WHEN I WALK AROUND our
local marina I can hardly believe how many boats lack anchor rollers. What were
the manufacturers thinking? Thirty footers and bigger, without any proper means
of retrieving the anchor and its rode. Did they imagine their boats would never
anchor, from choice or necessity?
In my humble opinion, no
boat over 20 feet in length should be allowed to leave the factory without a
proper anchor roller at the bow.
Anyone who has ever tried
to weigh anchor by hand in a boat without a bow roller knows how awkward and
difficult it is. Consequently, you’ll notice that all sorts of after-market
rollers get bolted on by boat owners seeking to ease the pain of retrieving the
anchor. Some of them look far too flimsy for the job. Some stick out from
behind the forestay at an odd angle. Others have to be bolted on top of a bed
of teak to bring them to the correct level.
And they’re not cheap,
either. A reasonably sized one that will house the anchor costs in the region
of $100 to $200 with shipping. And then you have all the fun of fitting it
yourself.
I can only imagine that
unscrupulous boat manufacturers deliberately omit a bow roller in an effort to
keep the selling price down a few bucks. It’s a wicked practice, like selling a
new car without a horn, or without a spare tire. If I was in charge of the
boat-manufacturing industry I would make it a federal crime to sell a boat
without an anchor roller. But since they’re never likely to elect me to that
position, the situation is unlikely to change unless we all start complaining
to our representatives in Congress.
Never mind health care for
the moment. Never mind ISIS and Afghanistan. Forget all that for now. Surprise
your elected U.S. representative. Ask him or her to sponsor legislation about
bow rollers. You never know. It might be such a refreshing change from the
same-old, same-old, that Washington DC could catch fire with enthusiasm for
compulsory bow rollers. And if that means some boat manufacturers will end up
behind bars, so be it. They deserve it.
Today’s
Thought
The
law is the last result of human wisdom acting upon human experience for the
benefit of the public.
—Samuel Johnson, Miscellanies
Tailpiece
“Did you realize that old
Joe survived mustard gas and pepper spray?”
“No. How’s he doing?”
“Oh he’s now a seasoned
veteran.”
