'Enterprise' Classic Yacht |
Yacht ‘Enterprise’ Van Dam 34
Built at Van Dam at Aalsmeer, Netherlands 1974
MMSI 244130118 ; Call Sign PH 5626
Built at Van Dam at Aalsmeer, Netherlands 1974
MMSI 244130118 ; Call Sign PH 5626
The original anchor winch is mounted on the foredeck with a hawse pipe through the fore cabin to the chain locker below for the 45metres of chain. It can either be turned by a low-geared crank (new s.s. cranking handle) or a bar by a pumping mechanism. Through a system of paws it can be checked in either direction, or free wheel. There is also a cable drum. There are many different mooring systems but as you go North into German and Baltic waters finger pontoons become rare and access is usually over the bow. To facilitate this we installed an anchor platform in 2009. This had the advantage of clearing the anchor out of the way and providing a platform overhanging the pontoon, with a retractable ladder to get back on board! It has worked out well. Another system is to have a ring buoy at each mooring position. In this case one sails perpendicular to and towards the dock, hooking the ring buoy as you pass and paying out the line until a person on the bow can jump ashore with the bow line. We have a specially designed hook to use in this process. Often in small islands there are not any ring buoys and a kedge anchor must be dropped astern to serve the same purpose. We have a 12kg Danforth anchor for this purpose. In the Norwegian fiords the water is often too deep for any anchor so a system of lines must be used attached to rings in rocks on shore. If no rings exist pitons must be driven into cracks in the rock. We have two pitons for this purpose but have never had to use them. |
Many of the small fishing ports that we go into have the bottom fouled with old fishing tackle. In 2011 we were forced to cut the chain and lose the anchor in a small fishing port on the Atlantic coast of Spain. In order to protect our investment in the new 25kg plough anchor we use a trip line of 12 m attached to our own chain. The trip line is run out with the chain, then, when we reach the attachment mark we thread the end through the chain slot and shackle it to the chain. It has worked very satisfactory. |