My subleased dock space at the Heather Civic Marina is about to expire so anchor watch is about to begin.

Anchoring is something that I am very serious about...there is a single chain that is attaching your boat to the bottom.   False Creek is a great place to anchor on calm days but during the winter a west wind can rip through the creek at 40 + knots.   It is important where your anchor is placed relative to rocks, docks and the Cambie Street bridge.

During a particularly nasty storm my anchor dragged five times.   The fifth time I brought the anchor up the rope shown below was entangled with Pegasus' anchor.  The rope is a very large diameter nylon rope from some kind of commercial vessel.

This rope at the bottom of the sea would have been fouling other boater's anchors for hundreds of years to come.  Other objects pulled up during the storm included a 12 inch diameter 4 foot long PVC Pipe and sheets of thick industrial plastic.

Everyone seems concerned about the water pollution in False Creek but who has looked at the bottom to see what kinds of garbage / moop resides there. You would be amazed at what you could find. Cleaning up Vancouver, BC harbours should go below the surface of our anchorages for the safety of the environment, for Vancouver boaters, and also for visiting boaters during the 2010 Olympics.

*MOOP stands for Matter Out Of Place  --  Burning Man term

One less piece of MOOP at the bottom of False Creek, Vancouver, BC

MORE MOOP - Update April 14, 2009

After coming in with Pam from our latest great sailing adventure trip to Howe Sound, we found this new type of NON - Biodegradable Matter in Davies Locker.

Our first attempt in the False Creek anchorage was during a small craft warning so I was extra careful where the anchor was placed because I did not want to drag.  After setting the hook, lunch was the next priority.  While I was making Red Snapper wraps, Pam commented that she thought the anchor was dragging.  Upon popping my head out of the entrance way of Pegasus, I realized the boat to the stern was way closer than I was comfortable with.

Pam quickly started up the engine and I began using the windless to pull up the anchor rode.  Pegasus has dragged before in False Creek and it has always been due to MOOP. When the anchor was visible in the water I was surprised to find a Rossignol 195 cm (SCR Super) down hill ski with Geze 941 bindings.  Being an old school kind of ski this plank is super long.  Having a second person aboard allowed me to grab the ski from the anchor and bring it on deck.  

If anyone knows when this ski was being sold I would love to know. 

I have since disposed of this MOOP at the Heather Civic Marina!