Just a 'Wishing and hoping and thinking and praying'

We are anchored out just above that green point
at the top left of the photo

Yesterday we reached our 72 hour limit on the West Linn public dock. Normally this is not too much of an issue (after all, about 10 boats have been downtown for 5+ months on the Portland public docks). But as this dock gets LOTS of use, some of which actually involves boating during these nice sunny days, the local Sheriff keeps a sharp eye on things. So yesterday we moved off the dock and anchored out. This was the 3rd time we anchored overnight using the new Spade.

The Locks at Willamette Falls were closed yesterday and today, so this means we anchored out above the falls. As in about 1/2 mile ABOVE the falls!!! They say Experience builds confidence, and though Viking Star's ground tackle is way overkill for our boat, we have not gotten to a high level of experience- induced confidence.

As a result, I did not get to sleep till about 3am, and was constantly on the lookout for an unexpected Bump or Jerk. Am happy to say Viking Star did not make the trip over the falls, the hard way. Instead she stayed at anchor just as she always does - making a small circle around a point in the water where the anchor chain drops straight down to the bottom. (note: This is normal, and is because of the weight of the anchor chain. We put out about a 5:1 scope and set the anchor well. But when we take the power off the boat, all the chain in the water will just drop down to the bottom of the river, pulling Viking Star forward a bit until the chain remaining just goes straight down. Only if a STRONG wind or current pulls on the boat will we begin to lift the chain off the bottom of the river and start to see a slope back in the anchor chain.)

They say one never loses sleep over having too large an anchor. Our 66lb Spade combined with 400' of 3/8"HT chain sure is stable, and I am sure I will sleep better as time goes on. But for last night, it was 'Wishing and Hoping and thinking and praying...'