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bow and stern anchoring

IT’S OUR FIRST TIME – THE “FUN” OF BOW AND STERN ANCHORING

There’s nothing like doing it for the first time, especially with an audience. The sweat stains on our brows and under arms were growing with the anticipation.

We had managed to get ourselves into this bow and stern anchorage “like an old salt” (so we were told).  But could we get ourselves out with the same facade?

We knew that sailing into Hiva Oa, in the Marquesas, we’d be met with this new challenge of bow and stern anchoring.  Active Captain and Noonsite.com both had fellow sailors sharing their cautionary tales and tips.  That’s cool we thought, it wouldn’t be an adventure if we weren’t trying something new.

So, a tight anchorage, a restriction zone and constant swell schools us in setting up and breaking down our stern anchor.

But wait!

Don’t go clicking that play button just yet.  We have a favor to ask.

We’ve been working hard behind the scenes (and digital screens) on some features you’ve requested. You’ll notice a couple of them in this video. A short video intro and location map for starters. Let us know what you think!

Ok, without further ado…

In the end, not so bad!  We were super happy we had done some research on the subject before taking off on the passage. (Thank you internet and fellow sailors for sharing your tips!)  The trip line really makes all the difference in the world.

We watched one boat really struggling to get their stern anchor set.  So, they decided to pick up and try another spot.  They didn’t have a trip line so the skipper had to jump in, dive down and retrieve his anchor by hand.  He was pooped by the end.  Feeling over it, they decided that dealing with the swell was better than a stern anchor…so they dropped the hook on the outside and suffered through the rolling waves.

For us, we had the trip line and we still didn’t want to go through the whole process again…so we could totally sympathize.  At first it didn’t seem that bad on the “outside”.  But considering we just spent 24 days at sea, we weren’t keen on feeling like we were out to sea, while at anchor.

Having to move in and out of the anchorage was forced practice, so in the end, it was a good thing.  Next time we have to drop it from the front and the back, we’ll be much better prepared (or so we hope). ?

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Hello there! I honestly don’t know what to say, so I am going to tell you a bunch of random facts instead. I'm a fish eating vegetarian who hates spiders and loves snakes. I almost never took vacations growing up. I wanted to be Pippi Longstocking (still do). I misspell about every other word I write and still struggle with grammar. I love splurging on a good high tea (which is really hard to find these days). And whatever you do, don’t tell me I can’t do something, because then I'll HAVE to do it!

Comments (61)

  • SV Kestrel

    Hi from the “Q” anchorage in Grenada. Our west about stopped cold. Hopefully we can pick back up in Feb. To pass time we’re planning ahead. I vaguely recall seeing you using floats to raise your chain above bommies. Am I correct and can you point me to the episode? The anchorage here is thin sand over coral pan. The noise is slow torture at night. Best, SV Kestrel

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  • Tracy H

    The most awesome photography. Love the new intro. I’m behind in my viewing, so catching up now. Great job.

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  • Joyce

    Congrats on making it! I’ve been following you guys for a few years, and just gotta say you guys rock! Love the new features. Hang in there and have fun!

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  • Bruce McCaskey

    I’ll join with others in suggesting that the new intro is interesting, but feels too rushed. “Punchy” doesn’t seem a good fit for the introduction as that isn’t really consistent with the typically even-paced and friendly flow of your videos. Enjoying the story…

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  • Adrian

    Hi Nikki and Jason .
    Great videos , thank you .

    Just one sugestion , please get rid of those swivels on your anchors . They are very dangerous and should not be used . SS can stress crack , they are probably made of 316 which should not be used in salt warm water .
    I have seen so many suddenly snap . A friend nearly lost his 55 ft boat in Gibraltar.
    I had Lewmar swivels just shear off mid Atlantic, no fun .
    No matter who makes them , they are not to be trusted .
    Just use two large galv shackles, with the largest pin to go through the chain.

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  • Jane Ashman

    Have followed almost from first post…so funny the Going RV intros usually feature both of you as if you will be buying your first RV…videos are getting so professional and topics more and more interesting! Thanks for letting us come along! We used your posts to chose a lot of places to visit in our Fifth Wheel! But I draw the line on sailing…I get very seasick! So I will sail vicariously with you both! Enjoy your adventure and thanks again for letting me come along!

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  • Barbara Heine

    Love the new look, especially with kitty input! You two are doing great on your new adventure! Since we are RV folks, we get the pleasure of seeing the ocean thru your eyes. Thanks so much for sharing with us.

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    • Barbara,
      Thanks for sticking with us on the open seas. We loved our land travels and I know we’ll return one day…but for now there’s a lot of this amazing world to discover 🙂

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  • Terry Doudican

    Love watching your adventures! Your videos are professional quality. Intro was fun. Some pics were almost too fast for me! Keep up the great work!!

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    • We’re not fans of long, repetitive intros when watching TV or YT…so we tried to keep it short and sweet. Thanks for the kind note.

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  • Love the video! Especially the music! It’s driving me nuts that I can’t figure it out LOL Song title? Artist? and Love the graphics and kitty!

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    • I’ve just signed up for a new music service and so far I’m loving it. Putting video together with vocals can be more challenging but I’m enjoying the fresh feel of it. Here’s a link to the music service:
      ? AWESOME tunes for vids: http://bit.ly/artlist-gwtw

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  • Anita

    Great new intro and liked the deeper explanation of the stern anchor. That doesn’t sound like much fun. Hope you aren’t having to move that every day. I think someone asked this on the replies in the land video, but did either of you suffer from land sickness when you stepped off the boat? I would have been a stumbling drunk. It’s worst for me than sea sickness.

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    • We experienced land sickness after our first sail on a catamaran, it was horrible…especially when we took a shower to wash off the salt and closed our eyes. Geeze, I almost fell over in the shower! Here’s that story: https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/crewing-catamaran-success-failure

      Surprisingly we didn’t feel land sick at all when we first touched land in the Marquesas. BUT the couple miles, and few hundred feet of elevation gain, it took to get to town was quite the post passage workout. Ha!

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  • Martine Felts

    I love, love, love the new start of your videos. The map is pretty cool also.
    WOW What a beautiful spot. Well worth the 23 days I bet. Can’t wait to see more. ?????????

    reply
    • 24 and 1/2 days…not that I was counting 🙂
      And yes, now our home is parked in this little paradise and we have to pinch ourselves most days to make sure we’re not dreaming.

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  • George

    It’s such a joy to close off the rest of the world, if just for a few moments, and enjoy life with you. This is such a difficult time for the United States’ emotional health and you are a breath of fresh air! I liked the intro but not necessary for avid followers. The quality of your work is great.

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    • We’re not huge fans of intros either, that’s why we kept it short and we plan to update it as we travel. Thanks for the kind words and feedback.

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  • Roger B

    My cat was sleeping on my lap when your cat was erasing your beautiful art work and when your cat was meowing my cat quickly got up and looked around to locate the where the strange cat meow was coming from. Thanks for the great drone shots again.

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    • It’s funny how some cats react to the TV. We have some viewers that send photos of their cats pawing at the TV when Singa or Cleo is in the video.

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      • Roger B

        That’s funny. Our cat loves to watch animal footage on TV.

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  • Rick Peterson

    Excellent video… definitely keep the extras… (you could even change it from time to time for variety)…loved the map location and sound effect. Enjoyed seeing who was “really” behind the anchoring animation … well done!
    The drone shots are Always appreciated.

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    • Great minds think alike! We want to keep our intro fresh by swapping the clips and music monthly or possibly more often.
      We have lots more fun additions planned for the future.

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  • Diane

    Your enthusiasm, beauty and courage shines no matter what form it comes in. Thanks for the cartoon, too…from an 80 year old armchair traveller.

    reply
    • We welcome all sailors…even the armchair type 🙂 Receiving your comments means so much to us. Thanks for following the adventure.

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  • EDWARD KIRSTEIN

    Let the stern anchor line go with a float. Retrieve the main anchor, then use the big boat to retrieve the stern anchor. If there is swell, the motion of the boat will free the stuck anchor each time it lifts in the swell.

    reply
      • EDWARD KIRSTEIN

        We lived aboard Laika, a Pacific Seacraft Mariah back in the ’90s. 5 years in the Caribbean and another 5 years in the States on a 35 foot trawler. We then moved to the mountains of upstate NY and last year, built a home in Raleigh, NC. Done 2 cross country drives. Keep safe. I love seeing you guys wearing your life vests at sea.

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  • Joan H.

    Loved the new video, the intro was great and the graphics with the cat was fun. Can’t figure out how you did that, but loved it.

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  • Brenda Jones-Schneeberg

    Loved the intro. Pictures too fast for me. Would have liked to see Jason with the mud on him.

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  • Lynda

    You CAN do this! Whenever I hear this tune, I think of you: French kissing life square in the mouth, Sailing out on the sea – Kenny Chesney, patron saint of sailors

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  • Kathy

    Fabulous presentation, great music, funny and informative. Very well done!

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  • mary vancompernolle

    That was fun! It’s not even Sunday!
    Love the animation! I bet that was a lot of work making that happen. I guess Singa has his own mind of how things should be done.

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  • Wow, this is such a cool and funny video. I also liked the intro. The shot of Singa makes him look a little angry, but he is such a fun cat. I also liked the map feature, so I would keep these new features if you like them. The best part for me was the paper cut out illustration with the cat paws. Very funny. This was such a great video because it was so well done, informative, educational even, and yet beatiful and funny. YOU ARE SUCH GREAT INSPIRATIONS TO US ALL!!

    Thank you.

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  • Yvan Dion

    Love the intro and hand-drawn pics – made me laugh quite a bit!
    I’m not a sailor but a scuba diver and given the images you guys shot, wow, I can only guess at what it looks like underwater (heard a lot about the place but never been there).
    Thanks for sharing your adventures – it’s like proxy living !

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  • Margo

    We have just returned from our RV Alaska travels and now I have just binged watched in the last week all of your sailing videos. (no housework has been done) Seeing the new intro was awesome. I noticed so many improvements on each video you do. Funny how we just did Alaska and in a little more than 100 days we head to Papeete to begin our 12 day cruise of French Polynesia and Marquesas Islands. Maybe we will see you if you are still sailing in the area.
    I also noticed the books listed. They are all “First Time” books so I think they may have been linked to the title of your blog.
    LOVE your adventure and zest for life – I actually stole a quote from you (but have given you the credit) “It doesn’t matter how you go out and explore the world, it just matters that you do. Because Life Is An Adventure!”

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  • What an accomplishment all those days at sea and finally land we can feel your excitement and loved the welcoming committee? Congratulations and happy to see @ugowear sharing a beer with you on LAND????

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  • Boyd Smith

    I like the new intro. Every day is a new adventure.

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  • Louise P

    Loved the extra video…and the new features…intro…map of where you are…and paper explaination of what you were doing. Love your adventures….and look forward to your Sunday vids…

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  • Douglas Gandy

    PS – I think your title ” FIRST TIME ” was the trip that caused the soft porn infiltration – we won’t make a big deal about it. You guys are doin great

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  • Douglas Gandy

    Never sailed – just power. My question on anchoring – Why not just release the stern – pull up the bow anchor as normal – then move back to stern anchor marker buoy and retrieve with power winch?

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    • Curious Minion

      Hey Douglas. Nikki answered this on YouTube so I can repeat the answer. That would have made things a lot easier, but they were in tight quarters with 2 other boats very close, they had a big swell, and cantankerous wind to boot. Using Minion to pull the stern anchor first seemed like the safest thing to do.

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  • Roger

    Really like the new features on your video. You guys are living my dream…..

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  • Alan Solomon

    I always like your videos.
    Thanks again,
    Looking forward to Sunday.
    Safe & sound…

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  • Tanya Robinson

    Absolutely love love ❤️ the map showing where you are. I’m a map lover!

    Look forward to more videos! I went thru withdrawals while you were doing the passage.

    Give the kitties kisses from me!

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  • Eldon Arkinstall

    Thanks for the hand drawn pics on stern anchoring, they’re fun and cool. I like the intro just fine, it lets us know who you and your pets are, as if I didn’t know by now! it’s also not too long and is fun. You ask us to like the video, but when I click the link on this page, there’s nowhere to LIKE the video, on this page. Perhaps my eeys are crossed? When I go to Youtube to watch the video, I can like it there. That makes it only a partial bummer. What a fine job you’re doing!

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    • Eldon Arkinstall

      Some pretty strange books for sale in your “shop related products.” I’m all for lesbian activity if that’s what turns someone’s crank, but these titles are soft porn. I’m pretty sure that’s not you guys. That 3rd party monetization can get pretty weird.

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  • You guys are so cool and so fun and entertaining. I think I figured out at some point — while binge watching every one of your sailing videos from the very first — that I am truly a super fan of the Wynns. To me, the Wynns represent living a full cup of life (or, in other words, living an adventurous life with a full cup, mug, and glass). 😉

    Me thoughts, as requested…. Although well done, not sure if you need the intro. The outro is fun. The map is grrrreat. Furry monster of the ocean deep is dreadfully cute. And thank you guys for sharing.

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  • John Vivar

    Great! Love it!

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  • Luke

    Loved it! Your video productions are really very good, and love the scenery!

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  • Ken Call

    Love the new intro. Just wish there was about one more second added to each screen shot. Also like the new map showing where you are. I like that a lot. Keep up the great videos.

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  • Keith M. Vauquelin

    Awesome, and funny. Always great to hear from you! Editing is really well done!

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  • Andi O’Neill

    That was great! Thanks for a fun bonus video! Loved the intro.

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  • Pat

    Looks like someone must of sabotaged your list of books….

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  • Pam McClure

    Ooooo an extra. Love it. Loved the diagram as I had no idea what a stern anchor was. Now I get it. I’m not a fan of fast pics that fly by. Maybe because my brain isn’t working a warp speed. And oh…ah…French Polynesia.

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  • Pat

    Good job,, liked th introduction..

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  • JOHN SCHRETLEN

    That was a fun little video.

    Only one comment: below the “wanna show some love?” section is a “shop related products” section. Do you have any input as to what is in that “shop related products” section?

    Why I ask is that right now there are eight books listed. The first is “Creative Anchoring”, which is definitely related to your video, but the next several are not. Not even close.

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