Cap’n Fatty Goodlander has just released his 10th marine book. It is now ‘live’ in both print and Kindle editions. It is entitled Creative Anchoring: Everything a Cruising Sailor needs to know about Anchoring, Anchor Gear & Related Skills. The print edition is 365 pages long, extensively indexed, has an in-depth table of contents, over 40 illustrations, and more than 50 photographs. While the primary focus of the book is anchoring recreational sailing craft under a wide variety of cruising conditions—it takes a much deeper, broader view of anchoring.
“I feel passionate about anchoring,” says Fatty Goodlander. “That’s why I wrote this book. Anchoring is the bedrock skill of the cruising sailor. If you can’t anchor safely, you shouldn’t leave the dock. But the problem is that anchoring seems so deceptively easy: you toss the hook, let out some rode, and you’re done! Only you aren’t. You might not even be anchored. And you may wake up smashing into another vessel, a seawall, or on the beach.”
The basic premise of the book is that every sailor should understand anchoring as well as he or she does sailing and cruising.
“Sure, we think of anchoring as staying-put,” says Goodlander, “but that’s only part of it. To me anchoring is an economic issue as well—and a freedom issue, ecological issue, legal issue, and a moral issue. No sailor can be a good neighbor if he can’t anchor well. I’m on my 55th year of living aboard on my own anchors. I don’t like marinas. Nor do I want to trust someone else’s iffy mooring gear. I want to bet my life and my wife’s life on my gear—which I know is strong and true. To survive year-after-year on my own hooks, I need to have the proper gear properly deployed. That’s what this book is all about.”
Topics include anchors and anchoring, rodes, etc.—but also heaving-to, choosing a harbor, anchor alarms, depth alarms, windlasses, and a ton of info on anchor chain. Plus—why is an anchor kellet useless to increase your holding power in a blow but sometimes a very valuable thing to deploy? Why is tandem anchoring and sitting to two anchors totally different? What about making floating rodes sink or making sinking rodes float? How can your average cruising vessel effectively anchor in 200 feet of water? Why can hoisting a sail help prevent dragging. How to use anchors in docking, moving, and as kedges. How and why to deploy anchor pods when your vessel is in six inches of water. Sterning-to and other sad tales. Picking up a mooring. Retrieving a stuck anchor. Anchor watch—why and when. What’s the good news about being dragged into and having your vessel damaged? Why carry a chain release hook? Why 95% of yachtsmen are wrong about chain. Why to be cautious re-galvanizing chain—especially HT or G7. How to precisely place your boat within feet or inches. Why under certain rare condition, less scope can help.
Snubbers. DIY moorings. Free anchors. Cheap rodes. Welding cables, really? Bow rollers. Flopper Stoppers. Installing and trouble-shooting a windlass on a balsa-cored deck. And more!
“This book took me a year to write. I’m proud of it. It contains everything I’ve learned during my numerous circumnavigations, about the art and science of anchoring. There’s something for everyone, from a greenhorn to a Cape Horner. And it will save you thousands of dollars while having more fun, more convenience, more ventilation, more lifestyle options, and more personal freedom—in a safe, seamanlike manner.”
Download a copy now: Creative Anchoring: Everything a Cruising Sailor needs to know about Anchoring, Anchor Gear & Related Skills
Creative Anchor is available worldwide through For more info, see www.fattygoodlander.com or facebook.com/capnfatty.