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Aboard Atom I use solid hatch boards, which include one piece of clear acrylic for visibility, when needed at sea. To protect myself from intruders in port, I slip a stainless steel rod grating into the tracks in place of the hatch boards and secure it with a padlock or a barrel bolt that can only be reached from inside. The bars are made of 3/8-inch rod, bent and welded into shape by a stainless steel fabrication shop in Hong Kong. Any metal shop can easily make this if you provide them with the specific dimensions for your hatch. The bars are constructed in two pieces connected by two small rings so they can fold to permit insertion or removal when the dodger is over the hatch. Folding also makes them easier to store when they’re not in use. A similar one-piece grating locks into the inside of the forward hatch frame. Because it’s mounted inside the frame, it can be used with the forward hatch fully open or cracked slightly open. Air can then move freely, while security is maintained. When it looks like rain, I rig a small awning over the front hatch. After a cruising friend was attacked while sleeping aboard his own boat in Madagascar, the author devised this approach to keeping criminals out. If you find that you’re interested in fashioning a similar device for the hatches on your boat, I recommend that you give some thought to strengthening the companionway hatch frame. On many boats the hatch boards are only held in place by a flimsy strip of wood. Steel bars cannot do much good if the frame can be broken even with a screwdriver. I strengthened this area with stainless steel U-channels mounted within the wooden frame. The hatch bars or boards now slide into this unbreakable frame.
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When you drop anchor, you want to make sure the boat is going to stay where you want it to; this means choosing the right location considering the swinging circle and type of bottom, properly setting the hook, and measuring out the right amount of scope. Being able to drop a second anchor, and knowing the technique, increases your options and your security. Two anchors can improve your grip on the bottom, accommodate changes in wind or current direction better, and reduce the area in which the boat swings. The Second Anchor Obviously, you won't be able to set two anchors if you only have one on board. Apart from being able to double up, there are a couple of other good reasons for carrying extra ground tackle. With two anchors of different designs you can choose the best one for the type of bottom; and if you have to leave a snagged anchor on the bottom, it won't be your only one. There are a number of different methods and applications for setting two anchors. Here are two that cover a variety of situations.
more from www.boattraining.com
Use two anchors, mon The anchoring method that follows is a variation of Bahamian mooring, which may be defined simply as using two anchors off the bow. The beauty of this method is that as the boat swings with wind and tide, she hangs from one anchor, then both, and then finally the other anchor in tending through a 180-degree swing. Any wind direction can be accommodated. As with so many aspects of sailing, it is the details that determine the success or failure of this method. The simple case Most of the time it is this simple: Drop the first anchor, fall back downwind about seven times the depth, and set it. Drop the second anchor off the stern. Pull in about half of the first rode and set the second anchor by hand pulling from the bow. Put equal lengths of rode out for both anchors. Use a rode length roughly equal to the distance between the two anchors in the bottom.
more from www.boatus.com
A parachute sea anchor is basically a drag device. Normally deployed off the bow to windward, it is designed to hold the bow into the wind and waves. This stabilizes the motion of the boat while maintaining a safe attitude to the seas. Forward motion is stopped, but some leeward drift ideally, no more than 1 or 2 knots—occurs. Deploying a sea anchor can buy you time for sleep or nourishment in heavy weather or let you wait until a heavy fog lifts or daylight arrives before making landfall. A sea anchor can also help hold you off a lee shore while you make an engine or rig repair.
more from www.sea-anchors.com
Mark M (103)