This blog post cuts different. As a ballad, it’s a different voice and one that I enjoyed playing about with. It was like saying to a friend and said, “You tell the story.” This format preserves the meat of the tale, while saving you the long read.
The Sea Was a Beastly Mistress
Our chain was a wrong, rusty snake.
Carving its way across —
Winding out and snapping hard, our
Mantus Anchor was lost.
Rick placed a GPS waypoint.
Though reeling from the sting
We bonded with our guests instead
And grabbed a mooring ring.
The sea is a beastly mistress.
Laughing in our face.
“You’ve lost your anchor, you bastards.
Next time, know your place.”
Our tale soon hit the bays nearby.
A lift bag was offered.
Then two divers: Dave and Michael
Whose services we proffered.
Diver Michael was a skeptic.
Diver Dave showed caution,
At depths like these we’d surely take
The necessary precautions.
First Dive Tank
In smooth Racha Noi, near Phuket
The divers took a leap.
Going below the swell, and foam
They sank into the deep.
A gaggle of vessels floated.
Rick kept sight of the crew.
A dinghy, kayak and paddleboard
Kept watch above – those two.
Riding the waves were fishing buoys
With 50 feet of chain.
This line helped our divers to find
The trusty steel underlain.
The sea is a beastly mistress.
She cares less about skill or race.
“You’ve lost your anchor, you bastards.
Next time, know your place.”
A powerboat ripped through the harbour,
Crazy was that hellion.
If the driver was a teen —
We’d call his speed: rebellion.
Bubbles, bubbles churned the surface.
Tiny orbs rose beneath.
Larger, bolder was their presence.
Their faces brought relief.
They said the words, we longed to hear:
“We found the ground tackle.”
But, the anchor was wedged. We’d free
the chain debacle.
Swiftly, Rick drew the anchor swivel:
How to detach a pin.
The men packed tools and ropes, arming
Themselves to go back in.
Second dive tank
The men leapt back into the water.
The waves began to chop.
Three small vessels leaped about,
The pounding did not stop.
In short, we saw two heads emerge
With a line behind them.
The salty steel was near our grasp —
There began the mayhem.
Above Water Action
The dinghy crew flexed their muscles.
Grabbing the line they heaved.
The divers stayed in the water and
Waited to be retrieved.
The waves picked up, the swell began, and
From the RIB, Dave did shout:
“Tie the line. We’re about to board.”
The propellers stopped chopping about.
Alighting at the stern, divers, crew —
One by one they emerged.
followed by the boats and paddleboard
The foamy sea had purged.
Roundabout the winch the line did go
Our security was back.
But, the swivel was gone, the pin
Was lost. Alas! And — alack.
The retrieval of our steel hook
Played like a man overboard drill.
Though alarming and exciting,
We were glad to see our gear and crew safely reuniting.
The sea is a beastly mistress.
She might look fair of face.
But, she’s a mischievous pearl:
My story makes this case.
Here are some pictures from our day of anchor retrieval at Racha Noi in Thailand.
Epilogue
New chain from TopOne Chain in China
We ordered anchor chain from TopOne Chain in China. We now own 115 meters of (377 feet) of G80 chain, which you can see laid out at on the dock in the photo below.
Originally, we had planned to send the chain by air to Phuket, in Thailand but the airline said the chain was too heavy.
So, we shipped it by sea to Straits Quay Yacht Club, Penang, Malaysia instead. At the time, we didn’t realize that we needed to complete a K8 customs form to bring in the chain as a Yacht in Transit (Duty Free). As a result, the shipping cost as much as the chain itself.
New Mantus anchor swivel and pins
We asked Pangkor Marina Malaysia to assist with shipping communications but we never heard back from them. As a result, we sailed to Penang, spent a week at Straits Quay Marina, and had an agent arrange transport from the southerly seaport town of Klang.
Mantus, on the other hand, assisted in strides. They sent us a replacement swivel and pins. And, when part of our order was lost in transit, Mantus sent the pins out to us by FedEx. We received the parts within days. We are not affiliated with Mantus in any way. But, we thoroughly back their products.
In 10 years, our anchor has dragged on one occasion, but we suspect another cruiser picked up our chain by mistake when they were trying to anchor. When our roll bar showed signs of wear, Mantus shipped us a new one to Trinidad. Their customer service is top notch.
What’s Next?
Our boat is now on the hard at Lunas Boatyard in Langkawi, Malaysia. We look forward to sailing to Thailand and using our new gear as make preparations to cross the Indian Ocean.
Recommended Listening: Richard Burton reads The Rime of the Ancient Mariner – full audio recording He has a great voice and it feels like surround-sound if you hear it on a boat.
Related post: Great Scots, 20 knots!. This is blast from the past — where I discuss anchoring. You can hear the excitement of our children in the background of the video.
Becoming a Sailor 