This time on Distant Shores we're preparing our Southerly 480 sailboat for our journey south and on into the Pacific. We show you how to do a chain-splice, learn the technique for eating Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs, attend the United States Sailboat Show and have a close encounter with a bridge going up the Severn River.

Part of the summer's plan for hauling out was to have a chance to touch up areas on the keel where the Coppercoat was incorrectly applied. This was warranty work covered by the manufacturer and required blasting to properly prepare the iron surface. In this case tiny crushed glass chips are blown in a concentrated stream using a powerful air compressor. Then coppercoat paint is applied. The copper is suspended in epoxy and is meant to last for a number of years - we'll report back.

Splicing Rope onto Chain

We need to replace our chain and as part of the process we want to put a rope on the end of the chain. This was we would be able to drop our anchor in an emergency by easily cutting the rope.

We use an app called Animated Knots by Grog, which is excellent for Splices as well as knots.

Check out the video for the full splice!