second anchor ? for Coast Guard auxiliary members

BaseCampAnne

I am curious what you use for your two anchors on a 22' cruiser? And where do you store the second one and with how much chain/line?
Thanks,

Larry H · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 6:33 pm Post subject:

Anne,

I am not a CG Aux member, but here is my experience of 15 years cruising the Northwest waters in my 22 cruiser.

I had a 22lb Bruce on the bow, with 30ft of 1/4 chain and 300ft of 7/16in nylon three strand line.

I carried a 13lb Danforth anchor with 30 ft of chain and 300 ft of line in the cockpit.

The line and chain were carried in a 'milk crate' with a plywood lid, in the cockpit and the Danforth was hung on a SS bracket from the stern crossbar.

This anchor gear provided two complete anchor systems, with the Bruce being my primary and the Danforth used for a stern anchor, and as an anchor for soft mud, where the Bruce would drag. The Danforth was also a backup anchor in case of loss of the Bruce.

This gear was adequate for use from Olympia to Sitka, Alaska, and I used it for the 15 years that I owned my 22 cruiser.

On your boat for self launching, I would go with a Delta on the bow, and perhaps an aluminum Fortress on the stern. It is important to use 25-30 ft of chain, of a size to fit your windlass, and 250-300 ft of line, also sized to fit the windlass.

Alyssa Jean · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:01 pm Post subject:

Believe it or not, but there is NO requirement to have an anchor to pass the Vessel Safety Check. It is on the Recommended list. The other items that are on the Recommended List are: Marine Radio, Dewatering Device and Back-up (bucket), First Aid and PIW Kit, and Capacity/Certificate of Compliance.

thataway · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:43 pm Post subject:

There are places where it is adventageous to anchor fore and aft, or to have two bow anchors. The fore and aft, is in resticted swinging room anchorages (and on occasion to the shore)--and for areas where you want to keep the bow into the seas and avoid rolling on the beam.

We stored our two extra anchors under the dinette floor boards. Anchor rodes were stored there also. For the stern anchor I used 3/8" line--and also a 5/16" line (especially at Lake Powell). We carried Fortress/Danforth anchors for the stern. Usually only 5 or so feet of chain to avoid chafe.

Rob & Karen · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:08 am Post subject:

Our main anchor is a 14lb Delta with 25' of chain and 300' of 1/2" 3-strand rope.

I recently asked similar questions before buying a new stern anchor. I was concerned about being able to store it out of the way and being able to remove it from the boat when not needed. I decided on an 11lb Bruce with 15' of chain and 150' of 3/8" 3-strand rope. It stores nicely in a milk crate as shown below.

Rob