Anchors

[Captain Smollett]

We presently own four anchors, including the one for the dinghy.  As I restowed them this morning (I am currently keeping them off the boat to keep them out of the way while we work on some projects), I hefted the weight and thought briefly about the 'essence' of an anchor - and anchoring.

The anchor has assumed an almost idol status in boating; on the one hand, anchors provide a level of safety margin and endless discussion is expended on the merits of ground tackle, how to buy it, how to use it, what not to do, etc.  Too, anchors give us freedom - freedom to explore, to stay "away" from civilization.  It is the anchor's job to connect us to the ground.

But there are other anchors that also serve to connect us to the ground.  The weight of these can be tremendous, and no windlass seems strong enough to hoist them aboard.  These are the anchors of shore-side life, and I don't care how seasoned a cruiser is (or claims to be), one cannot get underway without the pull of these anchors anymore than one should leave without the steel "ground tackle" kind.  It is just impossible to completely cut the ties to "ground" even when making a floating lifestyle.

With the breeze blowing across my face this morning, I yearned to be under way, sails up and drawing, the boats working through the water and maybe my daughter at the helm smiling in a that special way she ONLY smiles while steering a sail boat.  We've got to get those anchors hoisted aboard and stowed.

Fair Winds.

[maxiSwede]

Good post!  enjoy a Saturdy night Grog! 

[saxon]

After a few years of voyaging, I realised that apart from family and a few friends, many 'shore anchors' had not been anchors at all but more like millstones round my neck. Property and possessions that I had thought I needed became insignificant. As long as I had a good seaworthy boat then I had freedom. The family can jump on an aeroplane and be with me nearly anywhere now within a few hours, so those ties need not be broken. Virtually everything else I found was just there because, well, everyone else had a house and a car and a TV and....   After a couple of years or so I miss England, and have to return for a while for the good of my Saxon soul, but apart from that, the three anchors that I have aboard are the ones that matter now..

[Frank]

Have a grog Capt S and Capt S...well worded on both counts

[Jim_ME]

This is something that resonates with me...what holds a person back...

Reminds me of the lyrics to a song by Eric Bogle...Safe In the Harbor At Last, one verse in particular...

"Some men are sailors, but most are just dreamers
Held fast by the anchors they forge in their minds
Who in ther hearts know they'll never sail over deep water
To search for a treasure they're a-fraid they won't find
So in sheltered harbours, they cling to their anchors
Bank down their boilers and shut down their steam
And wait for the sailors to re-turn with bright treasures
That will fan the dull embers and fire up their dreams"

Here is the song...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HziVEz8ozJg

[saxon]

Those first two song lines blend nicely in with what T.E. Lawrence ( Colonel Lawrence of Arabia ) wrote, Jim.

All men dream, but not equally
Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find it was vanity.
But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes,
to make it happen.

The secret  to a cruising life is to be one of Col: Lawrence's " Dangerous Men"..  

Saxon.

[CharlieJ]

The secret  to a cruising life is to be one of Col: Lawrence's " Dangerous Men"..  

Saxon.

Or women, such as Laura.
edit by Captain Smollett: fixed quote tag