The Don Street Follies

'Sarf & West mate, Sarf & West'
Pete Bernfeld
Sat 6 Apr 2013 22:31
Are people who use two anchors known as twanchors?

 I don't know but yesterday it seemed to me that Trouters had dragged slightly. I wasn't too certain because of the strange currents in the river and opinion in the anchorage was divided.  I attempted to re-anchor but two things seemed apparent. Firstly the bloody anchor windlass had a strop on and refused to play and secondly both anchors manfully, or should that be anchorfully, resisted all attempts to raise them from the river bed. Aha, well dug in I thought  so 'it' must be OK. Well, I am a twanchor after all. It was approaching 1700 and light was fading so I thought I'd enlist a willing victim and re-anchor this morning. A prophetic thought as it turned out.

I had a drink on another boat and returning at 2000 it was clear that Trouters had moved. I watched for a bit and it appeared that all was well. Appearances as we all know can be deceptive. About 0500 this morning I was having a pleasant dream (NO Andy, not THAT sort of dream). I was sailing over an azure-blue sea, the sun was shining, the wind was almost dead aft, the boat wasn't leaking and I had twin headsails boomed out and the movement of the boat was very pleasant. Movement of the boat??? I realised at the time that this was a dream due to the boomed-out twin headsails and no leaks but it was rudely ended by a THUMP, followed by a loud whistle. Pausing only to put on a pair of shorts I arrived on deck.
'Morning Michel.'
'Are you leaving?' was the reply.

Michel and I fended Trouters off and clear of Viatrix then I was away, upriver towards the bridge. Luckily, due to a previous healthy squirt of WD40 on the electrical contacts in the cockpit, the engine started. Michel launched his dingy, got aboard and I motored back towards where I thought I was anchored, if you see what I mean

Michel took the helm and I started to haul up the anchor(s). To make a two-hour story short, we discovered that one anchor chain had knotted itself around the other anchor, necessitating getting both on deck in one fell (almost) swoop.  Michel then spent some time untangling the chain while I  held the boat on station. That done, we dropped the first anchor and then because I was back where I started we had to put the second anchor out to restrict the swing. I didn't want to anchor in 15 metres of water with no windlass. Anyway, this time Michel took the second anchor out to one side in his dingy. Everything seemed to be holding so at 0700 he returned home.

Cue the arrival of the River Police. Some kind soul had reported the incident so this meant a quick investigation and I have to fill out an online incident report 'for statistical purposes.' I thought it was nice of them to show up and said so but mentioned a certain Wharram that had hit me twice and generally terrorized the anchorage. Nobody seemed willing to show up when I reported that. Ah they said, you should have filled out an online incident form. I didn't know about such a beast and nobody local had mentioned it. Anyway, they knew the owner of said Wharram. 'Not a mariner' was how they described him. He'd been 'persuaded' to park the boat up a narrow creek where he couldn't hit anything.

I now have 48 hours to fill out the form. At least as it's online it won't be in triplicate (maybe). I wonder how much data I have left 'on me dongle?' Well, it was getting a bit boring (not) just sitting here signing book contracts.