How many anchors??

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by fishsail

Question would you rather use one well over-sized anchor or two separate
normal sized anchors/ Chain and rode combos ?
thanks

I would always chose to use 1 large anchor over 2 small ones. Why would I want to have to deal with the handling and fouling up of 2 anchors instead?

[boatman61]

And if its anything but a BRUCE.. your screwed..

[Zzmeyer]

Tough to put out two anchors on lots of foredecks. I vote for one large all chain with 200 rope to allow backing to the spot to drop a stern anchor before going back to all chain. I have a good anchor alarm app and sleep on deck if wind over 20 knots. Haven't lost boat on rocks except an out of date racer with lots of insurance.


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[Cheechako]

No doubt about it..ONE!

[Terra Nova]

TN carries 270' of 3/8 grade 40 chain in one shot, plus spare rope/chain rodes.

[JPA Cate]

I have a good anchor alarm app and sleep on deck if wind over 20 knots.

You must have a very comfortable cockpit, or be a masochist, for anchoring in 20 knots or more is a daily event in much of the cruising world.

Your ground tackle should be competent in at least 40 knots if you are cruising, for such winds are commonplace. They are often accompanied by rain, which makes sleeping on deck kinda unpleasant!

Jim,using Ann's computer

[Canibul]

well, can I ask a corollary question about how much chain you guys carry? This old boat came with 30 ft. of 3/8 chain and about 200 ft. of nylon rode. I just added another 100 ft. of chain, using one of those really good connecting links, giving us 130 ft. essentially in one length. I can't imagine where I could put 300 ft. of chain and really wouldn't want that weight in one pile sitting on my fiberglass hull. Do you guys put a piece of ply or something like that in the bottom of your chain locker?

[landonshaw]

We live the the windward island. Constant 20 knot winds with no rain. Gusts when storms are around 40 knots. We have one anchor and put out 250 ft of chain, I have another 100 if it gets bad.

[sailorboy1]

I have 350 feet of chain and about 20' of line. The chain takes up the same amount of space in the locker as the line did.

I didn't want to have to deal with chain/line splice going around the windlass anymore. I figure if I'm still at it in 10 years I will take the chain off and flip it over.

[Mike OReilly]

We carry 200' of 3/8" chain. Our previous boat carried about 80' chain and 200' rope rode. The chain takes up far less space, but of course is much heavier. On our current boat the weight doesn't matter (30,000# boat). We have one slightly oversized Rocna as our bower. Since getting this anchor I have only ever launched a second anchor less than a 1/2-dozen times (mostly to manage special situations). Prior to this we use to routinely launch a plow or a Danforth depending on the bottom.

In addition to our Rocna we also carry a large danforth, an "oh ****" Bruce with its own rode in a bag, and a storm-size Fortress. I used to carry a CQR as well, but we got rid of that.

I'm actually planning to add another chain/rope rode in the forward chain locker so I can more easily launch a second anchor off the bow. This one will probably involve 100' chain and 200' rope.

[FamilyVan]

I have 2 1/2 shots of chain on my port side, 3 1/2 shots of nylon on my starboard and 2 shots of nylon on a reel for my kedge. I also keep a big storm anchor which spends most of its time in my garage.

In your scenario, I'd use my port anchor (chain) if over nighting. In 30 knots of wind and 20' of water I would rather have more than 100' of scope. I'd like at least another 40'.

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[roverhi]

One good sized anchor for the boats displacement/windage. Have at least one other anchor of equal or greater holding power with it's own rode stowed away but readily accessible if the first anchor starts to drag. Also have another lighter anchor on a 300' lighter rode as a lunch hook/stern anchor. Have never had to use the second anchor. Have used the rode on the lunch hook to warp the boat into slips or tie off for other reasons. Have never used it for a lunch break.

Two anchors simultaneously deployed off the bow are a recipe for disaster but may be necessary very occasionally. The rodes will get tangled, possibly unretrievably, in short order if there is any swing in the anchorage. One anchor has always worked for us. On current 13,000 boat have a 35# Manson on 5/16" chain as primary, Fortress FX23 with 5/8" rope rode and short chain stowed in a cockpit locker as back up, Fortress FX 16 on 1/2" rode in the lazarette as the lunch hook/stern anchor. Also have an old Danforth 20H buried somewhere on the boat just in case.

[hpeer]

A shot of chain is 15 fathoms or 90 feet.

Had to look that up.

A unit of length used for anchor chain on ships, = 15 fathoms = 90 feet. Anchor chains for ships are made up of 15-fathom lengths of chain joined by detachable links. The joins are distinctively marked so that a ship's officer can estimate at a glance how much chain is out.

In the merchant marine, the detachable links are painted red. At 15 fathoms, the end of the first shot, the two links on either side of the detachable link are painted white, and 1 turn of wire is wound around the stud of the link on either side of the detachable link. At 30 fathoms, the 2 links on either side of the detachable link are painted white, and 2 turns of wire are put on the second stud on either side of detachable link, and so on for the remaining shots.

In the merchant marine, in the command to let go the anchor the amount to be played out is given in shots; in the Navy it is given in fathoms.1

1. Merchant Marine Officer's Handbook, 6th ed.
Cornell Maritime Press, 1965.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by boatman61

And if its anything but a BRUCE.. your screwed..

[thomm225]

I have a big Bruce Anchor but have never tried it yet.

It's the backup for my 20lb CQR Plow on the bow which has held in pretty rough conditions with heavy onshore wind when I was anchored 70 yards or so offshore.


Several times in wind around 30 knots...............