out in front of the Coast Guard station, getting filled up. In comes a trawler, probably headed for the trawler fest in the Chesapeake. First time I see him - hear him actually - is when he fires his bow thruster in a last ditch effort to get the bow up enough to miss by bow sprit and anchor rode as the current is sweeping him down on me and they skid by. Then I watch as he makes 5 attempts to anchor: each time pulls up, lets the GF drop a Rocna on about 40 ft of chain (depth is about 16, freeboard another 6 at least) then is told in a loud voice to "STOP". Then they plow the bottom out towards the ocean at about 2 knots that the current is carrying with another 15 knots of wind to help. Chain is clearly bumping over the bottom at about a 45 deg angle down off the bow. Then up with the anchor, motor forward and try again. Real easy to do quickly, after all you only have to pull up 40 ft.

Finally I radio him, suggest that while he might not be looking for advice, mine would be to let out maybe 4 times that much chain. "Thanks", he says, "can't seem to get this Rocna to bite, thought I had about 200 ft out." Now he seems to have stuck way up current of me, should hit several other boats before he gets down here.

That Rocna is crap.