We’ve fouled the anchor on everything from lost hurricane chains, to engine blocks, to coral heads. But this is the first time we’ve hooked a sewer line (unmarked). Since the camera was hand we thought a few shots of the clearing process might be of interest.

A cruiser headed for shore came by to see if they could help. They were kind enough to take a line around the pipe for us, and return it back aboard saving us a swim or dinghy launch.

We initially rigged this from the bow fairlead and around the forward leg of the pulpit. One end went to the Sampson post and the second to the forward deck winch. This failed to provide enough separation between anchor and pipe.

At Sarah’s suggestion we moved the turning points aft. The anchor then was clear when it was dropped. After winching the anchor home the line securing the pipe was cast off.

If we had hooked something like an engine block we would have run the line around the roll bar and capsized the object off the anchor. Perhaps we will be able to demonstrate this one day.