Distant Shores TVvideo
Beaching a Southerly 420
14 August 2009 · 2 min · 140K views · Crooked Island and Acklins
What this video covers
Paul Shard and Sheryl Shard navigate the shallow waters of the Crooked Acklands group in The Bahamas using a Southerly 420, a vessel with a variable-draft keel that allows for beaching in as little as one foot of water.0:12 Because the region features narrow channels with rocky, coral-strewn bottoms and strong currents, traditional anchoring is often impractical.1:15 The crew identifies a sandy shelf along a channel edge to beach the boat at medium tide.1:26 They deploy a stern anchor in clear water before gently grounding the hull at two knots.1:32 Once beached, they lower the keel into the sand for stability and deploy a Delta anchor from the bow to secure the vessel as the tide rises.1:44 This technique enables access to secluded, shallow-water anchorages inaccessible to standard cruising boats.0:41 Variable-draft keels significantly expand cruising range in shallow, sandy regions by allowing boats to safely dry out during low tide.0:21
Boats in this video
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