WEsail · video

What this video covers

Anchoring in the coral-heavy lagoons of Makemo, French Polynesia, requires floating the anchor chain to prevent damage to the reef.4:36 To execute this, the crew drops the anchor in a clear sand patch and attaches floats to the chain using carabiners as it is deployed.14:47 The first float must be positioned at a distance of at least 1.5 times the water depth from the anchor to ensure the chain maintains a lateral pull on the seabed rather than an upward lift.13:19 For half-inch chain, floats spaced 10 to 15 feet apart provide sufficient lift.13:40 If a suitable sand patch is difficult to locate from the deck, one person can swim to the bottom to mark a clear spot with a weighted dive float, allowing the helmsman to drop the anchor precisely on that target.17:37 The crew uses OpenCPN to plot courses through the atoll, navigating around scattered coral bommies.8:48

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