I have to give kudos to Sail magazine. At one point a few years back, I stopped reading it because - frankly - the writing wasn't very good. Lots of fluff and very little useful information. On a recent business trip, I picked up a copy and WOW - what a turnaround. The current format has actionable knowledge and is engaging throughout for novices to experts alike. I also like that they utilize the web in a smart manner to complement the print medium... Unfortunately, they do not archive these articles on their website though. If so, I could link to the article below.

In the June issue, there was a great article by Stacey Collins, who along with her husband, daughter (and cat!), are cruising the Caribbean.

The article talks about how easy it can be to rig a spring line to the anchor rode to effectively change your angle of attack to rolling swells while at anchor. This (in addition to using sedging techniques) is a very useful tool in the anchoring bag of tricks - particularly in desirable anchorages in the Windwards that can be exposed at different times of the year.

For example, we rocked and rolled (as we expected) while anchored off of Mustique one night. In April, the current runs north to south but the swells roll in from the northwest at about a 30 degree angle to the bow of the boat. Had we used this technique, it would have dramtically reduced the rolling which at one point had us seriously considering a trip ashore to grab a room at the Firefly.

Tags: sailing, anchoring, bareboat+charter, yacht+charter, firefly+mustique