Primordial Ooze & Boat Bucks

Eeeewwww!  This pile of rust came off the chain we’ve been using.

“If you leave it there too long. It will seize, and rust into place,” warned our marina neighbors and longtime boat owners Dee and Ron Claus (click here to see Ron and his now dearly departed “puppy.”)  They were referring to our hideously rusted, once-upon-a-time galvanized anchor chain.   It was rusty by the time we met Journey, in September 2012.  So much so we didn’t bother attempting to clean the rust stains off our bow’s deck; we knew it was a lost cause.

Ironically, as Labor Day weekend offered Wayne his first 3-day weekend off since our Jacksonville arrival in June, we used the no-paid-work time to get filthy-dirty and sweat like pigs (do pigs really sweat that profusely?) to remove our rusty anchor chain and replace it.

Then again, this is the chain it came off of.
Thank goodness for dock carts!

Michael of Goldilocks (click here for Goldilocks’ blog) and Marc of Nirvana (click here for Nirvana’s blog) can be proud that their efforts of showing Wayne how to splice line into chain, stuck.  He did the honors, so Journey is now in proud possession of clean, new rode nicely spliced into our new anchor chain, attached to our new Rocna 20 anchor.  Thank you West Marine for your awesome Associate (employee) Discount program!  The purchase would otherwise achieve “boat bucks” level $1000+; without even counting the anchor.  With our engine / propeller’s beyond wimpy reverse, even though we consistently backed up on our CQR anchor (except when we didn’t have reverse) to no avail.

Cheapo zip-tie markers to measure off

every 25 feet of chain.  Found out after

my first go that the 3 markers/25’

weren’t supposed to all be on

the same link.  Oops!

Wayne then bravely proceeded to tackle cleaning the thick layer of primordial sludge which settled previously into our anchor locker.  Wayne wondered if it was vintage ’78, Great Lakes….

I got the easy job of whisk broom and vacuuming the 3’ high pile of rust flakes, accumulated from the former anchor chain.

It was a productive day.  Sigh… next project…

Wayne works his splicing
magic with 25’ chain lengths
measured off in the background;
200 feet in all.  Does this look
like $1000 (aka “1 boat buck”)?
It is, retail.

Ahhhh… our new 55 lb. 20T Rocna
anchor; photo pilfered from their website, http://www.rocna.com.  (Betting
they don’t mind.)  I will sleep
much better at anchor.

We are envious of our friends cavorting about in more exotic climes right now.  But they paid their dues doing boat upgrades; this is our turn.  Just 2 ½ more months….

Former anchor, CQR doing what it does
best, sitting on top rather than digging in,
though normally it was a “side sleeper."

Chain to rode splice.  Nice job, Wayne!