Anchor choice

[thataway]

The test of an anchor is how well it holds under load--lets say 50 knots of wind. Some will say "I would never anchor where there might be 50 knots of wind". You may roll the dice and win every time....or not. There is a reason I carry at least 2 good anchors.

I had to "cut and run" one night, to save the boat. There are going to be "iffy" holding conditions if you cruise enough. I have anchors hold in over 90 knots of wind--no fun, but doable.

[colbysmith]

[colbysmith]

[Almas Only]

I boat along the East Coast, from Maine/Canada to Key West and the Dry Torguas, as well as the Chesapeake Bay and it’s tributaries, and typically anchor whenever possible. I don’t ask much of an anchor – just that it set and reset quickly, and hold in stout winds and currents. Which type might be best in a hurricane isn’t a factor, because I don’t anchor anywhere near hurricanes. When they’re coming, I’m thinking trailers and insurance, not anchors. Here are my observations and conclusions, for whatever they might be worth.

Danforth: Worked well on clay, sand, mud, and other generally soft bottoms where the anchor could get a good bite, and evenly load the flukes. However, would not set through deep grasses, such as those encountered in the Key West anchorage, and didn’t survive coral and other hard rocks where the loading on the anchor is at the tip, rather than along the entire fluke. With tip loading, and a good blow, the tip bends back on itself and the anchor is released, and will not reset. I still carry a Danforth, but only use it as a second anchor, generally deployed from the stern to keep the bow pointed into the weather, and moderate the tendency to hunt.

Delta: Went to this after the Danforth, and quickly decided it wasn’t going to work for me. Might have gotten a different result had I added a lot more chain than 20 ft. on ½ line, but don’t really think so. This anchor simply would not set on hard packed bottoms, be they clay or gravel, no matter how much rode was deployed. The reason for this became fairly obvious when I put the anchor down on a flat surface (concrete driveway), spooled out some rode, held it at the height of the roller above the waterline, and gave a little tug. The tip of the anchor is pulled away from the bottom, as the mass of the anchor skips nicely along, without leaving so much as a scratch. The Delta had particular difficulty on hard bottoms in narrow channels where you simply couldn’t let out enough scope to compensate for the fact that the force you’re attempting to apply to get the anchor to set was also lifting the tip off the bottom, and preventing it from digging in. I ended up using it as the proverbial paperweight, and then donated it to the Hontoon auction.

Bruce/Claw: I’ve used the Claw for years, and it sets on all bottoms, first time, every time, and holds and resets after any swinging because of tidal or strong wind shifts. It works well with as little as 20 ft. of chain on ½ in. line, although I’ve now gone to much longer chain to get more weight in the bow and more reliable spooling on and off the gypsy of the Lewmar 700. For me, given the locations and conditions in which I boat, it’s the best choice. It’s also one of the least expensive anchors, and depending on your wallet and disposition, replacement cost can cross your mind when you’re having to put a blade to the line and say “goodby” to hopelessly fouled ground tackle.

[thataway]

[thataway]

[Nancy and Bud]

Beware of free anchors.

[colbysmith]

Maybe I'll put my Claw back on and try it next season. Sure is ugly though compared to the Delta! Colby

[journey on]

Well, we've all heard testimonials, war stories and opinions on which anchor to use. Here is a series of videos of anchors being tested for initial setting, resetting and swinging to current : Panope's Anchor Tests. They're all in sand with some seaweed, so draw your own conclusions. All tests were done underwater, with camera attached from a 7 ton sailboat.

Also I've not heard much about anchor design. For instance, Bruce is a blunt claw with the claw facing the stock. I assume this would offer the most resistance setting in soft mud, scooping it up, but has no sharp edges to penetrate grall or rocks. The plow is shaped like two agriculture plows welded together. I assume that it would plow a furrow in sand, etc. The Manson is a sharp blade parallel to the stock. I assume it would penetrate clay and grass well, but pull through mud. Those are thoughts on the actual shape of the anchor and the setting/holding characteristics inherent in each shape. Give your opinions based on the anchor shape.

By the way, I repeat that my experience has started me to think about anchor shapes vs. their performance. For instance, the Bruce held well in the PNW mud, but would not set in the grass in Fry's Harbor, Santa Cruz Island. The Fortress suggested for our boat length was too light to penetrate the grass in the same place. And so on.

Boris

[bridma]

I was anchored in a bay where a lot of other boats were anchored. I did not know what the bottom consisted of. When I pulled the anchor up it was covered in mud. Bummed me off a tad as I had no wash down arrangement ready. The anchor is a Manson Supreme. I have been useing them for years. Sets first time,never dragged, never let me down. The only anchor that gives me a good night's sleep.

Martin.

[thataway]

Anchor types are well covered in Earl Hinz's book " The complete Book of Anchoring and Mooring." Earl passed on before publishing a 3rd edition which would have included the scoop type of anchor. Chapman's "Piloting and Seaman Ship" has always had a good section on anchoring. Current Chapman's has 34 out of almost 2000 pages on anchoring. Chapmans' is a book which belongs in every boater's library. , The latest US book on anchoring is by Rudy Schultz. "Anchoring: A Ground Tackler's Apprentice - Basics and Beyond." Van Dorn gives a number of interesting formulae and discussion in his "Oceanography and Seamanship".

The 32* angle seems to be a good compromise for sand. Especially for non cohesive mud 45* is the favored angle. Most anchors use this geometry in their setting angle.

For grass or kelp you have to penetrate the surface material. Plus we really should not be tearing up the seabed. The best anchor there is the old fashion "Fisherman". Turkey has many sea beds with very large tuberous grass roots. I was diving with a hatchet or machete and cutting a small holes and then inserting the point of the 70# CQR into that hole. We had a 70# "Turkish Fisherman" hand forged in Bodrum, Turkey while we watched. It was a pattern hundred of years old. The large flukes were sharpened to cut thru the grass.

The pattern one sees in cruising boats is that there is one primary anchor--usually a large scoop such as Ronca, Manson Supreme, or Bruce. (Although there are somewhat different the share certain characteristics.) Then there is a large HT Danforth or more commonly a huge Fortress. Finally something like a fisherman for that grass, if in those areas.

What do folks like Steve and Linda Dashew (still cruising into their 80's!) use? Steve has used both Ronca and Bruces as the mains, with a back up Fortress.
One of the most common threads is that bigger is better. Some of the 50 to 60 footers are now using 120# anchors--30 years ago most were using 60 to 70#.

Pick an anchor appropriate for your area and learn the art and science of anchoring. Know the seabed bottom where you boat. The "down scan" feature of the depth sounder can often help to determine--and especially find "obstructions" such as big rocks, trees, brush or extensive kelp/grass.

[Pacificcoast101]

[hardee]

Way back when, My physics teacher told us that there are few laws in this world that are never broken. The laws of physics are those. Anchoring is based on physics and those laws don't break. Apply those laws to your physics of anchoring, and it will help.

My progression Bruce - Fortress - Delta - Rocna. No reason to change from the Rocna. And I use 70 feet of chain. Rarely put rode into the water.

Harvey
SleepyC

[thataway]

Practical Sailor sends out weekly e-mails, trying to get more subscriptions. Today's e-mail linked to the 2013 small boat anchors (20 to 25' boats). I had linked one table and several comments in an above post. There was special emphasis on veering as with wind shifts and tidal current changes.

In re-reading the article, there is a lot of good information on performance of anchors in general, and specifically in anchors that most of us use.. Nothing new, but some good reminders. Worth a re-read. It also links to full articles the P S has done in the past.

[colbysmith]

As I get ready to head south for a month of cruising, I've been doing some reading on anchor types. I did put the 22 lb Claw back on, and along with turning the rode around and resplicing it back to the chain, I have to admit I do have a little anxiety about rather my splice will hold up and how the Claw will do in anchoring. Seems like every report I read, gave different results for the Claw, along with other anchor comparisons. But the one thing that seemed rather prominent was all the reports showed the holding power of the Claw, inferior to that of the Delta. It'll be interesting to see what my own results will be using the Claw, after my past experience with the 14 lb Delta. I'll still have my Danforth or Fortress? stern anchor if all else fails... Colby