Ground Tackle Options and Handling - Cape Dory 27

[atcowboy]

I have just recently purchased a CD27 and I am wondering what other sailing CD owners have been doing for ground tackle.

I am hoping to sail this boat far away to warm waters and live on her, on the hook. Reading about this at length and watching countless hours of video, it seems all the people who actually do this agree on two things.

1) Use a heavy anchor. Probably heavier than the manufacturer suggests for your boat. Definitely heavy enough that a day sailer says, "why such a heavy anchor? I use a 1/4oz fishing weight works just fine."
2) Use an all chain rode, where every single link is tested.

I am wondering if there is anyone who has done this with their CD27, or other sailing cape dory that has a similar bow? When I look at the bow fairleads they look like they could really wear hard on a rope rode in bad weather, or on a sea anchor rode. They definitely look like a chain belongs no where in there. The foredeck is also rather small, so not much room for a windlass or a capstan.


I've also been considering a manual windlass, such as follows. I just get the feeling that the motor-powered units that I see that also have manual operation are probably a *bear* (no mechanical advantage) to use.... https://www.lofrans.com/product/4-Lofra ... 5015-royal

Thanks for your thoughts,
AT

[fmueller]

10 kg Rocna will hold a 27 under almost all circumstances - according to Rocna- so thats what I got. You’d probably want to carry something larger that can be broken down, as well as a smaller hook as a kedge, or second if anchoring will be your way of life. I only carry the Rocna and a lighter weight Fortress FX11 But I only anchor out 1/2 dozen times in a season and don’t see the need to carry a monster. Both roads are 30' of chain and 200' of 1/2' 3 strand.

If you really are going to live aboard in tropical waters you need chain too.

As a live aboard I’d want something a little larger than a CD 27.

[mkaplan]

Spade anchor. A guy borrowed a dozen different anchors, tied a go-pro camera to each one as he deployed them on short scope, then tried to drag each one with his powerboat. He put the videos on youtube. You can search for the video and actually see how each anchor performed. Convinced me to get a spade and has worked great for me. My second anchor is a fortress.

[Mbigos]

Anchoring and mooring is a math problem with variables. You should search for product specifications and resistances of bottom (mud, sand, etc.) Experience is a major factor, too. My short answer would be to have 3 anchors. A Rochna, cqr type, or fisherman (like a luke or herreshoff) of approximately 20-25 lbs, a danforth style around 15 lbs, and a spare danforth or fisherman around 10-12 lbs for a stern or second anchor (in those rare times you will need one). I'd carry 1/2" or 5/8" rodes of new England nylon or yale cordage, length of 150-200' on the big one, and 50' to 100' on the smaller ones. each however I would make sure has a leader of 5/16" or greater galvanized chain , length, 15-25', and a swivel of the same size. All American chain must meet standards. See practical sailor for extensive articles on this subject. My advice assumes you will not be anchoring in over 35 kts of wind ( in which case you need to find a hurricane hole or get hauled) and follow scope rules and standards.

on moorings and anchoring systems, the energy and work is done mostly by the rode of chain and line. see again practical sailor for this.

On my CD 36 (~18,000 lbs loaded) I principally use a 22 lb danforth with a 1" line and stainless chain leader and swivel for my lunch hook, and overnight anchor in under 15 kts wind and 30' or less depth. I use a 35 lb cqr with 1" nylon and galv. chain leader and swivel for more serious anchoring. and have 2 lighter spares. No windlass for me.

Weather and planning locations make more of a difference in my opinion than the exact ground tackle you provision.

Good luck and fair winds,

[Steve Laume]

Advise is worth what you pay for it and maybe a little less for anchors.

Going way oversized is not going to do you any favors. Going one size up from the manufacture's recommendation is a good practice. Good quality 1/4" chain would be more than strong enough. After having a snagging incident with the 20' of chain that came with my boat and could have easily chafed through the nylon under different conditions, I went to 90' of chain. All chain would be great but then weight comes into play again. You could go to 5/16" as it would be easier to find a windlass to match it and to splice the nylon rode into the last link. A little extra weight would not be a bad thing. Anything larger than 5/16" would be excessive. 5/16" chain weighs about a pound per foot. Even with a manual windlass I still find myself pulling up a lot of chain by hand, because it is much faster. If your windlass was to fail you still want to be able to bring in your anchor and the associated chain. The nylon is meant to act as a shock absorber. 1/2" high quality, nylon, would be about right for a 27' boat or larger. A long section of chain and good chafe protection are more important than excessively heavy line. You want it to be able to stretch. Forget about swivels. They are just one more failure point. I have anchored hundreds of times and have never seen a need for one. You also want to have a nice long, nylon snubber. I run 1.2" with a chain hook on the end. You can tie the other end to the nylon rode if you have that much out. The chocks are the most likely failure point so having two attachment points to the boat is great insurance. It also helps to keep the boat from sailing around on the hook. I am not going to recommend any particular anchors as there are lots of reviews out there to allow you to form your own opinion.

Just for comparison sake, Raven is a CD-30. I run a 35# CQR and don't feel any great compulsion to change it but I am sure some of the newer designs are slightly better. 90' of 5/16' American made chain and 200' of 1/2 or 5/8" nylon. I honestly can't member. The nylon is spliced to the chain and a thimble at the anchor shackle. The shackle is safety wired with stainless wire. The bitter end is tied off to a strong point in the anchor locker with lighter line that protrudes enough to make it easy to cut if the need should arise. The snubber line is 25 or 30' long. I carry a mess of fire hose lengths that are split down the middle and have some holes punched near the ends to lash them in place for chafe prevention. I carry a smaller Danforth anchor on the stern rail with a short length of chain and a long nylon rode. This is easy to row and holds will in a one directional situation. My storm anchor or spare is a huge fortress that I recovered while snorkeling in a crowded anchorage. It didn't come with chain. I have a spare rode that has 30' of chain to attach to it. I also have an anchor marker with a 1/4" line attached. It is a small fender with the boat's name stenciled onto it. You can use it to mark your anchor position or to help pull the anchor if fouled. I have used it one time where I dropped my entire rode and came back for it latter.

While you want to have adequate ground tackle, going too big is not a great idea. It will not have the proper give. It will be hard to handle on a daily basis and the weight in the bow is not going to help the sailing characteristics of your boat.

Well I think that was much more than two cents worth but might not be worth that much, Steve.

[Tod Mills]

FWIW, I have selected for my Tartan 26 (pretty comparable to a CD 26 in many ways, including displacement), for cruising fairly remote areas (Newfoundland) the following, based upon input from a variety of experienced sources:

Mantus 35# (while this sounds really big for a 5,200# boat, it actually is the size Mantus recommends for this boat for a severe storm)
3/8" Crosby alloy shackle
90' 5/16" G4 chain
5/8" 8-plaited nylon (back-spliced directly to the chain).

If I were cruising the Chesapeake or similar areas, I would feel perfectly comfortable with a 25# anchor + 50' of 1/4" G4 + 1/2" nylon.

[Jim Walsh]

FWIW, I have selected for my Tartan 26 (pretty comparable to a CD 26 in many ways, including displacement), for cruising fairly remote areas (Newfoundland) the following, based upon input from a variety of experienced sources:

Mantus 35# (while this sounds really big for a 5,200# boat, it actually is the size Mantus recommends for this boat for a severe storm)
3/8" Crosby alloy shackle
90' 5/16" G4 chain
5/8" 8-plaited nylon (back-spliced directly to the chain).

If I were cruising the Chesapeake or similar areas, I would feel perfectly comfortable with a 25# anchor + 50' of 1/4" G4 + 1/2" nylon.

I was unfamiliar with your design so I checked https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/tartan-26
and saw your boat. Very nice.
No one who singlehands in remote locations, such as Newfoundland, will ever complain that their ground tackle is TOO large. Your choice of a bower is nearly identical to mine although I have a 33# Spade anchor, 92’ of 5/16” BBB chain and 161’ of 5/8” three strand nylon spliced to the chain. My kedge is a 25# Mantus with 20’ of 5/16” BBB chain and 205’ of 1/2” three strand nylon spliced to the chain. Tested Crosby galvanized shackles are my only choice
When you are off by yourself you simply must have dependable ground tackle, your life may very well depend upon it.