Get two boats and lash them side by side. Put a strong stick or oar across the gunwales and lash it fast. Lower the anchor overboard with a tackle from aloft and swing it in between the boats, ring up. Lash the ring to the beam. When you get to the spot where you want to drop it set the hawser all clear for running and cut the ring lashing.
To raise a heavy anchor:
Lash two boats together. Put a round beam or spar across the gunwales and ship a couple of hand-sticks in it so as to turn it like a windlass. Take the line on the anchor round the spar and turn, winding it slowly up. Keep the beam from rolling out of place by two guys, one at each end, with an eye over it. The guys want to lead from the end of the boat on the side that the rope from the anchor comes up.
Anchoring:
Don’t anchor on bad bottom without putting a trip line on the anchor. The worst bottom for fouling is one over which boulders are strewn. Also be careful how you anchor in any place where sunken wrecks are likely to be found.
Moorings:
The weight necessary to furnish a secure mooring depends upon the locality, the amount of exposure, the depth and character of the bottom, and the weight and model of the boat. It is always better when on the safe side by using as heavy a mooring as possible. For ordinary conditions, multiply the length over all of the boat by five, the answer being the weight in pounds that is needed. In exposed situations this weight should be largely increased. The best moorings are mushroom anchors, where the bottom is suitable for their use, as they can be readily recovered when it is desirable to take them up.
Making a mooring:
To do this properly requires judgment and practice. Nothing looks worse than to see a man make a bungle of getting a mooring. If he is familiar with his boat, there is no excuse for mismanaging the job. The first thing to learn is how far your boat will carry way when thrown into the wind. This you can find out only by observation and practice. Having discovered this, set a range on shore to use when coming to; one that will place you at about the right distance. A better plan is to calculate your distances by lengths of your boat. If your boat is thirty feet long, and will carry way for six lengths, luff up at a distance of 180 feet. Always, if you have good way on, go directly to leeward of the mooring. Luff with a long sweep, for if you put your helm over too quickly you will kill the boat’s way and fall short. If the wind is light, go to leeward and come to the buoy at an angle, with your sheets lighted up; then by trimming and spilling you can baby her up to the mooring. If a boat is coming with too much way on you can kill her speed by shoving the helm hard across, first one way and then the other. Take an afternoon off some day and practice picking up your mooring and you will soon have it down to a science.
