others, or sad that someone would simply take something that doesn't belong to them.

The new anchor and line are on order. I'm sticking with the 25 pound Richter anchor which has been flawless. I consider an anchor not only a good boating accessory but also as a piece of safety equipment.

 

[Bill D]

That's a real bummer. But, as someone relatively new to boating, I sure didn't understand the culture before ownership. The idea that someone left something in the water (or on shore on a beach) and expected to return to it later is not generally in the mind of the average person. Boaters get it. Often we go out of our way to help fellow boaters when they're not near their property. Also, some people just plain suck.

I wouldn't let this experience sour you. Keep on doing what makes boating enjoyable for your family. If every once in a while we have to buy replacement items, it sucks, but doesn't make the Lake a no go.

Maybe writing the name of your boat or something on the buoy would help people remember that it is someone else's property that they are messing with?

In the end, I'm sorry for your misfortune, and I hope it doesn't ruin any more of your summer!

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Maybe and outboard or I/O drove into the line and got it wound up in the prop?

 

[jdonalds]

That's a real bummer. But, as someone relatively new to boating, I sure didn't understand the culture before ownership. The idea that someone left something in the water (or on shore on a beach) and expected to return to it later is not generally in the mind of the average person. Boaters get it. Often we go out of our way to help fellow boaters when they're not near their property. Also, some people just plain suck.

I wouldn't let this experience sour you. Keep on doing what makes boating enjoyable for your family. If every once in a while we have to buy replacement items, it sucks, but doesn't make the Lake a no go.

Maybe writing the name of your boat or something on the buoy would help people remember that it is someone else's property that they are messing with?

In the end, I'm sorry for your misfortune, and I hope it doesn't ruin any more of your summer!

We live in a very conservative small town. It's not as if there isn't theft but this would be quite rare. We've anchored this way at the same beach for about 5 years.

I still believe the anchor is there and it was kids who messed with the float and anchor line. The lake is quite clear but in this cove there are hundreds of swimmers and a few boats to stir things up so visibility is about five feet or so.

 

[jdonalds]

Maybe and outboard or I/O drove into the line and got it wound up in the prop?

I suppose that's possible but the mooring ball tether was undamaged.

 

[Seadeals]

I am sorry you lost a very cool anchor set-up. A less mysterious anchor story...our friends also have a 21' boat and we sometimes alternate taking just one boat to let one captain chill.

As "first mate" on his boat last time, I threw the anchor for him. I gave a tug to set. It grabbed but then the line got very light. Similar to how my fishing experiences go, I pulled the line in only to find the chain lead with the "U" portion of the shackle left. "Dude, where's my anchor!" The pin had unthreaded (not cottered or wired) and fallen out leaving anchor firmly on the bottom. I believe I was the lucky one who got to add the final straw that broke the camel's back.

It was a free lesson (at my buddy's expense) to go the extra step of locking the shackle pin and regularly checking anchor rigging for security/condition. I also believe that his new boat didn't like his old anchor and felt it deserved a new one. We have to spoil our boats or they might get mad at us and break!

 

[Ronnie]

@jdonalds , sorry to hear it John. $hit happens/sign of the times. My cousin had someone steal his anchor, line and buoy in the same situation a few years back at Folsom lake and someone stole the surge brake lock out cap off of my boat trailer at a local reservoir while I was out boating. It's not common but that is no consolation when it happens to you. Now, unless there is someone from my group on shore nearby I take "it" with me.

I never leave my shore spikes in unattended either, too many people interested when I break it out as it is and on a few occasions I've come back and had other lines attached to it. One guy asked me what I was doing when I detached his line from it to leave for the day! I got the feeling if he left before me that day my shore spike would have gone with him.

I'm also paranoid about some of the trailer mods like the trailer buddies and Fulton winch so I put a bead of weld on the threads of their bolts to keep them from being stolen.

Hope you get your replacement quickly and it doesn't happen again.

 

[jdonalds]

@jdonalds , sorry to hear it John. $hit happens/sign of the times. My cousin had someone steal his anchor, line and buoy in the same situation a few years back at Folsom lake and someone stole the surge brake lock out cap off of my boat trailer at a local reservoir while I was out boating. It's not common but that is no consolation when it happens to you. Now, unless there is someone from my group on shore nearby I take "it" with me.

I never leave my shore spikes in unattended either, too many people interested when I break it out as it is and on a few occasions I've come back and had other lines attached to it. One guy asked me what I was doing when I detached his line from it to leave for the day! I got the feeling if he left before me that day my shore spike would have gone with him.

I'm also paranoid about some of the trailer mods like the trailer buddies and Fulton winch so I put a bead of weld on the threads of their bolts to keep them from being stolen.

Hope you get your replacement quickly and it doesn't happen again.

Thanks Ronnie. I guess I too will take the shore spike with me. Good thought.

I too have wondered about someone taking things off my trailer. The BoatBuckles are one obvious thing attached with a single bolt (as I remember) and worth a bit of $. So far so good.

 

[tdonoughue]

I believe that this is why we have the 'Bummer Dude!' reaction available. No, it won't ruin your life. But it is a bummer, and I am sorry to read it.

I take most stuff with me, except the stuff I am willing to lose. But I am willing to lose stuff. For example, my shore spike ($9 at Lowes) I will leave in an instant. The way I look at it, if you take my $9 shore spike because you are that desperate or poor or stupid or whatever, then you probably needed it more than I did. Same thing with one of my light lines. If I care that much about it, I take it with me. If it is cheap and I have several, I will leave it every time. If it is there, great. If not, well, someone needed it more than I did and they have it now.

 

[jdonalds]

I found it!!!

We are at the lake today (no boat) where I took my wife's paddle board out. The water was clearer than the day the anchor went missing. I paddled around for about fifteen minutes and finally spotted the blue Anchor Buddy line in about 10'of murky water.

As expected the Anchor Buddy floats but one end is held down by the anchor, and the other end by the quick disconnect clip. So the line was in an upside down U shape. I pulled the anchor up and paddled it to shore.

The good news is it wasn't stolen, only the result of some kids playing.

The bad news is I now have a new Anchor Buddy at home, and a new Richter anchor 3/4 of the way toward being delivered. Oh well I guess it's good to have spares.