Anchor management & a mast retainer . .

[tattoo]

Having an anchor aboard is a safety requirement. Being able to deploy it is a necessity. Prudent safty requires that there be a backup anchor that can be called to service for numereous reasons.

I stow Tattoo's main anchor on what I call the "anchor deck." I can deploy it by standing on a folding plastic stool in the cabin and reaching over the conpanionway hood. When deployed, the anchor rode can be retrieved with a boat hook while standing on the stool in the cabin. Recovery of the anchor itself is done over the side from the cockpit and then passing the anchor forward to the anchor deck. A little awarkward, but when on the water I try to avoid climbing over the hood to stand in the well of the anchor deck.

I made an anchor "chafing pad" to protect the relatively thin anlchor deck. It is held in place by the anchor's weight and a "dog" screwed to the deck (and bulkhead #1) and [at the other end] the corner of the Dorade box. The chain and rode is held by a plastic laundry basket that I got at Wal-Mart. The top edge was cut off.

My backup anchor is a small old Navy type. It is kept in another plastic basket along with its chain and rode in the starboard lazerette. So far, I haven't had occasion to use it.

You may ask: What's a "mast retainer"? Well you can see one in the picture with the anchor chafing pad. It's that stick about 3' long. It is placed on top of the bow sprit wedged between the upper brest hook and the bottom of the mast. If, for some reason, you want to remove the jib (down too comes the fore stay); then just wedge the mast retainer in place and lower the jib. The retainer keeps the bottom of the mast from rotating up. If you want to service the jib (without lowering the mast) -- you can redeploy its halyard to the end of the bow sprit and remove the retainer. I haven't sailed her without the jib, so I haven't used the retainer on the water. But I have used it in my driveway on numereous occasions. It is stowed in the tow vehicle.

[captain charlie]

I am finding the Pocketship forum quite interesting and am especially interested in all the neat pics. The one showing the anchor deck shows some arrangement for the tabernacle - how does this work? I will be building the mast next week and am wondering if I will need to do something other than is shown in the instruction manual. Thanks for all of your interesting ideas in this forum. Captain Charlie

[tattoo]

Charlie -- The cleats on each side of the tabernacle are just additional side supports. They also aid in positioning the tabernacle when installing the two 1/2" carriange bolts that hold it in place. I don't know that they are necessary.

During my first sailing season I had a failure at the intersection of the #2 bulkhead and the cabin roof. The mast and tabernacle pulled the bulkhead forward (away from the cabin roof) by about 3/8". I think I may have been epoxying that joint when the temperature was too low. Also, I didn't have any fiberglass that wrapped over the cabin roof and down the outside face of the bulkhead. I've repaired it with a doubler on the cabin side of the bulkhead (see attached inside photo). Concerned about the forward forces on the mast, I also strengthened the mast pivot bolt hole with metal plates (on each side). Each is held in place (in bedding compound) with 3 machine screws that end flush with the inside surface of the tabernacle sides. I just self "tapped" them into pilot holes drilled 1/16" smaller than the screw outside diameter. The "tapped" holes were saturated in epoxy with the screws in place, then, after a partial cure, the screws were removed. After a complete cure, the screw holes are quite durable. For removable tabernacles, CLC now recommends a backup plywood plate on the inside of the bulkhead and using a 4-bolt pattern.