Three Boat Flotilla, 1 Mantus Anchor, and 30 Knots of wind

Three boats, One Mantus

Yesterday, we had a couple friends come into the cove to visit.  The conditions were calm, so our friends rafted up to Banjo creating a cool three boat flotilla to spend a nice Saturday night.  Around 04:30 this morning, we awoke to significant wind gusts only to remember that we were the only boat anchored of the three.  The wind gusts were in the low-mid 30-knot range.  We found ourselves in the situation of a three boat flotilla all sharing one Mantus anchor. The specifics of the three boats were…

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Fiery Sunset Video at Anchor

Fiery Sunset

Last night provided an amazing fiery sunset video at anchor.  In fact, it was one of the most captivating I have seen since we brought Banjo to New Bern.  Having made it through Hurricane Florence, I held a deep sense of gratitude.  Sitting on deck, the horizon was brilliant as if the anchorage sky was on fire.  Wanted to share the entire sequence.  It seemed as if the moment I turned my attention away, it changed again and again.  The sky kept sneaking up on me in completely different ways.…

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Fiery Sunset at Anchor

Fiery Sunset

Last night provided an amazing fiery sunset at anchor.  In fact, it was one of the most captivating I have seen since we brought Banjo to New Bern.  Having made it through Hurricane Florence, I held a deep sense of gratitude.  Sitting on deck, the horizon was brilliant as if the anchorage sky was on fire.  Wanted to share the entire sequence.  It seemed as if the moment I turned my attention away, it changed again and again.  The sky kept sneaking up on me in completely different ways. After…

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Mantus Anchor Bridle with Chain Hook

New Equipment: Mantus Anchor Bridle with Chain Hook Back in January, we upgraded our anchor gypsy, chain and anchor.  We opted to go with an 85-lb galvanized Mantus Anchor, upgraded to 3/8″ Galvanized G-43 High-Test Chain from Defender, and the more beefy 3/8″ Chain-Wheel from Maxwell Marine.  After doing our boat inventory, we noticed that we could also really use an additional piece of equipment to assist us with anchoring and mooring.  That other piece of gear was on our wishlist for a number of months and we finally decided…

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Assembling and Installing Our New Mantus Anchor

Shawn and Our New Mantus Anchor installed on SV Banjo

Assembly and Installation of Our New Mantus Anchor A week ago, Shannon and I upgraded our anchor chain from 5/16″ G-43 High-Test to 3/8″ G-43 High-Test.  We also upgraded our windlass gypsy to the correct size for the new chain.  The only thing left was the anchor, and our ground tackle would be in great shape. It is finally the weekend and we have been eager all week to get our new Mantus Anchor, created and produced by Mantus Marine, assembled and installed aboard Banjo. We opted to purchase the…

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A Lazy Sunday, Some Rust, A Birthday and a couple Full Bellies

Boat Life Update for SV Banjo Thank you for reading this boat life update for Oct 22, 2017. Birthday Thanks Thanks to everyone who called, texted or messaged birthday wishes today.  Each one of you got a big smile! First Time Out with No Crew Shannon fed me a couple boat drinks last night and we both laughed till it was late and we were exhausted.  Our original plan was to anchor out of the marina last night but we ended up changing those plans late yesterday afternoon.  We did,…

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