Anchoring; Crossing Waves - Yamaha EXCITER Owner's/Operator's Manual

3
O
PERATION

ANCHORING

WARNING
Always anchor from the bow.
Anchoring from the stern will make
the boat unsteady. A strong current
can pull a stern-anchored boat
underwater.
Select an anchor appropriate for your
boat and water conditions. A "danforth"
(or fluke) type anchor is suitable for
most applications; your dealer can help
you choose an anchor.
1) Make sure the anchor line is secure-
ly tied to the anchor and to the bow
eye.
2) Move the boat to the spot where you
want to lower the anchor, heading
the boat into the wind or current.
Stop the boat, then lower the anchor
until it hits bottom.
3) While keeping tension on the line,
slowly back up the boat until you
have let out line that is 4 to 6 times
the depth of the water. For example,
if you are anchoring in 10 feet of
water, let out 40 to 60 feet of line.
ecure the line.
4) Pull on the line to be sure the anchor
is holding. Also, periodically check
your boat's position against the
shoreline to make sure it is not drift-
ing and dragging the anchor. Reset it
if necessary.
5) To pull in ("weigh") the anchor, start
________________
the engines and move forward, keep-
ing tension on the line as you pull it
in. When the anchor line is straight
up and down, pull hard to lift the
anchor from the bottom material.
6) If the anchor is stuck on the bottom,
try this: Let out a few feet of anchor
line and secure the line to the boat
again. Slowly maneuver the boat
around the anchor until the anchor
pulls loose. Keep the line taut during
this procedure.

CROSSING WAVES

You won't always have flat, smooth
water. There will be waves, wakes from
other boats, etc.
The best way to cross waves or wakes
is with the least "jolt" to you and the
boat. Small waves are not as difficult to
cross as larger waves. Crossing a
sharp wave gives more of a jolt than a
broad wave.
To cross a wave, change your speed
and the angle that you cross the wave.
Usually, a slower speed and "quarter-
ing" the wave at an angle will reduce
the "jolt."
Two other things you may notice: first is
that crossing a group of waves is not as
easy or smooth as crossing just one
wave; second, when you "quarter" the
wave the boat will try to steer away
from the wave. When crossing at a 45°
angle, you may not notice this, but at a
smaller angle of about 10° it can be
very strong. Be prepared to steer as
necessary.
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