when you say it or write it out but having the "system" worked out with the tool, extra chain, shackles and small line all ready, it goes pretty quickly. As I said, 3 times in 45 years isn't bad. Zero in 45 years would be better but in reality, that's a number that would be pretty hard to make. The last time we used the technique was in the Sea of Cortez. We pulled into the anchorage knowing that a Northerner was coming and it was going to be a bad one. We got in just as it was starting so had plenty of time to get the hook down right where we wanted it. Don't you hate it when you make a decision and it's wrong. My thought was that we were in close enough to the beach to be in good sand and we would have missed the rubble that would have fallen down the cliff into the water further out then we were towards the point. I checked it with the look bucket and the sand looked good. We got a good hook and dug it in with full reverse RPMs and most of the anchor was buried. That night the wind hit with a sustained 40 to 45 knots and we set just fine behind the point with no wave action. It was only uncomfortable because we had to stand anchor watch.

The next morning I was sitting in the cockpit when I realized the fellow anchored to my starboard side started to drag. He had been sitting next to me all night and I knew that he had Manson down because we had been chatting the previous afternoon so I was somewhat surprised. About 30 minutes later we broke loose and started the slow trip on down the road following him. I called my wife up and decided to re-anchor closer to the beach on the assumption that we had still anchored in some of the rubble and not good hard sand like we had thought. This later turned out to be a correct assumption. While we were anchoring closer to the breach we were still anchoring parallel to it behind a point that stuck out which was high and blocking the wind. We hauled up the anchor and reset it 50 yards closer to the beach and it seemed like the set was a good one. We set there long enough to cook a good breakfast and get it eaten and cleaned up but as soon as the last dish was put away off we went again. It was the same situation. The anchor was slowly dragging through the rubble which had slid down the steep face and piled up and then been spread out and covered with light sand.

It's still blowing in the 45 to 50 knot range so I set up for the double anchor routine while we were still somewhat anchored. At least the anchor was still holding us head to wind and so the Danforth was tied to the pulpit, shackle secured with the tie and chain ran free and secured to the lifeline close to where the Bruce would come to rest. The second shackle and tools and tie were laying in the there as well. We started to haul up the anchor and as soon as it broke free out pilot house took over and we were off to the races. I was working the anchor while Denny got the engine up to speed and managed to get her head back up and pointed in towards a spot further towards the beach. This time we had decided to take a set farther away from the point and still closer yet to the beach to see if we could get out of the rubble area that we now suspected was much greater then we first had thought and the charts had indicated. When we got to the spot I slipped the knot on the Danforth and slowly lowered it into the water and then quickly let the brake off on the Bruce. We paid out our scope and set the anchor and that was that. Even though we had to reset twice, I call this one anchoring one anchoring experience and not three.

I don't believe it was the anchors fault but my inability to see that the rubble off the mountain had extended out much further then the charts indicated. The sand made it look like a normal bottom until you started dragging anchors through it then you could see the material quite easily. I should have made the first set where I made my third but I wasn't quite sure how the wind was going to react as it came up over the point and wanted some room off the beach for swinging room. Room which, of course, as it turned out I didn't need.

All and all, it's probably a good thing to have to deal with these situations once in a while just to keep the cobwebs at bay. I find my wife doesn't like it while one of these is in progress but is glad later to have a refresher course every now and then.