The Back Story

May 11, 2010

Knot


Just before we hauled out the other day, we pulled up the anchor--like always. And found this: a knot. For the uninitiated to anchoring, knots are not something normally found in an anchoring chain. You see, to anchor, you drop the anchor, then as you go in reverse you pay out anchor chain (the rode). The result should be knot free.

The difference is we're in La Paz: home to the famous La Paz Waltz. The Waltz is caused by a combination of wind against tide, which can make boats do any number of odd things--from sailing in slow circles, to drifting sideways at a great rate, to spinning in quick circles. What the Waltz typically doesn't cause is knots. Technically the whole knot thing shouldn't be possible.

So how do you think we got it?

Best answer shared in our comments section will earn travel writer swag. Seriously. When we get back to Vancouver in July I'll offload something from my acquired swag stash--I may even let you choose.

3 comments:

  1. Everyone knows that mermaids like to play tricks on humans, especially sailors. But legend has it that when a mermaid ties a knot in your anchor chain, it's a sign of good fortune and means she and her kind will protect you at sea. It's the sacred bond between you and the ocean folk, a sign that a pact of peace and good will has been forged.

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  2. no way! it really does not seem technically possible... especially a knot like that (we speculated a hitch with a loop through it until we loaded the page saw the pic).

    I like cindy's answer, but you'd get to hand deliver our swag to low latitudes. ;-)

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  3. Dude -- where is the swag? ;)

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