Island Times Blog

Ahoy! My name is Dylan. As a staff member, one of my favorite duties during the summer is to set the anchor after a long sail. It’s both refreshing and fun! When we arrive at a new location on one of the islands, it becomes a team effort to get the boat anchored in the sand properly.

The captain remains at the helm to steer the boat and a team of two campers tends the dinghies at the back the boat to make sure no lines get into the propellers.  Then another team of campers man the controls to raise and lower the anchor.  But there is one other important position to be filled while anchoring and that’s the person who is actually setting the anchor!  They have to don their snorkel gear, hop off the bow of the boat, find a bare, sandy area, guide the captain to that spot, watch the anchor go down and hit the bottom, and then swim down and shove the anchor into the sand as the captain puts the boat in reverse which drives the anchor deep into the sand to be sure that it doesn’t move over night.  I know that sounds like a lot, but it’s very important.  If the anchor is not dropped in the right location and instead on coral or seagrass, it could rip through and destroy a ton of marine life and devastate local populations!  That is why the anchor setter must swim down to ensure that the anchor gets set deep into the sand.  Plus it’s just a ton of fun!!!  I rarely get to do anything like this so I’m looking forward to doing it again this summer too.  I can’t wait!