Anchor Choice for Bahamas and Surrounds

[tamicatana]

I think the answer to most any anchoring question is this:

Carry at least two different styles of anchor, so that you can meet variable conditions.

[JusDreaming]

We have cruised the Bahamas for many seasons, and included the entire chain North to South. We currently use a "Bulwagga", but I don't believe they are available anymore, a real shame as it is a very good anchor. Before that always used a "delta" and had good experiences with it. We never used a "Bahamas moor" and you will very seldom see it used except in books I think I have seen it used two or three times in total.
If you happen to go to the Crooked/Aklins, good luck, just throw everything you got out and pray

[nautical62]

In the Bahamas I've used a Bulwagga, Delta, Danforth and Plow.


My favorite was the Bulwagga - The thin blades dug into hard grass better than any of the others. I've also been fairly happy with the Delta - I most certainly wouldn't get rid of a perfectly fine Delta just to get something that's maybe a touch better.

I much prefer a chain rode, especially when anchoring in a current, which can happen often in the Bahamas.

[bahamarich]

Rocna! Eight seasons in the Bahamas and three years in the Caribbean the first eight years with a Delta the last years with a Rocna and I have never dragged in the islands with either.

Mud on the East Coast of the US can be more of a challenge that can be helped with more chain. 150 feet of chain should work in US and Bahamas. 200 feet of chain backed up with line will be fine for most of the Caribbean.

Note: Practical Sailor has great reviews of anchors. Rich

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by JusDreaming

We have cruised the Bahamas for many seasons, and included the entire chain North to South. We currently use a "Bulwagga", but I don't believe they are available anymore, a real shame as it is a very good anchor. Before that always used a "delta" and had good experiences with it. We never used a "Bahamas moor" and you will very seldom see it used except in books I think I have seen it used two or three times in total.
If you happen to go to the Crooked/Aklins, good luck, just throw everything you got out and pray

I've never any issues in the Crookeds and Acklins, but then again I anchor in the bight and look for good worm sand. Had a squall come through one night just off Long Cay. It was probably blowing near 80 and my delta held just fine. I can't speak to anchoring outside of the bight as I've not done that except in good weather and never overnight. Oops, I take that back I have anchored in Datum Bay overnight and holding was a bit spotty, but the weather was fairly good wiith the wind blowing directly off the beach. The hills on the land side provide reasonable protection from the wind, so that is not a great test of an anchor.

[Hudson Force]

I'm with Captain Bill and the "worm sand"! The marine worms are ubiquitous on the Bahamas at the depths where boats typically anchor. The worms with the mounds described by Captain Bill are usually in water deeper than the 8' to 12' depths where we more often anchor. These worms in the lesser depths may not have the mounds, but the bottom will be covered with small holes and look like a pancake that is ready to flip.

We use a 45lb Bruce as our primary and a similar weight CQR standing by. In addition to avoiding the thin sand layer over scoured limestone or coral marl, we also avoid the Tape Grass or Turtle Grass areas. If you do anchor in a grassy area; then, I would select the Fortress. I also carry a large grapnel that I would select for rock, but it almost always remains lonely and folded in deep midship storage. Enjoy the Bahamas, Robin!

[Robin3]

Thanks to all for the replies so far which tend to reinforce my own thoughts, theoretical though they are.

we have a small Fortress FX11 we had as a spare back in the UK so it may find more use here as a secondary.

I'm not sure what our windlass gypsy is made for, it came with the boat and may have been a Beneteau option but it has no obvious maker name. and I don't know what chain size it is made for, if it is European I guess it will be either 8mm(5/16ths) or 10mm(3/8ths). over there I would go for 10mm (3/8ths) from choice but different USA Chain specs confuse me as there is proof coil, BB and HT varities at least whereas in the UK it woudl either be 'calibrated" ( for a windlass) or non calibrated( ie not likely to work on a windlass) THe windlass has both a chain gypsy and a rope drum. For ease of use I think would like to have maybe 150ft of all chain rode which I can use most of the time and have the option of adding a length of rope to that if the need ever arises. Sadly the boat does not have two bow rollers nor can it be easily modified to add a second one

[onestepcsy37]

after owning nearly every anchor mentioned here, i've settled on the manson supreme. has never failed in the two years i've owned it. we use the 45lb manson with 140' of 3/8 chain, but i've never used more than 90 feet of chain in florida/bahamas. we just do the abacos now and i find it incredible how well that anchor digs in and holds.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

The Bahamas have fast changing tides with alot of current in some places. This necessitates having a very fast setting anchor everytime your boat switches directions. Sadly most claws di not do this. If you Bahamian moor, it should be ok be we rarely.did that. We had great luck with our Manson supreme.

My primary anchor on my last Bahamas cruise was a 45 pound Manson Supreme on 150 feet of 5/16" chain with 200 feet of line (that I almost never got to when anchoring) on a 42 foot Catalina. It held in everything including a few 45 knot blows. But, still when I go back, I will probably have a Manson 60 instead, just to sleep a little better at night.

My secondary anchor was a 33 pound CQR on 50 feet of 5/16 inch chain and 150 feet of line, and I don't even plan on taking it as a spare next time.

I think the deepest water I ever anchored in, in the Bahamas was about 35 feet. Usually, it's 10 to 15 feet, either sand, or sand on top of concrete like coral, with varying thicknesses of sand. You do want chain as there as there are a lot of coral heads that could cut through a line road pretty fast I would think.

Another issue is the wind versus current thing in the Bahamas. You get a lot of current in most places from the tides and the wind frequently changes direction as fronts come through.

I've used the Bahamian Moor, I've put out two anchors on the bow and I've just anchored on one. Most of the time, I really think the best way to go is one good over-sized anchor, of a quick setting design, and chain and make it your primary system. It's nice to have some back ups though. I also had a 33 pound Bruce that is somewhere on the Bahama Banks right now (don't ask ) so you definitely want some back up systems, too.

The snuggling syndrome is often quite bad in the Bahamas as a lot of people just anchor exactly where the Explorer Charts tell them is a good anchorage. There are a lot of good places to anchor besides those and finding them is part of the fun (more fun if you have the right anchoring gear).

[bahamarich]

The double anchor Bahamian moor was historically used w/ Danforth anchors that do not reset with the shifting tides. With modern anchors this is not necessary. In addition should you drag having two anchors out it will make retrieval so as to reset them a real pain. If you do double anchor do so far away from everyone so they do not have to participate in your catastrophe.

[JusDreaming]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

I've never any issues in the Crookeds and Acklins, but then again I anchor in the bight and look for good worm sand. Had a squall come through one night just off Long Cay. It was probably blowing near 80 and my delta held just fine. I can't speak to anchoring outside of the bight as I've not done that except in good weather and never overnight. Oops, I take that back I have anchored in Datum Bay overnight and holding was a bit spotty, but the weather was fairly good wiith the wind blowing directly off the beach. The hills on the land side provide reasonable protection from the wind, so that is not a great test of an anchor.

We were over off of the Acklins, up around Snug Corner down to south of Jamaica, and it was all shallow sand over limestone. The delta would just skip along, the bulwagga would hold with one blade catching the edge of a rock/limestone and hold really well, to the point of having to dive on it to remove it