Our cruising plan is to sail down to Patagonia in 2017.This will undoubtedly be the most demanding cruising we 've yet done - by a long way... So my imagination is going...


We 're sailing down one of the Chilean canals on the west coast south of Puerto Montt. Our plan is to make daily hops from one anchorage to the next, dawdling when we feel like it, making best use of weather when we can.

As we 're sailing one afternoon, the wind is picking up and it 's somewhat erratic, blowing 10 knots one moment and 25 the next. The afternoon is moving on and the planned destination for the day is another 10 miles ahead.

By the time we round the corner into the channel we 've selected for our anchorage, dusk is falling, it 's raining and the gusts are now up to 35kts. Making matters worse, the winds are swirling around through the entrances of the channels...

We manage to get in fairly tight to the shore, anchoring in 20M with 100M scope, gaining a degree of protection from the wind, but due to the failing light, we 're out further than we 'd like (250 - 300M) and remain more exposed than we 'd like... The boat is getting swung around on her anchor...

It would seem this is the time to set a shorefast - but every time I see a photo of a boat with lines going ashore, it 's always picture perfect flat calm weather - anyone could attach shorelines in those conditions - not sure how we 'd manage with the wind veering and gusting and light is failing...


Is this a realistic scenario? Got any words of comfort? Got any advice???


Never having used a shorefast ever...

What 's the right material for a shorefast?

The end that gets attached to shore will need to be chafe resistant - do you use wire? Chain? Thicker rope? How long should the chafe resistant link be?

What options are there for storing the shorefasts - reels, bags?

How long should the shorefast be?

Do you take all the line to shore and attach and then bring the end back to the boat, or do you attach line to boat and pull the end of the line to the shore?

If using two shorefasts, do you take both ashore at once?

Would you attach shorefasts in these nasty conditions or set an anchor watch and deal with shorefasts when everything has calmed down in the morning?


Your thoughts, critique and advice very much appreciated!

Bill Balme