Sarca Excel

[JonJo]

Hi Ben,

If you are anchoring at Emita, look to the NE side of the bay and you will find a low rock protrusion, its about 6' high. Or follow the beach eastwards until it finishes at the rock - then anchor off the rocks The seafloor for 75m west of the rocks is weed free. The centre of the bay tends to be weedy. This all easy to see in daylight, its guess work at night. Emita, lovely anchorage. We have tried Tanners, but have never been able to set the anchor. Emita, not much use if the wind is from the W, but you would not be there anyway. For Babel we have only anchored directly under the island looking for shelter from the north. really desolate place - the only more desolate would be Jamieson's (but it is lovely and desolate). Fishing boats anchor west of Babel - upto Flinders, but have never had the need. Jamiesons mixed loose rock bottom (and very clear water) but we have never had a problem. You've been so you will know, do not expect any company - you are on your own, but that's one reason to be there.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Snowpetrel

Jim, have we met? yes it is Ben, you have a good memory,

Thanks again for the feedback

Cheers

Ben

G'Day Ben,

Yes, we met a few years ago at a ham club meeting in Hobart. You gave us a slide show of your then recent adventures down south.

Ann and I are fairly frequent visitors to Tassie... 9 trips in the past 15 years, and have some expectations of doing it again this summer. Perhaps we will meet again and we can swap anchoring lies!

Cheers,

Jim

[JonJo]

Factor,

With a cat with a prodder bridles are a problem. If the bridle fits under the kicker wires holding down the prodder, they (the bridle) are far too short. If you try to extend them when the load is taken on the chain the bridle lifts and rubs on the kicker wires and you can cut through the bridle overnight. The alternative is to have a really long bridle that sits over the kickers but then in light winds the bridle hangs on the wires and the weight of the chain wears the bridle - its a lose lose. The only obvious solution, if you want a snubber, is to run the nylon down the side decks. I'd do the same with a mono-hull, but maybe just one rope down one sidedeck but for a big beamy yacht, motor sailor or motor boat (trawler etc) I'd have one rope down each sidedeck. If you have stanchions with 'hollows' at the bottom (the brackets) it keeps the ropes out of the way and if you were enthusiastic you could add an extra cleat or 'U' bolts as a dedicated point of securement on the transom. Each yacht would have a 'best' way of running long snubbers - it depends on where shrouds, stanchions, fair leads etc are. You might need hose pipe to cover points of wear.

To me your anchor looks generous, we use a 16kg Excel, for a 38' cat, all 8mm chain (only 50m) and we carry an extra 30m chain plus 40m of nylon. However much better too heavy than too light! Kellets can be useful, if you drag them on the seabed because they stop the yacht swinging, but you could easily use a second anchor, just long enough to drag - a sort of friction brake. In fact kellets, as such are a waste, you would be better with a second or third anchor - it would be much more useful as you can use it as a kellet, or what it was intended as - an anchor.

[Factor]

Originally Posted by JonJo

Factor, With a cat with a prodder bridles are a problem.

Can be - I don't have a prodder so I dont have that problem.

To me your anchor looks generous, we use a 16kg Excel, for a 38' cat, all 8mm chain (only 50m) and we carry an extra 30m chain plus 40m of nylon.

Yes it is generous, still - its only five extra kilo and gee it hits and bites well.

However much better too heavy than too light! Kellets can be useful, if you drag them on the seabed because they stop the yacht swinging, but you could easily use a second anchor, just long enough to drag - a sort of friction brake. In fact kellets, as such are a waste, you would be better with a second or third anchor - it would be much more useful as you can use it as a kellet, or what it was intended as - an anchor.

Noted - I think kellets are one of the great furphies of all time. You want to have weight in your anchor system, have it in your anchor and or the chain between the anchor and the winch. EG on my boat there is about 2 metres between the end of the anchor and the winch, If I wanted more weight in the system I could put some very heavy chain there. Carrying around weights that you fiddle about with is not productive. The theory of catenary effect seems to be well taken care of by photos of boats with bar tight anchor chains in storm force conditions.

[JonJo]

Interesting, I have often thought of putting bigger chain between anchor and winch, we have the same 2m to play with but have balked at the idea simply because it introduces extra connectors. The shackles that fit one chain might not fit anchor and the other chain meaning you might have even more connectors - so gave that idea up without much further thought.

But stopping yawing seems to reduce snatch loads.

But , some of, your customers will have prodders - they will have the problem of whether to have a short bridle, that's too short to be a snubber, or a long bridle that might rub on the kickers when just carrying the load of the chain and bridle not stretched. Just trying to offer alternatives. I had thought of anchor Shockles - one of those elastic devices - but have not heard any one who has actually tried one (or in your and our case two), in anger. or even whether they are man enough for the task.

[marting]

After purchasing our Nauticat 44 in 2009 we changed the anchor to a Sarca Ex-cel No 8 with 10ml chain.
We have full confidence in this anchor built up from experience anchoring around the Tasmanian and NSW coasts of Australia.
This anchor has performed magnificently in winds of 54 knots with gusts well above.

We highly recommend this anchor.

[Factor]

Update - Still havent really given the Excel any great test, thankfully we manage to avoid the worst of it. On the current Great Sandy Straights trip the highest we have seen is just short of 30 knots. Anchor was a little hard to get up the next day! The nicest thing about the Excel is how it bites hard when you drop it, there is no question about whether its in or not. The other good thing is as I have remarked earlier - the convex design means it self cleans, and we had some spots where we had a strong tide turn and having confidence that the anchor would reset if needed and not be a ball of mud was also very comfort inducing.

So - so far still so good.

[SurferShane]

@ Factor,

Good to hear. I can't also wait to give mine a run. After I do a few major repairs like exchange the engine I am thinking of heading to Tassie. This should be a good trial for both boat and anchor!

[SurferShane]

I went spearfishing off the yacht today and swam over to have a look at the Sacra Excel 4 anchor. Given the bottom I had not driven it in. Regardless. I was impressed with the angles of the shank and toe, which had the anchor already plowing into the sand.

Oh, dropped it in 40 knots the other day and it set instantly. I knew it was a good holding area, but was more than stoked I did not get any closer to the lee shore.

So far so good and happy I spent the extra!

[S/V Alchemy]

It doesn't look like extra when you have a straight chain and all around you have dragged. It looks like the best deal of your life.

[JonJo]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

It doesn't look like extra when you have a straight chain and all around you have dragged. It looks like the best deal of your life.

My sentiments exactly, spent the extra - over what? You would not insure your yacht with an insurance company without a name, so why would anyone buy a cheap anchor without a name. Equally you would not have an insurance policy with a company with a reputation for arguing over claims, so why would you buy a cheap anchor that does not perform?

We have been using our SARCA Excel for, I think, 5 years now. Its really unremarkable. It does not drag, it sets quickly, it turns with the tide - it does what an anchor should do. We try to get down the west coast of Tasmania every year and we make occassional trips upto Qld and short trips to Broughton. We do not use marinas and seldom courtesy moorings. It never crossed my mind that I had paid extra, over and above another anchor. We want something that is boringly reliable - and we have it. Its so good we have an alloy version as well.

I do recall when I first described using an Excel that people accused me of writing an advertorial. The trouble with the Excel is its difficult to fault - and after a few intervening years a few people are saying the same.

Jonathan

[S/V Alchemy]

Drama-free regular use is, to my mind, a better endorsement than "the anchor held fast as the storm of the century destroyed everything within eyesight!!!"

It's not even particularly lucky that many people, even circumnavigating cruisers, do not see over 40 knots at sea or at anchor. It's simply statistics. Others see "survival storms" on a more regular basis, of course, but that's related to the places they choose to sail.

I think, therefore, that anchoring technique and general knowledge about how an anchor best works is the key to success...and that technique is best acquired by using the thing on a regular basis, not just in "straight catenary" situations.

There are still people getting good results from supposedly superseded designs like CQRs and Bruces: Are they wrong? No. Do they know how to best anchor with such designs? Evidently, and that probably includes knowing when to haul and head offshore and/or pick up a well-buried mooring.

Do I believe that newer designs are better? Yes, I do, but that advantage is squandered if you throw the newer design out with no concept of bridles, snubbers, adequate scope or the nature of the holding ground underneath you. Anchoring is a holistic discipline: a chunk of sharpened metal at the end of a chain is only a part of the puzzle.

[JonJo]

Alchemy,

I cannot argue with your thesis, I think everything you say is valid.

To add my thoughts to your comments. A good anchor is one that can be relied on to re-set by itself - so if there is a wind shift or you are in a tidal river - to me a good anchor is one that does not demand you set an anchor watch to ensure the anchor re-sets. Caution might dictate you set an anchor alarm - but you should not be so unsure that you need to wait up for the tide to change or the front to pass.

An extension of this would be that such an anchor would be fairly idiot proof - if it can reset itself then it ought to do the same for anyone, even when they first deploy the anchor. I'm not suggesting complacency but if an anchor is forgiving (on the assumption the skipper does have a modicum of intelligence), and it 'auto' resets then you have something of merit.

The anchor also need perform in a variety of seabeds and be relied on to work at medium and long scopes. The fact that an anchor might work at short scopes is not too much of an advantage (except for lunch) as sitting out any sort of weather with accompanying seas at 3:1 scope does not seem in any way sensible.

Sadly many of us have no real idea at times what the sea bed is like, we anchor in places where reports are absent, so we need an anchor that is pretty versatile. Equally we anchor in places where the recommendation is: look for the sand patches and anchor there - not easy on a dark night, so we need the chance the anchor will work in the weed that surrounds the sand etc

I liked your comment about blue water sailors and weather. We met a delivery skipper not far north of Sydney around 10 years ago. He was bringing a big Beneteau from Spain (and had his wife and 2 toddlers on board for the trip). We were both anchoring from a 35 knot front (so not that demanding). He told us it was the worst weather he had had for the whole trip.

Jonathan

[S/V Alchemy]

That reflects my experience. I have never put myself in harm's way, but I have gone out as skipper with crew, skipper alone and as crew on other boats in heavy weather just to get some familiarity with the forces, the movement and the challenges.

So while I can say I've been on the helm in 40 knots and 20 foot seas well offshore and didn't screw up badly (too busy to worry about that!), I've also been racing within 10 NM of my city home and have experienced 50-65 knots in summer squalls).

Thankfully, it was short-lived, but as I was in a race and we were still "in the pack", I saw at close quarters what that sort of wind can do to a boat with sail out. Basically, I came to the conclusion that over 45 knots or so, most boats in most situations become hard to control, and should heave to if they can, or run off under a storm jib or, if they have it, a trysail.

Much depends on sea state. The same applies in an anchorage. If you are getting a straight-line pull back and there's little fetch to shore, it's a different case to being in a lagoon or harbour with the wind clocking to come straight inside. I think anchors fail less often in straight-line pulls (where chain and snubbers and so on are the right size and the deck gear is strongly backed) but can suffer if waves are adding a strong vertical component to the forces actng on even a well-set anchor.

That's when you want to have either a tandem or a second, offset anchor out to spread those forces so you don't simply yank the anchor free with a lurching bow.

So maybe the key is enough weather knowledge to anticipate front and storm direction to avoid those situations. That and a decent swivel.

It's so foolish, I think, to focus on anchor attributes (unless we are talking about known superseded designs, like the "fisherman's/yachtsman's" in anything but rather specific bottom types, when it's not the biggest part of the game plan.

Picking a sheltered spot and knowing where the weather will be coming from gives ANY decent anchor the best shot at keeping your vessel off the rocks or beach. As you point out, knowing the sea bed is also part of the solution. I don't use it often, because I live in a well-charted place, but I own and know how to use a lead-line with a lump of beeswax on the end. Five seconds staring tells me the probable nature of the bottom, and I can proceed from there. In addition, it's good to test the depthfinder's calibration empirically now and then!

Counting on amazing holding power to keep you put in harsh conditions ignores the fact that it's safer if you aren't in those conditions in the first place. Knowing that stuff takes experience, not the money to buy a better anchor, the use of which you do not know how to optimize.

[JonJo]

Alchemy,

The difficulty arises when the forecst is that little bit wrong, after all they are only forecasts.

We have often made long 'coastal' passages or crossing Bass Strait aiming for a specific location to anchor, the anchorage might be known and documented but not necessarily to us. The promised winds do not materialise and you arrive in the dark, winds then pick up and are at slight different oreintation to the forecast and the anchorage turns out to be less than ideal. You could go on to the next one 50nm away - or live with it. It all depends at the time but having just made a 36 hour passage the natural thing to do is stay where you are.

We are all geared up with an all chain rode and 2 x 13m nylon snubbers. We do not use a swivel (introduces too many joints) and we have an alloy Fortress and alloy Excel that we can deploy as second anchors. We have a second rode, nylon and chain in a milk crate all ready. But what you need is a primary anchor that you can rely on to set first time and hold whilst you are deciding what to do next, deploy a second anchor or develop a fall back plan.

We once anchored on a long beach, there were 13 yachts in a row like sparrows on a power line. The forecast was for a 15 knot on shore wind. None of us moved. However by the time it was gusting to 20 knots a few of the yachts moved, it was 6nm to an alternative anchorage. We stuck it out. But by 1am it was blowing 25 knots and the seas were definitely frisky. It was actually not uncomfortable in our berth, but it is located under the mast (we sail a 38' cat). I was cautious and sat in the cockpit and watched the last 2 yachts drag. One had a Delta type the other a CQR type (they might have been genuine). It was interesting to watch as they rolled broadside on to the wind the time it took them to react - given the shore was approaching rapidly! Neither anchor reset.

We chickened out and I went to lift our anchor. By this time as the seas came through I could alternately touch the wave tops and then see under the bows. The biggest problem we had was lifting the anchor. It was so well set, had developed such holding power, it took time to break out - not fun with that amount of vertical movement. The anchor would have held through anything (which was nice to know).

There was then the problem that the 2 yachts that had dragged, and thus left before us, were somewhere ahead - but had no navigation lights on - but that's another story.

Basically your primary anchor needs to be as dependable as you can get, it needs to be so reliable as to be boring and though holding capacity should not be the sole criteria it seems daft not to include as good as you can get commensurate with other characteristics (ability to reset, will it carry mud, weight, does it fit the bow roller etc).

One thing I do notice is that many people have fantastic claims of their new anchor (whichever it is). But if you probe gently you will almost always find they swapped their old 16kg whatever for a new 20kg whatever else. So there is always the nagging doubt that the first anchor was undersized in the first place - it might have been a decent style, it was just too small.

For reference we carry a 16kg SARCA Excel. If you check - you will say our Excel is under size as some on this forum carry 20kg Excels on smaller cats. But having used it for 5 years we consider they are 'over anchored' - if that's possible. Our cat is 38', weighs in at 6t cruising weight (water and fuel) and we carry 50m of 8mm chain (plus extra nylon, plus 30m of 8mm chain + 40m of nylon made up). Our Alloy Excel is the same surface area as the gal model and the Fortress is an FX-23 (about 8kg) We primarily use only chain - because we might anchor in areas with rock or coral. We have used both the Fortress and alloy Excel as the primary anchor - they are both also exceptional but have not tried them as extensively as the gal Excel model. We carry alloy because they are easier and safer to deploy from a dinghy, or carry round the deck etc.

The strongest winds we have ever sat out fully exposed to the wind would be 3 days, 35 knots, gusting 40knots - no seas and beautiful sand bottom. But we have sat in 'sheltered' anchorages in storms that can be totally calm one moment have 50 knot bullets from the south and then 50 knot bullets from the north. Its then that 2 bow anchors and a tree (or a stern anchor if there are no tree) are ideal - but you do need to be prepared (and most people simply do not have enough line (or man enough anchors) to accomplish the network that engenders sleep!

Jonathan