Recently, when dropping the anchor, George noticed that he couldn’t differentiate the markings on the anchor chain. We have three colors of spinnaker cloth tied on the chain at intervals so that George can tell how much chain is out. I heard the idea from Pam Wall at a Women and Cruising seminar several years ago. It is important to know how much chain is out to ensure you have enough for the depth and conditions. Other options for marking the chain include painting sections of chain different colors or inserting colored plastic markers that are made for that purpose. Pam Wall recommended the spinnaker cloth because it is easy to attach and doesn’t interfere with the windlass. She said you can go to a sailmaker and ask for scraps of spinnaker cloth, and we did just that. 
We went out for a few days at anchor this week. Before we raised the anchor this morning George cut a few more pieces of spinnaker cloth. He replaced the discolored pieces as he raised the anchor. It is no wonder the cloth gets so discolored sitting in the Chesapeake mud. I thought it resembled cooked bacon!
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