Free Anchor?

[jrc]

As we anchored near Stonedam on Sunday, I saw some trash floating. After we ate lunch, I noticed it wasn't moving. I swam over and found a Gatoraide bottle with some rope around it, pulling it I found anchor. It was a relatively small fluke style.

At first I though, someone must have got it stuck and had to cut free, leaving the bottle for a later rescue. It wasn't stuck but it may have worked itself free.

If I find it still there next week can I keep it?

[SIKSUKR]

Probably won't be there next week after your post.

[jrc]

Actually, it is a little too small for my boat, I was hoping the post would lead someone who needs to it.

[AC2717]

I am looking for a better stern anchor to be honest
I have one that is a little to small and is a pain to set, and was looking for a bigger fluke style

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by AC2717

I am looking for a better stern anchor to be honest
I have one that is a little to small and is a pain to set, and was looking for a bigger fluke style

I use a Lewmar claw for the stern on my 25 foot boat. It's only 4.4 lbs and does a nice job with 4 feet of chain and 35-45 feet of rope. It's sets easily and is very compact. I also happen to have an 11 lb Lewmar claw with 90 feet of 1/2" nylon three-strand and 10 feet of 5/16" chain that's taking up space in my garage. It's eye-spliced properly and in like-new condition. 50 bucks and it's yours.

[jrc]

AC2717, go to the backside of Stonedam, away from the Weirs. Find the dock for the nature trust. Go east along the shore about 400 -500 feet. should still be there.

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=r84...=b&form=LMLTCC

I also have a 4.4 lb claw, I bought it two boats ago on the recommendation of DaveR. Works great, may be a little too small now but comes in handy.

BTW if you go in there be careful to follow the markers, and be aware that the one off the east most point has been missing for a couple years.

[AC2717]

Originally Posted by jrc

AC2717, go to the backside of Stonedam, away from the Weirs. Find the dock for the nature trust. Go east along the shore about 400 -500 feet. should still be there.

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=r84...=b&form=LMLTCC

I also have a 4.4 lb claw, I bought it two boats ago on the recommendation of DaveR. Works great, may be a little too small now but comes in handy.

BTW if you go in there be careful to follow the markers, and be aware that the one off the east most point has been missing for a couple years.

Thanks but I was joking I would not want to take it if it was someone's that was put there for a reason, al-be-it weird, but who knows the situation.

that is interesting you use a 4.4lbs anchor, but also on mine I probably should put some chain on the line for the stern anchor, and see what happens, if works it works if not, I will get back to you on the other set up

[Kamper]

If it's not a hazard to navigation, leave it alone. Someone may have dropped something and be planning to come back or it may mark a hot fising spot.

[jrc]

Kamper, that's why I left it. Sure for a short term it's reasonable to leave it there.

But at some point the owner either abandoned it and now it is trash, or they are trying to make an unregistered mooring.

[Grant]

If I had a dollar for every anchor we see diving, I'd have enough for that fancy drysuit...

[Winnipesaukee Divers]

Originally Posted by Grant

If I had a dollar for every anchor we see diving, I'd have enough for that fancy drysuit...

You leave them down there??? I'm a sucker for anchors and towels (they're my favorite) and bottles and fishing lures and down riggers and boats and cars and trucks and fishing poles... Well, just about anything... Did I tell you about my golf ball collection? Sun glasses, just love sun glasses.

Old coins, did I tell you about the tin box full of silver half dollars 72 of them all, pre 1940 that I found at Wears Beach pier? I'm thinking, it about time to cash them in with silver being so high now.

Dive buddy Paul found a fairly new Dodge pickup truck in the Suncook river last Sunday... I told him that one was just too easy, it had a big yellow kayak tied to the roof. It made a dandy marker float... I'll bet that woman wished she had turn off the engine and put it in gear, before she jumped on the front bumper to untie it. Who would have thought it would just roll down the launch ramp and float out into the pond before it sank.

BTW: Why don't you have a dry suit? What size are you? Paul is looking to sell his cheap, it's a DUI CF200, size medium. I'll bet it has less than 20 dives on it. He and I are both too old and poor health to be doing anymore cold water dives.

[jrc]

I've lost all of the above except vehicles, this year I seem to have an issue with hats. Can't keep them on my fat head and they sink fast.

[Winnipesaukee Divers]

We consider them a "Man overboard" drill... We get most of them.

We once lost a SCUBA tank out the back of the walk-though transom on my sailboat. I was on deck furling the sail when dive buddy Paul inadvertently knock one of tanks over. I holler for him to stop the boat and back straight back, while I readied to deploy the anchor.

When I thought we had gone far enough; I dropped the anchor. We stopped in sixty-five feet of water just west of Parker island and I thought my chances of recovering the tank were very slim at best. I only had a spare 80cft tank left on board to use and it's not much bottom time at that depth, since I'm a big guy and need lots of air and usually use steel 120s.

Down the anchor line I went, once on the bottom I cleared my mask, took my bearing and prepared to start the search. I had only gone about 30' due west and there it was... Suck, valve down in the sandy bottom at an angle, looking all the world like an unexploded bomb form WW2. I tied off my marker line/float a continued on the search. I couldn't come back to the boat that quick, I had to do an extensive search to make Paul sweat a little longer and burn up the rest of the tank (can't have stale air left over). When I got back to the boat I had all sorts of treasures tucked in my suit. Paul said, "No luck on the tank? Looks like I owe you a new tank." I responded back, just pull up the marker line next to your feet and lets get back to the dock."

We got lucky that day... But rest assured, had I come up empty handed, we would have marked the site and returned back to scoured the bottom until we did find it.

My old saying is: Nothing is lost in the lake, it's just in cold storage for a while.

[donnamatrix]

Funny posts. I cannot tell you the number of pairs of expensive sunglasses I have lost on the lake - usually they are perched on top of my head, and I forget and run my hands through my hair. Plop. We used to call Blackey's Cove "Vuarnet Bay" then "Maui Jim Bay" ... now, I just purchase floating sunglasses at the dive shop in Wolfeboro - I don't like the little float leashes that you can use on expensive sunglasses, and the floating sunglasses are great. Polarized and everything.

[LIforrelaxin]

Well if you should find yourself diving between Long Island, and Moultoborough Neck, you should be able to uncover

---Many hats... I have lost a couple, so did my brother, all nicely weighted down with pins, to insure they went straight to the bottom...

---A few pairs of sunglass, Ray Ban, Maui Jims, Varnet, and some odd balls
(once again my brother, myself and My father)

---A swim suit or two.... ooops....we are not getting into this one......

well anyways if you take the time to scour the area, keep them free of charge....

[Winnipesaukee Divers]

Originally Posted by donnamatrix

usually they are perched on top of my head, and I forget and run my hands through my hair. Plop..

I don't have that kind of problem... No hair on the top and not much on the sides either. If I were to put my glasses on top of my head they'd just fall down on my nose again. Besides, how can they help you see if they are perched on top or is it some kind of fashion statement? I'm not bother by fashion either.

At the rate of speed I travel over the water, they're never going to get blown off either.

[Rattlesnake Guy]

Is a dive tank weighted? Or are the tank walls just that heavy> I was surprised to hear you say it sank.

[DickR]

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Guy

Is a dive tank weighted? Or are the tank walls just that heavy> I was surprised to hear you say it sank.

The weight of air compressed into a dive tank is not negligible. As noted in this reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diving_cylinder

as a tank goes from full to empty, the tank goes from negative to positive buoyancy. See "Weight of Gas Consumed," a table about 2/3 the way down that piece.

[Winnipesaukee Divers]

Of course it sank... it's steel. Well, at least mine are, there are two types of tanks; steel and aluminum. One of the main aspects of diving is to stay on the bottom. If you float and your rubber suit & other gear floats and your tank floated too, you'd need a awful lot of lead ballast to keep you down there. The greater difference between the items that float and the ballast the harder and more fatiguing the dive will be. With a weight belt you become sway-back, as your gear pulls you up and the belt pulls you down.

As a professional diver, I need to stay focused on the task at hand. So, I can't be thinking about my gear, it simply has to work together. My tanks are steel which weigh 50 lbs. full and about 30 lbs empty, contain 120 cubic feet of air (in the water they are 9 lbs. negatively buoyant and go to about 3lbs at the end ). The rest of my gear is all negatively buoyant and my suit is a special grade of neoprene with a tritium lining (high insulation factor, low buoyancy). An aluminum tank on the other hand, becomes positively buoyant near the end of the dive and would become very distractive.

Once you put a few thousand dives under your belt, you become one with your equipment and the environment. Your equipment gives you subtle little reminders on how much air is remaining or when something is wrong. All new divers are over concerned with two things: how much air they are consuming and how much weight they require and therefore become nervous and retain air in their bodies make it even harder stay down. For me I purposely over weight myself (I need to stay put on the bottom) and I could care less how much air I consume, there's always more.

For you divers out there; I use steel 80s, 100s, 120s & 135s, 18 lbs of lead shot in a integrated BC and a BARE extreme suit. I also carry enough tools, shackles and bailing wire to get any job done. Oh and of course, I never leave home without my "PADI" dive tool (if you don't know what that is, you'll just have to take lessons to find out).

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by Winnipesaukee Divers

Of course it sank... it's steel.

Aircraft carriers are made of steel, just sayin'...

[jrc]

Use this logical method to see if something will float:

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrzMhU_4m-g

[RLW]

Originally Posted by Grant

If I had a dollar for every anchor we see diving, I'd have enough for that fancy drysuit...

Collect them as scrap metal is worth enough now to get you your nice fancy dry suit.

[jrc]

Well went by today and the float (gatoraide bottle) was gone, either the bottle came loose or someone took the anchor.