It has been my practice to always use an anchor float in American waters; this practice being discouraged in the Bahamas. An anchor float, attached to the crown of the anchor, allows one to visualized the anchor on the bottom and provide access to a trip line if needed to retrieve the anchor from a snag. It also allows for fouling the prop. This is what happened this morning during the anchor retrieval drill aboard White Pepper as she lay at anchor in the laguna between Daytona and Daytona Beach, Florida.
Chilly Dec. Dawn Swim
We had anchored at the excellent anchorage near marker R44 on the ICW. The current had shifted and there was a contrary wind to the current. The float was positioned precisely under the stern of the boat. It was out of sight and out of mind when Jan engaged the motor to assist me in raising the the anchor--CLUNK. The anchor float and line had wrapped around the prop. The diesel process can not proceed without rotation. Fortunately, the anchor was still in place.
There was no other course except to go into the water and dive to free the prop. Please remember that this is dawn in December. On deck I would wear a fleece and a jacket. Jan sharpened the sharpest kitchen knife and after much fuss I entered the water. Indeed the prop was well fouled with 5 or 6 tight wraps. It took several dives to free the whole mess. As readers can see from the picture a wet suit was not needed to protected core temperatures. Health was restored after the dive with a hot shower and hot breakfast. Two hours late we were off the New Symrna.
From now on I will not use an anchor float except in well known problem areas such as the Alligator River and Beaufort Creek, both in NC.
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