In 2004 we anchored our
Ericson 38 out to ride out three hurricanes. Charlie, Frances and Jeanne. For Frances we anchored her in Clearwater Harbor just a quarter mile inside Sand Key about halfway between the CG Station and the Sailing Center. If I remember right the
depth was about 12 ft maybe a bit more. We used 100 ft of 5/16 ht chain and 200ft of 5/8 nylon 3 strand on a
single Fortress FX 35. Chafing
gear was the
Canvas firehose type over the bow roller.
The
boat rode out winds over 35k for three straight days ...peak winds of 75k. The
boat never moved except that it pounded severly in the chop. The only damage was a broken
steering cable. I had tied off the
wheel but the surging was tremendous. No damage to the
rode and not much wear on the chafing
gear either.
In Charlie and Jeanne we anchored in canals behind houses and so did not see that much wave action. In the canals with not much swinging room we used two hooks such that we could swing clear no matter what the
wind did. I used a makeshift kellet (dive weights) on the second rode to avoid snagging the
keel or
rudder on the rode. Works like a charm. The primary rode was the same as above but the second had less chain, only 50 ft as I
recall.
I've used the same kellet many times in the
Bahamas where tidal currents shift more than the wind.
The boat