Three Things I Learned from Anchoring, Over and Over 

I looked up as I caught a sight of a beautiful American bald eagle circling in the sky above me. That’s one of the things I love about sailing—a boat can take you to an open space, which then provides prime viewing opportunities of the Chesapeake Bay wildlife. I kept watching the eagle only to be woken from this tranquil moment by my boyfriend, Captain Jordan Snyder, as he called my name. As crew on his boat, Pearson 31, I happened to not be paying attention as we were anchoring our boat in Harness Creek off the Chesapeake Bay… Being inattentive was not a good start to our weekend away.

Harness Creek is a lovely place to anchor; it’s quite popular with the locals. Yet, it’s also known to be a tricky place to anchor. Not sure what it is about the bottom, but on this particular day we had to re-anchor our boat five times! That surely put a delay on our lunch plans. Combined with the insecure bottom and strong winds, the anchor would drag almost immediately, and we had to pay close attention to securing our boat for the evening. What have I learned from this experience? 

First, be quick. Anchor dragging, it turns out, can happen quickly. As our boat got dangerously close to the creek’s shallow edges, I could almost touch the branches with my hands. The wind was blowing strong; the current was intense. I stopped admiring the eagle, gripped the wheel, and increased the gas on the engine. Situational awareness is crucial in these moments—act quickly while tending to our quickly changing aspects related to the water and wind. 

Second, take your time. Does this sound contradictory to my first statement? While I was acting quickly to get the boat into the middle of the creek and away from the dangerous shallows, I also had to internally slow down to be able to make the right decisions. This is the exciting challenge of sailing: it can be a series of speedy actions that require a deep understanding of what needs to be done. 

Third, feel the boat. The best lesson from this is that I got to feel the boat in my own body. It’s empowering to hold the wheel and to navigate the boat through waters. I love the moments when I feel the boat turning, the boat backing, the boat cooperating or fighting with the wind. I believe this is essential to being good crew: to consider the boat one’s body extension. 

Anchoring and this particular experience are now nestled deeply in my mind and body. It only makes me love sailing more. Harness Creek treated us to both adventure and the loveliest of sunsets that day. My eagle returned later when Jordan and I sipped hot chocolate and relaxed with the anchor confidently set. I admired the eagle’s graceful exploration of the sky and cannot wait for future sailing adventures with my newfound experiences.

The author’s boyfriend, Capt. Jordan, owns a Pearson 31 and is a member of the Pearson Sailing Association. 

by Martina Sestakova