Hello everyone ,
Well as I reported last entry that last trip out that I had forgotten at one stage that i was actually anchored for a change and I had driven off and unbeknownst to me that I had run over my anchor rope and accidentally cut my anchor and chain off in the drink and I left it as an unfortunate donation to King Neptune .

It left just left me winding up an empty rope and I was just left with a frazzled end of the old anchor rope and nothing else .

Bugger

On the bright side
It could have been a lot worse  if I were sitting on a short rope and the chain would then wrap around the prop  instead and not be good either.

At home Ben and I did a little bit of research into the whole deal,
Ouch,  
its all expensive

The anchor that I had alone was over $300

So ,
I’m sometimes a lucky boy and i’m actually recycling a few bits and pieces.
I was given a five kilo Sarka anchor from Coll ,
Out of the shed to try ,
Blackie has managed to scrounge me up a salvaged seven meter length of eight mm short link stainless chain and a swivel.

So that’s perfect .
I brought a few new D shackles and  a few long D shackles , all stainless steel of course.

When i actually fit the anchor we will locktite the shackle pins and safety wire them as s precautionary measure.

On  first inspection of the rope that i want to join to a new chain end ,
it was just a little frayed on the working  end but the rope itself was still in quite serviceable condition.

I cut off the fuzzy bit off and then I watched a video on how to splice the old polyester braided rope .

Its a complicated method thats needed and I also needed a specialist tool  , called a fid to tackle the job .
A fid is a pointy spreading type of hand tool used mainly in the aid  of splicing  heavy rope and opening gaps needed when there is none.
I don’t own a fid .

So i made an executive decision on the join and I chose a suitable knot  called the anchor knot and it would be used to attach a stainless steel
D shackle to the anchor rope ,
but  first i remembered and i slid on a few pieces of heatshink onto the to the  far end of the anchor rope .

Then  I tied the knot around a shackle ,
and I snugged it down pretyhard .
I then whipped the tag end of the rope  together onto the mainline with twine to tidy it all up and on the tip of the rope i put silicone on the end to stick it together.

The video stops short of me finishing the whipping and pulling it into its self backwards.
It all seemed in the end pretty neat and tidy .
Use will tell the story.

Then over the binding goes a few layers of heat shrink ,
Crank up my heat gun
On goes the seal and she is good as new .

Just attach
Chain ,
swivel and Anchor.

I have got a roll of chain  sock  cover somewhere in the shed ,
but i cant at this point find it .
I guarantee you that if i buy a new roll and fit it on and cut it ,

My old one will magically appear.

So it will be interesting for me seeing how the Sarca anchor stacks up against the mud magnet 3

The mud magnet picked me straight in 99.5 % of the time .

I believe that the Sarca will do  exactly the same .
I have sort of an affinity with the Sarca anchor as I met the man who invented them .
He was a regular camper at Shallow Inlet.
Des and Aileen Biggs had a camp there also and they were friends.

While his Sarka anchor was actually in  field testing some if the local boys  at the camp had them fitted on their boats ,
this was before the distinct half circle  hoop was added on the top
Of them and the Sarca anchor was born .

It is a brilliant Australian idea tested and developed and marketed right here in Australia,
and I’m sorry everyone I only spoke to him once and I don’t remember his name ,

I do have a system when I anchor to pull out the key and  hang it on  a hook.
But i must have forgot.

So
The fun bit of all this is that I will be finally actually testing  his anchor out .

While having some fun and out chasing the 
King  George whiting.

Cheers xxx
Curlyg