Anchor

The hook that holds the boat to the bottom, always deployed from the bow.

An anchor holds by digging in, not by weight, which is why the angle of pull matters more than the lump of metal: pay out rode, let the pull come flat along the bottom, and a small anchor holds a big boat. Set it by backing down gently until the boat stops moving.

Bow only, ever. Anchoring by the stern points the boat's lowest, squarest end into the current and waves, and boats are swamped exactly that way every season.

Scope is what makes an anchor hold: pay out five to seven times the depth so the pull on the anchor stays flat along the bottom.

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Put the words to work

Vocabulary is easier at the helm.

The free South Carolina boater safety course teaches all of this in twelve chapters with a sixty question practice exam, and when you are ready for the water itself, one form gets you rental quotes from local operators.

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