Novermber 9, 2014 in Suva, Fiji
We’d been anchored in Suva for a while. It had blown and we hung solid on our anchor in just 10 feet of water. According to forecasts (ha, ha, ha), it was going to blow a little bit today, maybe 15 knots, but nothing we hadn’t seen here already. We had no worries so we went to see Interstellar.
Like a good movie-going citizen, I turned off my phone at the start of the show and settled in for what was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. Like a good internet citizen, I turned my phone back on as soon as the movie ended.
First message: Call us – your boat drug anchor!
Second message: Legacy is OK. The marina staff and a few neighbors got her floating and tied up to a mooring.
With lunch plans canceled, we headed back to the yacht club, slightly panicked and not really knowing the state of our floating home.
This was the first time we’ve really drug. We’ve had the anchor “ooze” a bit during blows – you know, creep maybe 10 feet, downwind – but never drag. Our anchor is a 20 KG Rockna (44 pounds) with 1/4″ high-test chain. It’s been great in that it sets easily and holds flawlessly, until now.
The wind turned south, the seas built and neighbors told us waves were breaking over the anchored boats’ bows. We don’t know how strong the wind got, maybe only 20 knots or so, but it seems like it’s the combination of the wind and wind waves that caused the problem.
We’d drug towards the breakwater surrounding the marina and grounded on the soft, shallow mud this side of the breakwater. Neighbors alerted the marina, the marina sent out two guys on in small skiff and between the efforts of the marina staff and two of our neighbors, they were able to get Legacy’s engine started, the anchor and chain pulled in by hand and then safely tied up to a mooring buoy.
Once aboard, we anxiously inspected our boat for damage and found none, except a little orange smear of paint on our bow that will easily wipe off (if we don’t choose to leave it there as a reminder that maybe we aren’t as safe as we think we are). We moved to another bay near Lami so we’d be out of the waves and the next morning, I snorkeled to inspect the bottom. Perfect. Not a mark.
Why did our anchor hold through so much and then let go? I really don’t know. When we pulled our anchor up after re-anchoring at Lami, there were two plastic bags on the anchor. Maybe that’s the Universe’s way showing us what happened. Maybe when the wind clocked from east to south, the anchor snagged some debris and couldn’t reset in the new direction. (Everyone knows there’s a lot of debris in the Suva harbor.)
I think I’ve lost my ability to live in anchor denial. Now I can’t believe that just because it’s always held, it always will. Now it hasn’t always held. I think I’ll try to buy my denial back by purchasing the next size larger anchor and chain in NZ.
I use an anchor alarm a lot of the time, and even more now. I wrote about an anchor alarm I use on my Android phone that I’m happy with and because it’s on my phone, it uses very little power. It can also send a text message if we drag while away from the boat (like at a movie!). We’re using that feature now and I had it running yesterday when we saw the new Hunger Games movie (that’s right, we worked up the courage to leave the boat to see another movie).
I’d like to offer another big “Thank You” to Tuuletar, Land Fall, and the guys at the Royal Suva Yacht Club. We brought Kava (and some cash) to the yacht club guys and took Tuuletar and Land Fall out for dinner. This is an amazing community out here and these are fine examples of this community’s best citizens. Because of them, Legacy is around for more adventures. -Rich
