We left the Westport Marina after lunch on Tuesday June 30 heading for a marina in Essex, NY. It was somewhat rainy and as we got closer to Essex, we decided that rather than stay at another marina, we would anchor in nearby Converse Bay which was a highly recommended anchorage.
Upon arriving in Converse Bay, we tried to set our anchor three times at the spot that was recommended. But the anchor wouldn’t hold and each time Jonny pulled it up it was covered with weeds the size of a Christmas tree! So we moved to another part of the bay and dropped our hook there. It seemed like it was going to hold but to be on the safe side, Jonny asked Lynn to put the engine in reverse and rev the motor to a high level of RPMs . All of a sudden we heard a loud POP!. The line and chain that that held the anchor broke with a bang. Our new anchor was now lying at the bottom of the bay 20 feet deep along with 75 feet of chain!
Shocked, we hit the man overboard button on the GPS to mark the spot and headed back to Essex, this time to stay at the marina there. Actually, there were two marinas in Essex. Lynn called the one that had slightly better reviews but they told us their docks were underwater due to all the rain and advised us to go to the other marina which we did. They kindly accommodated us while we tried to figure out our next steps. These included a decision to see if we could find a diver to retrieve the anchor and chain. After making a few phone calls, we needed a drink and went to the one local (and quite good) restaurant in town to recover.
Our plan evolved over the next few hours which takes us back to Chip at Chipman’s Point Marina. Chip is also a diver and he agreed to dive for the anchor but couldn’t do it until Sunday or Monday. We were also able to order our new chain through him. Jonny had been wanting to transition to all chain for the anchor but hadn’t done so yet. This was all it took to convince him to do so. We are particularly concerned to have chain as we travel through the deep waters of the St. Lawrence Seaway where we’ll be in many more remote areas with fewer services than we have in the states.
So we finalized our plans for the next few days which included heading up to Burlington, VT to see that great town, visit an old friend of Lynn’s and get Jonny in for a couple of doctor’s appointments.
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