GL: anchor advice

[gb36cl@netscape.net]

 Concerning anchors for the Great Circle Route.  Here is a note I posted on the MTOA list months ago and I think it is appropriate to this discussion.
 
 
Is there a best anchor? In all truth probably not. There are good
anchors and not so good anchors and some really awlful anchors. In most
cases you have to choose which anchor is going to work best for your boat
and your cruising situation.
In my case I have used a number of different anchors over the years but
have ended up with the following on my Grand Banks 36. Primary anchor,
60lb. CQR on 175ft of 3/8" chain works great in sand, mud, clay, gravel and
being several sizes bigger than recommended has the weight and surface area
to hold in most bottoms and situations. We have sat out gusts to over 74
knots and sustained winds of 50-60 knots on this anchor.
Its companion on the bow platform is a 54 lb. adjustable SuperMax on 15
ft. of chain and 300 ft. of 5/8" nylon line. We use this when the bottom is
not conducive to hard backdown holding with the CQR. The bottoms we end up
using the SuperMax in are either the very hard bottoms, where the CQR does
not get a bit or in the very soft bottoms (i.e. Loon Sh*t consistency) where
the CQR just plows through with little resistance. The advantage of the
adjustable SuperMax is you have three setting (normal, extremely hard bottom
or extremely soft bottom). Before the SuperMax we had a 44lb Bruce, which
held better than the CQR in soft bottoms but still would not give good
holding power in a blow. The SuperMax we are using has about 3 times the
surface area for about 25% more weight than our previous Bruce and it keeps
digging deeper and deeper as the pull increases.
Our final anchor is a Fortress FX37 which we use as a stern anchor, when
up a narrow creeks etc. to hold us centred. It light enough to be easily
carried out in the dingy or in fact I have swam it to position in the
Bahamas to prevent swinging in a very tight anchorage. For its weight it
has very large flukes and it is again adjustable to a soft bottom condition.
The things to look for in an anchor are quality of construction, surface
area to weight ration, the ability to dig in and not break out or trip when
direction of pull is reversed or shearing takes place and its ability of sit
well on your bow platform and be compatible with your roller system. Also
more weight is better if you and your anchoring equipment can handle it.
Most people in my opinion carry anchors that are just marginal in size, even
though their anchor platform and windlass are capable of handling much
bigger anchors. In a blow or worse nothing beats big anchors on properly
sized chain and rode.
Well that is my 2 cents worth
Cheers Al Binnington
GB 36 FALKOR
Guelph, Ontario
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