Anchoring troubles!

Anchoring ......it’s troubling me.........well not all of the anchoring...just one bit. Take East Portlemouth Beach for example, opposite Salcombe in the Kingsbridge estuary. A lovely spot, one of my favourite beaches in fact. The problem is big-ish tides and strong currents. If I just beach Arwen, depending on whether the tide is incoming or outgoing, she swings broadsides on the beach. What I want to do is to drop people off on the beach and me stay with them; then get Arwen back out into deep water.....being able to retrieve her back again when we are ready to leave. I don’t want to be sitting on the boat when all the fun is on the beach.......so surely there must be some system that does this?

East Portlemouth beach opposite Salcombe

in the Kingsbridge Estuary

I have been told of an Anchor Buddy which is a line that stretches from 12 – 50’. You drop your anchor out 30’ from shore from the stern and then proceed to shore; Anchor Buddy stretches whilst your anchor stays set. You then pay out a bow line and Anchor Buddy retracts, so anchoring the boat back offshore. When you are ready to leave – you pull on the bow line and the boat comes back towards you. It sounds great but has anyone used one over here in UK? Is it worth getting?(http://www.bargainboards.co.uk/P/Straight_Line_EZ_EZ_Mooring_Line_40_Ft_White_2010_2099266-(21070).aspx)

Looking across to Salcombe - a  favourite Sunday morning

'coffee with papers' haunt for me and 'her wot must be obeyed'

I know that some people attach a pulley to their anchor and run the anchor rode through it. As I understand it – the rode is tied off on the stern cleat and run through the pulley and then along the side of the boat to the shore. Another mooring warp is tied off at the bow. You now have two rope ends on shore which you tie off to trees or to another anchor. The system works by pulling on one rope which pulls the boat off shore; a pull on the bow warp pulls it onshore. I would have thought that the pulley would become clogged with seaweed; and you would certainly need some pretty long warps. At East Portlemouth, the beach runs parallel to the main river channel and so the boat would be subject to some serious side forces – wouldn’t this drag the rear anchor?

A wonderful salcombe yawl

Apologies, I was unable to find the Photographer's name but I'm still searching

Others suggest laying out your anchor on the foredeck and flaking the rode alongside. The anchor has a trip line attached to it; and it is balanced in such a way that a tug on the trip line will pull it over the side. (I’d need to drill a hole in my Bruce anchor for a small shackle). You push the boat back off the beach and out to sea and when it reaches your desired place you trip the line, the anchor falls overboard. You make sure that you attach the trip line to some point on the shore. I guess you will have calculated carefully the amount of scope required and so tied off the rode at the appropriate length. I’m not sure that all that chain running off Arwen’s deck would do her paintwork much good! I suppose I could get around that by buying some form of bowsprit roller – I’ve seen them on character post boats.......I’m not sure Arwen’s bowsprit is strong enough for that.....maybe I should consult John Welsford the designer!

Looking along East Portlmouth beach

This is where i want to land and push Arwen back off shore!

Photo copyright: kowetas: Adam Bolas

Difficult to describe, but here goes, I have thought of one possible solution. Using two anchors – I move uptide – drop the anchor and let out sufficient scope and then some more. I then anchor and gently motor at an angle onto the beach without pulling out the anchor. We all drop of on the beach and I use the second anchor, also tied off at the bow – I push Arwen back out into the main tidal stream letting out the anchor rode until she is midstream again and then I drop that anchor on the beach. When I want Arwen – I pull on this rode until she ferry glides back into shore......now I wonder if this method would work? I think this would probably best suit a beach with an offshore wind......so I’m still no further forward as East Portlemouth normally has onshore winds....um! Being a newbie sailor is not without its frustrations!

A google earth of East Portlemouth

So......if anyone knows of any websites that can show me what to do; or if you have solutions that will help me jump onto the beach, push Arwen off it back into deep water and then be able to retrieve her later........then I would deeply appreciate your input.  Please......I REALLY WOULD appeciate your suggestions!

Steve