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Group: Administrators
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Visits: 148
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Hi Bill,
I know Hadley Harbor well. http://www.coastalboating.net/Cruising/Destinations/NE-US/Buzzards%20Bay/HadleyHarbor.html Pretty exposed outside the harbor. Isn 't it interesting how attuned we get to the motion of the our boats? Any variation and we tend to wake up. Our cat even wakes up before we do and gets us up right away. Lucky!
I do know people who probe the bottom to see what its composition is. They drop their anchor and bring up a bit of bottom to see what it is made of. It 's much easier, however, to look at a chart. The bottom type is clearly labeled as sand, mud, rocky, grass, etc. in most harbors. But you do have to know how to interpret the symbols which are listed in NOAA chart 1 for US waters.You can download it free here http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/chartno1.htm. For example, hS is hard sand. It 's not always accurate but it 's a useful place to start. Cruising guides usually mention bottom composition as well. You probably know this all, but sometimes we forget the simple things. Friends of ours who are very experienced cruisers anchored in a mine field once because they were too tired and in a hurry to check the charts first! They 'll never do that again. A fisherman alerted them to their dilemma in the morning.
The Manson 's slot is intended to be used as a trip line. It was developed for use in rocky Australian cruising grounds where anchor eating monsters are known to roam. It is also used by dive charter boats where they need to re-anchor many times a day and quickly. I would never use it under 'normal ' cruising circumstances.
Happy Hooking!
Vice Commodore, OCC
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