So what's the deal with my two anchors?

[hamburking]

I've sometimes anchored with 2 anchors off the bow. Really works. Occasionally, 2 anchors off the bow and a stern line ashore.

PERHAPS that particular model sailboat tacks a lot when at anchor? When anchored with 2 anchors off the bow, no tacking at all. So in addition to sharing the load, the increased load due to tacking (which can be substantial) is eliminated.

I carry a lunch hook because I don't have a windlass and I'm not quite as young and spry as I once was!!! Anchoring in 3 different places in one day is....a good day!!!

And you don't necessarily "lose" an anchor...it just gets caught in something like a submerged car and you can't get it back.

[Mike OReilly]

With my previous boat I always carried two anchors at the bow, both ready to be deployed. I carried a plow (CQR) and a Danforth. This covered the widest range of anchorage substrate because I anchor in a variety of locations.

If you are only anchoring in known areas with known bottoms, then it could make sense to carry two of the same style at the bow. But if you're cruising into the unknown, or into areas where the bottoms vary considerably, then it makes sense to try and cover the widest range possible.

This is one of the great advantages and advances with these newer type of anchors. One anchor cover almost the same range that the old plow/Danforth combo did. This is in addition to the fact that they are just better all round; better at setting and resetting, better at holding ... just better.

Originally Posted by DEAN2140

Bower and kellet? You sent me to google for both though I still don't get bower, which is a shady, sylvan enclave.

Bower: The main working anchor.

[Gaia]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

No good reasons that I can think of. The 45 is marginal for a T37. The 35 would only be useful in light conditions. Maybe the previous owner used the 35 as a kind of kellet.

My Rafiki-37, which is very similar to the T37, also came with a 45 CQR. I used it for one season, and then swapped it out for a 55# Rocna. Much better bower choice.

If you want to keep the 45 CQR I'd pair it with a Danforth/Fortress. But the better option is to get one of the newer style scoop type of anchors (Rocna, Mantus, Spade, Manson, etc.).

Amen Mike. The only anchor to have and to use is a good one. Conditions change. Always use the best.

Jim sv GAIA

[KP44]

Originally Posted by TeddyDiver

the 35 as a lunch hook

The OP seems to know this already.
Careful to not step on toes but I see this as extremely important.

I would advise to never, never use a "lunch hook". Always anchor as if that anchor must hold your boat through the night, come hell or high water.

If you ever use an undersized anchor, someone will need to go ashore "just for a minute" and you will spend the whole time worrying. Even worse, someone will insist on showing you something incredible and while you are out of sight of your boat, the wind will change of freshen. A lunch hook is too dangerous to even carry with you. A small anchor may be used as a second anchor, but never to actually anchor your ship.
The difference between a 35 pound CQR and a 30 kg Rocna is about 31 pounds. Your windlass will not even notice the difference.

[Tayana42]

The previous owner of my boat had a 45lb CQR and a 45lb Bruce on the bow. I replaced the CQR with a 55lb Ronca on all chain and kept the Bruce as a backup with its own rode but removed it from the bow. I also have a big Danforth that I can use as a kedge or a stern anchor with a boat length of chain and rope rode.

[a64pilot]

There are two anchors because there is a place for two anchors and for whatever reason the PO ended up with two, perhaps he had the smaller and found it to be too small or maybe someone gave him one of them.
However a back up anything is a good idea as something could happen to make you lose one.
I have two Rocna’s on my bow, a 25 kg that is oversized for my boat and a 40 Kg that is way oversized for my boat but was bought for severe conditions, think storms.
Ended up that I never use the 25 anymore, just the 40, being “too” big hasn’t caused any problems yet.


The 25 stays up there in case I ever lose the 40.

I also have a Fortress, cause everyone should have a Fortress , have never used it though.

[Cpt Mark]

My 35' cataamaran came with what was probably the original 35lb bruce. This was specced by the manufacturer and came with the boat. Yikes is all I can say. Not having researched the new gen anchors I bought a used 45lb CQR which has always been my favorite anchor. After reading and studying the new gen anchors after a couple of years I've since added a 55lb Rocna as my main anchor. The CQR can sit in 2nd place, ready to go in an emergency or if a really bad storm is coming I'll deploy both. What to do with the bruce? BTW- I am also looking at a Fortress type anchor for the stern/kedge. Will be cruising, no hull insurance so my anchors need to do the job.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by SV__Grace

Salty boats with 2 CQRs on the bow has always been a common sight (heck, I've bought a few and immediately removed those anchors) and like the OP, I always wondered why.

I can speculate a million reasons, but I would love to hear from any other old guys the real reason for this.

Sure, it's not common practice now, but it was. Why?

Come on old guys, share your wisdom and show off your knowledge of boating history!

When I started sailing the most popular option for long distance cruising boats was a combination of a CQR and a Bruce anchor on the bow rollers. Diversity was important because these anchors only performed well in a limited range of bottom types. Rather than any close analysis of the substrate, the most common technique was to try one model and if did not set try the second design. If this did not work the anchorage was deemed to have poor holding and you changed location.

The Bruce and CQR were two of the best general purpose anchors available at the time. It was not unusual to also carry a Fishermans and/or Danforth anchor, but as these could be stored flat, but sat less well on the bow roller they were often relegated to a locker or the bilge. Often one of the models stored below was considerably heavier than the bow anchors and used as a storm anchor.

Modern cruising boat anchor choice is sometimes criticised for the weight, but these older cruising boats with two anchors on the bow and two lengths of chain in the forepeak typically carried far more weight in the bow than a modern cruising boat even with a considerably oversized modern anchor. As well, the modern boat caries fewer and lighter additional anchors. Heavy storm anchors are becoming rare. The bow anchor is now considered and sized to be the storm anchor, a far better solution in my view.

I would speculate that the OP’s boat (and others) were originally equipped like this with a CQR and Bruce. The Bruce was lost or rusted away and since a genuine Bruce anchor is difficult to find and still commands a reasonable second hand price, it was replaced at some stage with a CQR. These can readily be picked up second hand at very low cost (or even free). This is only a guess, but I think is more likely than equipping the boat with two similar CQR anchors, although even in those days some owners made silly anchor choices.

[TrentePieds]

@ dean2140, # 15:

"Bower" is archaic usage and means "at the bow". Thus a bower anchor is one carried at the bow. Traditionally that was a "utility anchor" ready to be "shot" at a moments notice in an emergency, or so as to make time to prepare the "real" anchor. It was also useful for coming alongside in strange places where you hadn't the room to execute a normal turn relying on rudder and reach. In some remote places you can still ee ferry skippers use that ancient technique.

In real ships, the "real" anchor — the "sheet anchor" — was a great brutish thing, so called because it was stowed below, or on deck at the centreline, about midships where the fore-course sheets come to the rail, in order to keep its weight out of the bows lest it should make the ship more prone to "burying" that it already was. Best, of course, to keep it below as ballast. To set up the sheet anchor for use was the devils own work which could take half a dozen men an hour or more.

In my puny five-tonner, sailing in benign waters and only on Sundays when it don't blow, I carry a 33lb Bruce as a bower, permanently shipped in a roller by the stemhead and "chocked" by letting the flukes grasp the cutwater which is protected by pads. A chain-stopper keeps the tension on the chain when the anchor is chocked and therefore the anchor is securely stowed.

I don't ever have to use a two-anchor setup in the common sense, but I carry a fortress - couldn't be more than 10Lbs, an absolute toy - with 300 feet of nylon because in many places on this coast, where many coves are quite narrow and the tidal range great, it's convenient to take the toy anchor ashore to hold 'er against the swing induced by the tide.

As with most things in cruising much depends on WHERE you sail and on HOW you sail. Analyzing that with some care will tell you what equipment you need.

TrentePieds

[Hudson Force]

I'll dismiss the question about the anchors being too light for the boat, but instead just address my most common use of two bow anchors.

During my decades of cruising coastal waters I most often deployed a single anchor, but sometimes I found myself wanting to anchor in a place with a reversing tidal current. If I wanted to stay in a place with limited swing and not worry about my anchor resetting with the change in the set of the current; then, I would first back off of one bow anchor with an excessive amount of rode. When this anchor was well set I would drop the second anchor off the bow and motor half way back to my first anchor and retrieve the excess rode. My route back toward the first anchor would be at an angle to prevent motoring over either rode. I way always at the advantage of having my wife, always very competent at the helm, while I deployed the rode of the second anchor and retrieved some of the first rode. The final momentum of this move pulled tight to set the second anchor.

This left me remaining on one well set anchor at each tide change while the other rode was slack and never having either anchor disturbed during the tide change. This also kept me within a small ellipse and not swinging away from a restricted area. I usually did this with a 45 lb Mantus and a 45 lb Bruce.

[Dougtiff]

I've drug those CQR'S half way around the planet, love my Rocna, best to keep the weight down on the bow, slows down hobby horsing, best to have a ready to go set up on the bow for an emergency, i.e., another anchor with short chain and anchor rode.

[slug]

Two anchors are used when stern too


I’ve got one anchor off the bow and another laid 45 degrees to starboard

[Nani Kai]

A few weeks ago we were returning from the Bahamas and anchored our Leopard 39 overnight in Ships Channel Cay. Our primary anchor is a 55# Rocna, 220' 5/16" BBB chain. I snorkeled the anchor right at sunset, didn't like the way it was set so returned to the boat to re-anchor. When we hauled the anchor it wasn't there. The swivel connecting the chain to the anchor sheared off at the chain. Of course this is when the wind and swell picked up, pushing us over a mile and half downwind before we were able to safely navigate out of the shallow coral reef area we had drifted over and re-anchor. I deployed our Fortress 16, 30' 5/16" chain attached to 150' 5/8" nylon which is always at the ready. Uncertain of the bottom (it was now well after sunset) and with freshening conditions I rigged our secondary anchor, a 44# Delta, to the 220' of chain that the Rocna had been attached to. We got that set, retrieved the Fortress and in the morning returned to retrieve the Rocna. My point being we needed all three anchors. Three lessons learned: 1. Rocna recommends NOT using a swivel to attach the chain to their anchor (we now follow that advice and it works fine) 2. Having a lightweight, easy to handle "Fast Response" anchor (Fortress) greatly simplified the process of getting something on the ground quickly and 3. Check the anchor set BEFORE having 2 successive G&T sundowners.

[slug]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

When I started sailing the most popular option for long distance cruising boats was a combination of a CQR and a Bruce anchor on the bow rollers. Diversity was important because these anchors only performed well in a limited range of bottom types. Rather than any close analysis of the substrate, the most common technique was to try one model and if did not set try the second design. If this did not work the anchorage was deemed to have poor holding and you changed location.

The Bruce and CQR were two of the best general purpose anchors available at the time. It was not unusual to also carry a Fishermans and/or Danforth anchor, but as these could be stored flat, but sat less well on the bow roller they were often relegated to a locker or the bilge. Often one of the models stored below was considerably heavier than the bow anchors and used as a storm anchor.

Modern cruising boat anchor choice is sometimes criticised for the weight, but these older cruising boats with two anchors on the bow and two lengths of chain in the forepeak typically carried far more weight in the bow than a modern cruising boat even with a considerably oversized modern anchor. As well, the modern boat caries fewer and lighter additional anchors. Heavy storm anchors are becoming rare. The bow anchor is now considered and sized to be the storm anchor, a far better solution in my view.

I would speculate that the OP’s boat (and others) were originally equipped like this with a CQR and Bruce. The Bruce was lost or rusted away and since a genuine Bruce anchor is difficult to find and still commands a reasonable second hand price, it was replaced at some stage with a CQR. These can readily be picked up second hand at very low cost (or even free). This is only a guess, but I think is more likely than equipping the boat with two similar CQR anchors, although even in those days some owners made silly anchor choices.

I have never seen a Bruce anchor rust away

The anchor pictured is 25 years old

[Smokeys Kitchen]

Originally Posted by SV__Grace

As an old guy in love with boats for 50 years or so, like many, I constantly ogle other boats, especially the salty ones.

Salty boats with 2 CQRs on the bow has always been a common sight (heck, I've bought a few and immediately removed those anchors) and like the OP, I always wondered why.

I can speculate a million reasons, but I would love to hear from any other old guys the real reason for this.

Sure, it's not common practice now, but it was. Why?

Come on old guys, share your wisdom and show off your knowledge of boating history!

Hi S/V Grace,

Can't give you any 'old salt' wisdom, but when we bought our Pacific Seacraft it came with 2 - 45# CQRs on the bow. Why - I don't know, but I did sell both and went to a Vulcan as my primary.

The 45# CQRs just seemed way too small for any serious holding, besides being old generation.

Just my 2cents

Ron