I’ve been a
member of Cruisers Forum since 2007; however this is my first post. My father and I purchased our 1983
Pearson 303 in 1997. It didn’t take long to realize that the previous owner had chosen an inadequate
anchor. Perhaps most of us are content with our
equipment until it lets us down. The
anchor is the last piece of
equipment that I want to see fail. When selecting equipment I ask fellow boaters their opinion based upon experience. In that regards Cruisers Forum and Practical Sailor have been a tremendous help in choosing the best equipment the first time around.
In the February 1998 issue of Practical Sailor, a prototype anchor by a Frenchman tested very well although the Bruce set the best. By February 2000 I was ready for a new anchor. I remembered that Practical Sailor had done a follow-up anchor test in the January 1999 issue, this time featuring holding power in sand. By now the prototype had a name and West
Marine was selling it as the French Spade. In this test the Spade far out-preformed all the others with the Bulwagga coming in second. I immediately brought the Spade and never regretted the decision until recently.
Over the years the Spade has never failed to set and stay set. I believe that its unique ability to dig-in comes not only from it concave shape that scoops rather than plows but also from the weight of lead at the anchors' tip. Last July 4th while awaiting the fireworks a strong squall swept through the anchorage. This is the first time I’ve experienced
wind that pivoted the
boat 360 degrees in less than 20 seconds. Not only did the Spade hold if anything it just dug itself deeper. The next day it required a lot of effort even with a
windlass to bring the anchor up. Another
boat in the anchorage dragged, almost going aground, before the
skipper was able to retrieve his anchor and
motor away.
Within the last couple of years I've noticed that my anchor was beginning to rust. Unfortunately, I didn’t know what I could do other than eventually replace it. That is until a couple of weeks ago when Sea Tech and Fun USA informed the Cruisers Forum that they represented Spade Anchors in this country. I emailed Sea Tech explaining the condition and age of the anchor asking if they could help me. Much to my surprise I received an
email response the same day informing me that they would call the next day. To my further surprise and delight Evan Selbiger said that they would replace my anchor at no cost to me other than
shipping. To my thinking that’s remarkable product support.
, do 
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