anchor experience/opinions?

[Pete S]

Any words of wisdom in purchasing a second anchor?
A Danforth came with the boat. I've been reading about the Bulwagga,Bruce and the new folding box type.

[Russell]

Any words of wisdom in purchasing a second anchor?
A Danforth came with the boat. I've been reading about the Bulwagga,Bruce and the new folding box type.

I have 5 anchors aboard. A CQR, Bruce, Delta, Fortress and Danforth. The CQR is my primary with bruce secondary. I am happy with my CQR but if I could make the choice today I would buy a Spade anchor for my primary. I meet so many cruisers, by far the CQR is the most popular, but by far people with Spades drag the least and are the happiest with their anchors. As for the Bulwagga I have met a couple of people with them, and they are definately extreamly happy with them, but they are uncommon enough that I wouldnt comment on them based on their opinions.

[Gary M]

I'm not sure what you mean by a second anchor. If you mean you have a bow anchor that you like and you want a stern anchor then I like danforth.

I have found the danforth anchor to hold well and is easy to store but I don't recommend "swinging" on it.

A friend of my once layed out a danforth anchor in the parking lot with about 30 feet of chain attached. He dragged the chain 180 degrees, straight over the top of the danforth. The flukes popped straight up and fouled on the chain. Don't swing on a danforth.

But if you have a good bow anchor, and you need a stern anchor where swinging isn't an issue. My danforths have always worked well, and being able to store them is a real plus.

I personally have had the best luck with a Bruce on the bow, but I'm sure it has to do with the bottom make up

Gary

[tartansailor]

Anchoring is serious, and from sad experience, nothing but a spade (delta et al) will hold in soft mud. Additionally if you are drifting rapidly over hard pack (again from experience) a danforth will bounce along the bottom until the texture changes, or you get lucky.
I support Russell's recommendation, and add that 1 boat length of chain to your Delta will put you in good shape.

A 12# Danforth will not hold a Cape Dory 25 in a 3 knot current over a clay bottom.

I have (4) 22# Deltas. (3) for my 3 point mooring, and 1 as a secondary.
Dick

[Neil Gordon]

Pete,

Consider the likely bottom conditions you'll be anchoring in and the tide and likely weather conditions, too. Are you anchoring for lunch or overnight?

[Neil Gordon]

A friend of my once layed out a danforth anchor in the parking lot with about 30 feet of chain attached.

Gary,

With all due respect to your friend and to the parking lot, most people anchor in mud or sand or the like and the flukes are buried as the rode passes over, up until the time the anchor is tripped. The angle of the flukes, the angle of the rode, etc., all matter.

Practical Sailor has done extensive testing on anchors... holding power, ability to hold in veering and reversing situations, ability to reset if broken out, etc. It's all done in as close to real conditions as possible and compatative tests are always done. I don't remember them ever rejecting Danforth types out of hand although they (and I) recognize their limitations.

Also, local conditions have to be considered. The Gloucester (MA) harbormaster, according to the cruising guide, encourages the use of Danforths and discourages plow types because of the makeup of the bottom there. I'm sure he accepts the compromises and goes with the best overall solution given his local conditions.

[Gary M]

Your right Neil, but that parking lot demonstration sure had an effect on me!

Gary

[Pete S]

Just to clarify. What I mean by second anchor is that I have the danforth already, so I will be keeping it but I'm not sure it will be my "go to" anchor. I want to get two more anchors just to have, it's probably overkill as I'm mostly a day sailor but also mostly single handing. I haven't sailed in 10 years but back when I did and growing up sailing in Buzzards Bay and the Cape, Islands etc we always used danforths. Many times they pulled in the middle of the night with a tide change. I want an anchor that swings better and also can hold in a grassy bottom better. Cuttyhunk, Hadley's,Quicks Hole, and various other places on BB are most likely destinations.

[Russell]

Just to clarify. What I mean by second anchor is that I have the danforth already, so I will be keeping it but I'm not sure it will be my "go to" anchor. I want to get two more anchors just to have, it's probably overkill as I'm mostly a day sailor but also mostly single handing. I haven't sailed in 10 years but back when I did and growing up sailing in Buzzards Bay and the Cape, Islands etc we always used danforths. Many times they pulled in the middle of the night with a tide change. I want an anchor that swings better and also can hold in a grassy bottom better. Cuttyhunk, Hadley's,Quicks Hole, and various other places on BB are most likely destinations.

Thats the big problem with danforths, they hold wonderfully, especially in mud, but a 180 degree windshift or tide change is bad, they are the worst at resetting themselves. For a nice variety, if it was my boat I would ad a Spade and a Bruce to what you have already. Spade seems to set best in thick grass, due to its weighted and sharp point it can dig in under the grass better then others. Bruce has tremendous holding power in sand or mud but can reset itsself better then a danforth. WIth a danforth, spade and bruce you will have the best possible variety. Note if you dont want a spade the alternative would be either CQR or for budget minded a Delta, but if it was me I would go for the Spade. And avoid chinese knock offs of CQRs, but for a Bruce you can do fine with knockoffs (since its solid and no moving parts).

[Maine Sail]

Having owned just about every anchor made at one point or another I can say there is no one BEST anchor. This year I'm using a Manson Supreme and it's very similar to a Rocna. I can say without a doubt it is so far the best of both setting and holding power. I have used this anchor and set it over 60 times this season and never once did it not set virtually imediately. The anchor sets so hard that after backing down the elasticity in my anchor line jerks me beyond where I dropped it and that was in 18 knots of wind. I purchased it from Hamilton Marine and imediately tried it in areas where I have had trouble with my other anchors. Below is my list of anchors from favorite to least and I still own most of these.

#1 Manson Supreme - incredible and I never thought I would say that about any anchor!

#2 Spade S-80 breaks apart into two pieces for storage makes a great Storm anchor with very high holding power but does not set like the Manson. This is not the aluminum A-80 which I also own but it's to light and sets very, very poorly.

#3 Bruce - Sets great but has limited holding power. In all the years I used one I never dragged. I even rode out a 65 knot blow with a 36 footer and a Bruce 33# however I was running a 10:1 scope because I knew about the limited holding power. Only once the Bruce came unset in some kelp while having lunch.

#4 CQR - I have dragged my CQR to many times and had it not set or re-set to many times to continue using it on the coast of Maine. I know this will ruffle feathers with the diehard CQR people.My set ratio (in my anchor log) with my CQR was about 80% first try VS. Bruce 98% and so far my Manson at 100% and Spade S-80 100%

#5 Fortress - I do still keep my Fortress onboard and like it's directional holding capability as my stern anchor but DO NOT count on one in a wind or tide shift! I had mine break free and not re-set in less than five knots of wind but on a tide shift that overpowered the wind. Fortunately for me there was a stringer of lobster traps, the anchor snagged on, that kept me off the rocks while I was below cooking. It was work hauling up that string of traps though..

#6 Delta Fast Set - How about Delta Poor Re-Set? I actually hated this anchor so much I sold it at the Maine Maritime Flea Market! It re-sets wors than the CQR but better than the Fortress & it does set at about 85% first try which is better than the CQR but if I can't depend on it to re-set it's no good to me in Maine. I don't really understand the niche this anchor fills if any??


So on my boat it's Manson Supreme as my all around, Spade S-80 as my storm anchor and a Fortress FX-16 as my stern anchor.. The CQR sits rusting in my shed with my Bruce not that either one is a bad anchor there are just better newer designs and I'm using those instead. Actually they are not rusting my neighbor has been using my Bruce as his spare anchor after loosing his in some granite tailings down east and my Brither has my CQR..

My wife and I prefer to anchor wherever we go and anchored on three seperate ocasions today and seven times this weekend. For those not familiar with the Manson or a Rocna see the picture below. The first one is a Spade A-80 on top and the Manson Supreme below. Second is the Manson Supreme on the roller..

[Maine Sail]

I thought I'd forward a link to a short video I made after I purchased my Manson. The video shows how the Manson sets in a very hard surface and gives some sort of view as to what happens below the waters surface. Call me anchor crazy but I take my anchoring seriously and I wish more other's did too..

http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?userid ... ime=160000

[Wayne Grenier]

Up until Friday I have had excellent results anchoring my cd 28 with a 25 lb danforth and 30' of chain-mostly on Cuttyhunk where the bottom is grassy and it is notoriously difficult to anchor. Two years ago I spent a sleepless night watching everyone around me break loose and drag during a very windy night. I held fast but it was not pleasant. Upon returning to Padanaram harbor there were several boats on the beach THAT HAD DRAGGED THEIR MOORINGS! That's how windy it was . So I was fairly certain my rig was foolproof. Friday we anchored in the back of the pond, set the anchor with the motor and had lunch. I had an uneasy feeling and felt we may be dragging but could not confirm it, so I decided to take a swim and check the bottom and see how much water I was in. I was wondering wether the depthsounder was reading the actual bottom or the eel grass. While I was swimming around the boat it took off on me so I ended up yelling for my wife who was down below using the head while I climbed back on the swim ladder. We were about 20' from shore. So with me in the bow pulling up the anchor line and my wife at the engine and tiller we were able to get out of trouble. Thankfully the batteries were on the and the key was in the ignition. We had to avoid running over the line and fowling the prop as we tried to get out of trouble. Anyway, at my wife's insistence we ended up renting a mooring at $40 per night for the next 2 days but I did not give her much of an argument. In going over the situation I can't think of anything I could have done differently. We were hooked. If the anchor does not set normally the boat will turn broadside to the wind. I saw the anchor line tighten up like a piano wire when my wife put the boat in reverse and usually that does it. We must have been dragging inch by inch until we finally broke free. Believe it or not I may have had too much scope out allowing the boat to swing too much! That's the only thing I can think of! To top it off I motored back on Sunday in pea soup "you can't see your hand in front of your face fog" which has always given me a tremendous sense of acomplishment (haven't screwed up once yet) but still makes me very very nervous. The moral of the story-even a routine boat trip can be exciting! and no anchor is foolproof!

[polyphemus]

I was out in one of the Turnabouts from CYC on Friday in the pond. It was pretty breezy and gusting that day as I recall.

At least the 40 goes to the town of Cuttyhunk to help maintain that wonderful place.