Anchors - Is One Enough

[Randyonr3]

With the recent thread on anchors, it would be interesting to see how different types of you carry on your boat for cruising..
We carry 4 different types including a fisherman for rocky areas and coral.

So As A Full Time Cruiser, How Many (different types) Of Anchors Do You Carry Aboard ???

While up on the inland passage of desolation sound, we found anchorages where 2 foot bolders were the bottom, had to tye to trees on both sides of the inlet..

[model 10]

On the bow just a 25kg Rocna. On the stern an FX-27 and a 45lb CQR in the bilge.

[robert sailor]

I used to carry more but now I have a Rocna on the bow, a large navy type stored and a large Fortress stored. I have a smaller Fortress for a stern anchor. I also carry 2 sets of chain and rode for spares.

[Tayana42]

Im carrying a Rocna 55lb on the bow with 330ft of 3/8 G4 chain, a Danforth 35 lb on the stern with 40ft of 3/8 G4 chain and 200ft of 8 plait and a Bruce 44lb in reserve. Also, one extra 250ft three strand rode.


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[colemj]

A Rocna as primary, a Spade as stored secondary and a Fortress as stored specialty. All are sized to be primaries for our boat. We have never needed to use the Spade or Fortress in over 6 years of cruising.

Mark

[mestrezat]

We have a Rocna 40 kilo on the bow and a 65 pound immitation CQR in the anchor locker along with 45 pound immitation CQR(both stainless steel). Changed out the CQR's in Fiji after seeing someone with the same anchor I had have it break about 10 inches down from where the chain bolts on. Never really trusted it since but nice to have spares though I haven't double anchored since we left Mexico. Sure do love our 40 kilo Rocna. I sleep well at anchorages.

[Kenomac]

Ultra Anchor 45kg with swivel as primary. CQR 34kg and Fortress 55 in the locker. 100 meters of 1/2 chain on the primary with custom dual super snubber setup. Full scuba and hookah diving equipment onboard... Just in case.

[valhalla360]

We have a plow and a fortress on bow rollers ready to go and a couple smaller fortess anchors in a lazerette on all rope rodes if we need to hold the stern inplace.

We usually use the plow as it's easier to handle but on rare occasions the bottom is soft and the plow just...plows. In that case, it's just a few seconds to send the fortress down and that has always held in those conditions.

We have occasionally used both for a bahamian moor and once we set 3 off the bow when we were in a really tight spot. We've never used all 4 at once.

[Cheechako]

Tried many schemes over the years and pretty much settled on one main anchor and a big Fortress or Danforth backup.... with maybe a normal size F or D on the stern... although I don't like stern anchoring ever... been a problem every time I've done it over the years. Ditto for using two anchors.
BTW Randy: Arent you in the PNW? I saw a Fortress FX37 on Craigslist for $50 yesterday! heck of a deal.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Tried many schemes over the years and pretty much settled on one main anchor and a big Fortress or Danforth backup.... with maybe a normal size F or D on the stern... although I don't like stern anchoring ever... been a problem every time I've done it over the years. Ditto for using two anchors.
BTW Randy: Arent you in the PNW? I saw a Fortress FX37 on Craigslist for $50 yesterday! heck of a deal.

Stern anchors only make sense is specific conditions and typically only in settled conditions where you will be with the boat. Where we have used them is:
- A very tight channel where there isn't room to swing at all and there are no nearby anchorages. This is something we would try to avoid but sometimes you get stuck.
- In shallow sandy anchorages where we are just hanging out for the afternoon and want to play in the water. I'll frequently walk the stern anchor out to hold the cockpit in the shade but it's purely a daytime thing where we are right there to react if conditions change.

Two anchors off the bow are handy for tight anchorage to keep your swinging space down or if you have a reversing tidal current. We don't normally anchor for more than a night or two at a time, so twisting the anchor lines together isn't a big issue.

[LTDsailing]

That's a good question! I always figure that if you walk down the dock and see one type of anchor over and over again - there's a good chance that is the best anchor for the area.

I am usually sailing on someone else's boat - often a charter boat. Most of the charter boats I am on in the Caribbean have some sort of a plow on the bow with around 200' of chain. Then a large Fortress as a spare - usually with all nylon rode. Most of the anchorages I am in are nice soft sand bottoms with steady wind to hold all the boats in line. Works well. Seldom have any need for the second anchor.

However - last spring had the opportunity to deliver a race boat up from Antigua to New York, positioning it for the Newport - Bermuda race. We left the first day of Antigua Race week and had hit the pre-regatta parties with my crew the night before. So planned to just make it to Barbuda that day - a short 30nm run. Spend the night there and get a fresh start early the next morning on our first leg up to Bermuda. The boat was equipped with a single anchor - a large Fortress with maybe 50' of chain and 150 feet of nylon rode. I have anchored many times in the lee of Barbuda - nice sandy bottom with no obstructions as long as you stay away from the coral heads further out. The anchor set well and I set the anchor alarm. We lit the BBQ and made "Cheese Burgers in Paradise". The crew all turned in and just as my head hit the pillow, the anchor alarm went off. I hate those things and usually don't use them due to false alarms from not getting them set right. As I cursed what I assumed was another false alarm - I saw that the boat was moving at almost two knots toward the reef!!! We fired the engines and pulled in the rode to find a frayed end - no chain - no anchor...

So - no spare - only choice was to start watch rotation and get going!

On the return delivery from Bermuda to Antigua, we made a point of stopping for the night at Barbuda again. I had marked the spot where we had left our anchor and spent a couple of hours snorkeling around the area looking - but to no avail!

Lesson learned? One anchor is definitely not enough!!!

[zengirl]

Originally Posted by colemj

A Rocna as primary, a Spade as stored secondary and a Fortress as stored specialty. All are sized to be primaries for our boat. We have never needed to use the Spade or Fortress in over 6 years of cruising.

Mark

Hi, looking to buy a Rocna, I see stainless steel or galvanized. Big price difference. Pro's and con's if you remember or know of any. Thanks

p.s. 29.9 Bristol 1971

[Stu Jackson]

Anchoring fore & aft is helpful in rivers, if you intend to go to an area with them and in the reach of tidal diurnal currents. In that case we use our Rocna at one end and our stored Bruce off the stern, or vice versa depending on which way we're facing and the predicted strengths of the changing currents.

Other than that, we use a small Danforth off the stern in some conditions to keep from swinging in rivers with slighter currents so we can stay faced into the wind. That depends on the width of the channel/river.

All our anchors have chain and rode. Northern California, SF Bay, Napa and Petaluma rivers and the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta.

[Sun and Moon]

Originally Posted by zengirl

Hi, looking to buy a Rocna, I see stainless steel or galvanized. Big price difference. Pro's and con's if you remember or know of any. Thanks

Stainless is a lousy material for an anchor. It's prone to crevice corrosion which is hard to detect, and then failure when you most need it. Not to mention it's very expensive. Galvanized wins in every category except looking shiny at the dock.

[Ocean Girl]

Zengirl, go galvanized!