What Have You Snagged Your Anchor on ?

[bene505]

While freediving for blackfish (yum!) I found an anchor left snagged in a pile of rocks and boulders. This actually happened twice in the same spot, the western end of Fisher's Island in Long Island Sound. I gave them both to the owner of the boat we were diving off, having no use for anchors at the time.

Have you ever snagged your anchor? If so, do you have any idea what you snagged it on? Also, did you have to cut it away?

Regards,
Brad

[Hudson Force]

I've cut away a couple of anchors with some chain. Both times I was in a strong current and turbid water,- not wanting to risk a dive. I was disappointed in losing these two anchors. Both were Harborfast HiBlades that had done me well. One was in South Carolina and I had pulled up enough to see some cement and rebar that had been dumped. The other one was cut away where the Susquehanna River flows into the Chesapeake. I don't know what I was caught on, but I imagined it was Jimmy Hoffa's car.

[cal40john]

The anchor rode had wrapped around a 2 foot diameter sunken log. This was on a boat with no windlass, took the rode to a winch back aft, sank the bow a few inches pulling that up. Untangling it wasn't fun either.

John

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by bene505

While freediving for blackfish (yum!) I found an anchor left snagged in a pile of rocks and boulders. This actually happened twice in the same spot, the western end of Fisher's Island in Long Island Sound. I gave them both to the owner of the boat we were diving off, having no use for anchors at the time.

Have you ever snagged your anchor? If so, do you have any idea what you snagged it on? Also, did you have to cut it away?

Regards,
Brad

OK Brad -- now I'm dieing to know how one free dives for blackfish. Please tell us where, when, how????

[bill good]

Found pulling up the anchor a bit heavy only to see a brand new one on the end. How good is that!! Just as I reached for it it fell off!! Mine was at the end of its life too!!

[wingontherock]

Bout this time last year while waiting a weather window in Lake Worth, FL... all ready to depart after a three day wait... took over half an hour to pull ... anchor came up with a 20' soggy palm tree attached... what a pain!!!

But all ended well...

[anjou]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

I don't know what I was caught on, but I imagined it was Jimmy Hoffa's car.

I dont know why, maybe cos im pissed, home alone drinking a bottle of champagne to celebrate new year, but this was so funny.

Wasnt he a teamsters union boss murdered by the mob? (not man over board either)
or maybe he was MOB by the mob hahaha

[bene505]

Originally Posted by SailFastTri

OK Brad -- now I'm dieing to know how one free dives for blackfish. Please tell us where, when, how????

This is best told over a few beers, to share the techniques (and there is a technique to it). But the highlight...

This one spot is off Fisher's Island. 15 feet of water. The current carries you down a series of 3 steps into deeper water. 15, 25, 25 feet. There used to be a black can buoy there. I think it's changed to something else since. As you dove down, the blackfish would come up like they were greeting you or something. By the time you got to the bottom, you had selected which one to shoot. We would fill the boat with blackfish and then go anchor somewhere to filet fish for an hour. Blackfish have a cartain rib cage that is not easy to filet around, you look like you are wasting meat but you are not.

Blackfish are really tasty. They eat shellfish with their strong jaws; I think that's what makes them taste so good.

By the way, in that same spot I saw a huge stripped bass. I came up and told Bill ( the boat owner/driver) that it was "this" big around, interlocking my fingers into each other and making an oval with my arms. I knew that gesture meant the fish would not grow over the years in the telling. I passed right next to it and didn't know what it was until I was beside it and noticed the stripes. Imagine walking into a room with a 30 foot chair in the room. You wouldn't immediately recognise what it was until a certain moment -- that's what it was like. It was 8 feet long. 3 gentle motions of it's tail and it was 60 feet away. That would have been one for the record books. I had a blackfish gun that didn't have enough power to take it unless I hit it in a key spot. Never told that story in print before, by the way, and only a few times verbally.

Regards,
Brad


There use

[David M]

I once snagged an old outboard engine.

[Sandero]

An old submerged out of use cable running across Newport Harbor to Goat Island.

[farotherside]

I've only been living aboard about two years, but I've brought up some stuff with my anchors, due probably to anchoring in the middle of Vancouver, BC, in a spot that used to be heavy industrial before it gentrified.

Once I brought up the cable portion of a newer-model bike lock - a nice one, too. I still use it to lock my dinghy.

A few months ago a neighbor was dragging anchor, and when we brought his anchor up there was a chunk of cinderblock wedged into the tines.

Another time a different neighbor dragged anchor, and when he brought his anchor up there was a pair of denim work overalls hooked!

Once I was having a helluva time hauling up my anchor line - when I finally got it out of the water, I had hooked an unknown length of thick steel cable, at least 1" thick. I got it unhooked by tying off my anchor line and using a boathook to lift the cable off.

A friend brought up a ski. Yep. A ski.

Several times I've brought up garbage bags. Once there was one that still had contents in it - it had a large tear and what looked like a couple of little bones dropped out and back into the water. I hope it wasn't someone's unwanted pets.

Recently I brought up an orange hair dryer! I should have taken pics.

[Cotemar]

Brad,

We have to talk.
I anchor and dive at West Harbor, Fishers Island, NY all the time.
Nice, Very Nice.

Would love to free dive with you. Let’s get together.

Never pulled up anything on Fishers Island, NY, but have pulled up a cable at Point Judith , RI Harbor of Refuge.

Mark

[Hooked]

Back when my dad was alive, he and a couple of his buddies took his Pearson 424 and anchored out in the Indian River by Fort Pierce Fl. My dad had just bought new anchor chain and anchor. He told one of his buddies to let the anchor go. My dad backed down and down and down. He yelled forward to hold the chain and his buddy yelled "What chain?" Evidentally he forgot to tie the bitter end off. 300 feet of chain with anchor gone. They dragged that area for hours. Nothing.

[maxingout]

I dragged an anchor in Suva, Fiji and when I pulled it up, there was a large heavy plastic sheet fouling the anchor.

Down in the Grenadines, the tip of my ancor snagged the opening to a large conch, and of course the anchor would not set with the conch attached. I had to pull up the anchor and remove the conch.

[zeehag]

caught on a drift net in fort jefferson, dry tortugas.... couldnt figure out why the anchor kept dragging allll night long could not get the dang thing to set-- pulled it next morning to find the drift net..LOL... had to cut a bunch away to raise anchor