Number of Anchors

[markpj23]

4 here:

- Rocna 20 primary
- large Spade (40lbs?) on nylon rode
- Fortress FX-37
- 45lb CQR

Plus 2 for the dinghy.

Most important IMHO is to have a variety to suit the different conditions you'll encounter. Don't bet the farm on one anchor or even one type of anchor. More is better

[CharlieJ]

Anchors and anchor rodes are like fire extinguishers; when you really need them, you can't have too many!

[maxingout]

70 lb Beugel
FX 110 Fortress
60 lb CQR
FX 37 Fortress
FX 19 Fortress

I dragged the 60 lb CQR too many times to count in the Pacific.
The 70 lb Beugel would not set securely two times in the last half of our circumnavigation.
The FX 110 never used because no tropical storms or hurricanes.
The FX 37 used whenever we wanted a backup second anchor or stern anchor.
The FX 19 never used.

[Islandmike]

We carry a 65lb Manson Supreme, 45lb CQR, the Supreme is all that we use. We are only coastal cruisers at this point, although we have anchored in a number of gales on our trip south and have come to love our Supreme.

[osirissail]

I carry five onboard - two on the bow; one on the stern; and two in lockers in case I loose one of the primaries. The two on the bow are chosen as one for its huge total weight on chain rode - this is for deep anchorages where scope is not possible. The other is a Fortress on 50' chain then nylon. This is for sand, mud or shallow water where scope is possible and I need "flat blade" area to dig down into the soft bottom.
- - The stern anchor is a small Fortress rigged so I can hurl it far from the stern of the anchored boat or deploy it from the dinghy without sinking the dinghy.
- - The reserve anchors are split between heavy weight and flat plate type anchors.

[GMac]

Only carry 2 myself (both identical at the moment) and can't remember the last time I used both at once in vengeance. Have used both on the odd occasion but only to hold the boat stern into the beach or something like that, not for extra holding power.

[thinwater]

I'm sure a few of use have had to leave anchor, even if we came back later.

For me that means 3 plus one for the dingy. Mostly I use one (Delta). If a big thunderstorm seams likely with a windshift, I'll set 1 (Fortress) toward the storm. If I am in a strong tidal race ( a lot of the creeks on the Delaware are like that, as well as areas behind barrier islands) I'll set 2. My third is a Danforth, and it doesn't see the sun for a year at a time.

I lost an anchor once when I only had 2. I was left with a Danforth in a reversing tide for 2 days until the weather calmed and we got it back. Not pleasant, but it held.

[MarkJ]

People here are far to rich!

Have one to anchor the boat and one to be prissy.

[stillbuilding]

Manson Supreme working anchor.
Fortress and Bruce below.
Fortress kedge.

[osirissail]

As with all things/subjects of anchors - The bottom of the oceans and bays are all very different in different places around the world. In places like the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean you can be in a 80'(24m) to 100'(30m) anchorage just 50'(15m) off the shoreline. If you want to anchor versus paying for a mooring you will need the heaviest thing you can hang off the bow with chain as your scope will be close to 1:1 or 1:2. In the Bahamas it is rare to see water deeper than 10'(3m) in the anchorages so light weight anchors that are good in sand work the best. Some places like Bequia have lots of rubble on the bottom so a pointy plow like a CQR type anchor works well. If I remember well enough, the Bay of Islands areas north of Aukland are shale rock and nothing much works unless you can get a point of the anchor into a crack in the shale. Which is the same as Ronde Island in the Grenadines which has sugar sand over shale. There you swim down with a light blade anchor and pound the tips into a crack in the shale like a mountain climber does with a piton. Mud flats/bottoms are another challenge to some anchors but "piece of cake" to other designs. Bottom line, there is no "one" type that works everywhere so an "assortment" of the different styles is wise if you are cruising to many different areas. If you never leave your "home" bays you probably only need one type.

[Sailor954]

From the quick responses you've gotten here, you can see that passions regarding anchors run deep.

I will suggest to you that if the space is available, three should be adequate. A primary with a back-up (second anchor). Both of these should be ready to go as quickly as possible.

The third is one which could be used as a "Storm" anchor. Don't make this one so large that it's difficult to use on a daily basis if needed. You may find yourself doing exactly that,,,, as happened to us a few years back.

The style, model, and size you select is a matter of preference. They all work.

Aboard GAME PLAN we originally had a CQR and two Danforths. The CQR would drag on us and I never trusted the thing. Friends recommended the Spade. We've been using this thing for the last 4 years,, been through two tropical storms and a bunch of ugly smaller storms with it.

I've been sailing for over 30 years and I have never seen a anchor that sticks like this thing. I am not kidding when I say it's unreal. But (and there's always a but) they are not cheap.

Hope this helps out.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Sailor954

passions regarding anchors run deep.

*Boom!* *Tish!*

[Roaring Girl]

1 x 25 kilo rocna - on 80m of chain
1 x 65lb CQR (currently in locker as displaced by rocna)
1 x 45lb CQR - in anchor locker on bow as official secondary - on 10m chain + 50m rope
1 x about 20 kg fortress on stern used as stern anchor (for Med mooring) and kedge on 10m chain and 30m rope
1 x 25pb Fishermans on stern

Variety of battle plans depending on conditions, including depth.

Plus 2 dinghy anchors.

It may seem like it's too rich, but it's our most important insurance.

[teejayevans]

Originally Posted by FSMike

Our working anchor is a 44lb. Delta. We also carry a similar size Danforth in the anchor locker, and a seriously large Fortress disassembled in the bilge.

31' boat; 35# delta, FX-11 FX-37
delta primary, FX-11 for Soft mud on a bracket towards the bow, FX-37 for hurricanes (disassembled, stored in cockpit locker)
Tom

[daedaluscan]

Tartan 37

35lb cqr (to be replaced by a 45lb Manson in the next two weeks)
33 lb bruce
West marine Delta ??lb

I often set two bow anchors.

I have never really had a problem with 3 CQRs on three boats, I think they were the best out there... But I have come to beleive that technology has moved on and want to take advantage of it.