Choice of anchor

[rogerbum]

[flagold]

Thanks Roger, I sometimes forget everyone hasn't been on the water 40+ years when I toss terms out there, obviously, obvious is different to differnt people with different levels of experience.

Sinking your boat because you threw your anchor out the stern in 20 knots wind, a current swift enough to cause boils in the water, or cresting waves, is one way to gain experience you don't want to gain.

Thanks.

[thataway]

One of the beauties of the 22 is that you can anchor with the stern right on the beach or bank--as long as there is no tide or wave action. We usually anchored stern to the beach in lakes, with two stern anchors and one bow anchor (Danforth/Guardian type, because we were dealing with sand). The Pet step makes a great gangplank for both the dogs and us.--keeps sand out of the boat.

A 25 foot boat was swamped and people lost a couple of years ago when they anchored in the Gulf of Mexico by the stern. It doesn't take a lot of wave action to bring seas into the boat when anchored stern too. One of the risks of a transom door in a boat which has an I/O or engine hatches in the cockpit is swamping the boat from waves from the stern.

[Dora~Jean]

And THAT Bob, is precisely why I sealed off the 4 big access holes at the rear of my cockpit! I've even thought of putting one of those inflatable bouyancy bags in some of the unused space near the engines to add some emergency flotation back there.

Anyone have any idea how much a pair of engines weigh UNDER water? Would shoot for 1/2 in and 1/2 out as a fallback goal. Not that is would happen to ME...

[flagold]

We've had this discussion before of course, but my thoughts on "the hole":

I am not sure I'd block that opening on a CD-22. It looks odd, but remember, that big hole lets water out too. If you took a wave big enough to fill the stern, with the "hole" blocked off, the cockpit will fill completely (cabin door closed) and the one pump (most cases), two pumps, or three pumps (my case) will have to quickly lighten stern (you won't be able to open the door and bail) or the next wave (from any direction) will re-fill and compound the problem (as the cabin fills). The "hole" will let water out faster than any pump would, down to a level pumps (you're just shot with one pump) would have a chance to get it out before being completely swamped. My case: with all the pumps immersed, I would have 3,000 gph pumping capacity (still not enough in my opinion -- 3600 would be optimal (to me) which means I could lighten by 50 gallons per minute, or more important: 25 gallons per 30 seconds, 12.5 per 15 seconds, or 6.25 gallons per 7 seconds which is a common wave period. Check the math, I'm not good with it -- if it's wrong I'll respond by installing a couple more pumps . . . By getting the gallonage, you can eventually come right down to how much weight you are removing per second from the boat if the worst hits and it's good to know what that number would be before the event (encourages a person to add another pump at the minimum).

[Alasgun]

This plugging the hole thing needs some clarification. Dora Jean is talking about the cable openings in the rear of a 25ftr that lead from the cockpit floor to the bilge beneath. NOT the cut out in the transom. Older boats like our's could let a ton of water down below, through these substancial openings.
On the anchor thing, I would trust the advice of folks in your intended cruising area. None of the Anchors will be a best fit in all locations!
Mike on Huda Thunkit

[spiker]

Thanks again to everyone for all your advice!!! This website is GREAT!!!!
I think I am going to go with the Delta 14, and keep my Fortress as a back up. Thanks,
Spiker

[flagold]

[timflan]

[journey on]

We used a CQR for years whilst cruising. Only failed us twice:
Off Rattlesnake Key, where the waves were just enough to make the anchor act like a plough (which it is,) while we slept through. Luck had us anchor about a mile out, and we were nearly on shore in the morn. Obviously the waves weren't enough to disturb our sleep.
And in the Chesapeake Bay, where a front got it to plough through the mud. Had to reset it a couple of times.

Note that the Delta and Lewmar Plow are also plow shaped. Other than pulling in soft bottom, great anchors. The Bruce on Journey On has not pulled through mud or sand, but it hasn't been really tested (thank God.)

I notice a lot of C-Brats have mentioned new anchor configurations. Has anybody ever bought and used any? I thought I'd stick with the common varieties of anchor.

The southern Boris

[Not For Hire]

A few months? ago there was a poll on this topic. Bruce type was on more C-Dories than any other type, and Brats had them in the 5, 7.5 and 10 kg sizes on their 22s. Even the owners with the eleven pounders said they held great. That doesn't make it better or worse, just popular. I have a Bruce type 16 1/2 lbs, 20 feet chain, 200 feet 7/16 nylon (lots of spare line on board). The first year I had the boat a had a danforth type on the bow. This was just more awkward towing, docking, launching, etc. Also the Bruce is superb at setting the first time and resetting in a wind shift. I understand that the Delta and some other types are also good at this. I keep the danforth on board as a stern anchor, mud anchor (although the bruce has held just fine in mud), etc. Also carry a heavy mushroom anchor with six feet of really heavy chain as a lunch hook and stern fishing anchor when I need a vertical rode.

The danforth is stowed without line attached. But the chain and line rode I keep in the stern is readily available and I can attach in a hurry with a carabiner. Stowing the anchor with the rode attached took up too much room in one place. (Tip from Nick).

So I like the Bruce because it sets so nice and stays set. Relatively compact on the bow, etc. It can scoop a rock of just the right size but is better by far in rocks than the danforth. In a real heavy blow I would run a sentinel down the line and stick with the bruce.

Regards, Mark

[Sea Wolf]

[Valkyrie]

Good advice Mark and good explanation Joe.

I used a sentinel on my 23 foot sailboat a lot and it makes a big difference when it starts blowing.

I used two 6# diving weights tied together through the belt loops at both ends with paracord. They were then attached to a large, heavy duty snap hook that would slide down the anchor line and retrieved using 1/4" braided line which was kept on a diving line holder, kind of like a spool.

Nick
"Valkyrie"

[Doryman]

I have no experience with sentinels so this has been a learning experience for me. Thanks, all. I googled this Anchor Buddy sentinel and wondered if anyone in Brat-land knows anything about it?

Thanks,
Warren

[thataway]

We carried a 30 lb lead Kellet (sentinel) with us on several hundred thousand miles of cruising and thousands of nights at anchor and never once used it. When thing are really blowing, you need an adequate sized anchor, and often a second anchor. The question is will a Kellet decrease the "jerking" when there are waves and really increase the holding of a properly set anchor which has enough scope. Our experience is that when the wind gets up to a certain point the rode will be bar tight, even with 3/8" chain. (I have had the opportunity to dive on the rode when in a storm of steady winds of 75 knots and gusts to 87 knots.) The chain was bar tight, and my pulling down would not budge it. My conclusion is that in moderate conditions the Kellet (Sentinel) might be of value to shorten the scope and increase the initial angle, but in severe conditions it probably would add little, and could cause complications if you have to let the line out, pull and reset the anchor, change chafing gear etc.

Earl Hinz in his excellent book on anchoring, only gives it a couple of paragraphs, points it out the potential use in a Bahamia moor to get the lines lower, the use to decrease the circle of swing in a crowded ancorage and also points out the danger the Kellet line fouling the prop.

We always attatch an anchor with a screw shackle and then sieze the pin with either an electrical tie or monel wire. A caribiner may be "OK" for a lunch hook, but there is too much danger of it failing or opening under load.