8mm Anchor chain?

What depth do you propose to anchor in and what depths are there in your normal sailing area? These depths plus the height of bow roller above the water multiplied by 4 will give the amount of chain to carry.
 
I make do with 80ft but 100ft is more like it. After that it should be rope. You don't want a huge weight of chain in the foc'sle that'll rarely be used.
But plenty of peeps will tell you to carry much more!!!!!!!
 
All my early anchoring was on west coast UK, mostly around Anglesey/Liverpool Bay with tidal range up to 10 metres occasionally, mostly about 8 metres. I always had 50 metres then to allow for additional scope in strong winds with spring tides. Not many times when I had it all out. In Sardinia and Corsica I had all of it out and could have done with more. When I replaced it I bought 60 metres.
 
50m x 8mm chain and 50m 14mm warp.
That allows anchoring in up to 25m water.
If you only intend to anchor in 6-12 m, then 50m of chain is adequate.
One would be very ill-advised to expect to ALWAYS anchor on all chain.
Most boats, and modern boats more than low freeboard, long-keelers, need a mixed rode to ride safely and comfortably in a blow.
For this reason, and to take the snatch-load off the windlass, it's a good idea to have 10m of 8-plait with a chain-hook on the end - many decry the use of chain-hooks reckoning a rolling hitch adequate - I've seen it's not.
 
The weight a boat can carry for'ard isn't always obvious, but obviously a heavier displacement boat is likely to be less affected by it. I've had to go to the foredeck of a dinghy like boat (R19) to sort a spinnaker wrap and she could barely be steered whilst i was up there! A friend's T24 (Guy Thompson) was the opposite - sailing with another in lightish breeze we were equal until heading into a chop where we pulled ahead due to the 30m of chain in the locker where she had rope, it gave us the trim to punch through the chop rather than getting pulled up short.

Unless in a really racy design, I'd always like around 30m for the South Coast which will cope with most anchorages and maybe 50m of rope to deal with deeper water on occasion.

Rob.
 
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Quote Originally Posted by rivonia View Post
We NEVER ever had less than 100 meters of chain all 8ml plus 30 meter rope.
OK if you've an enormous boat which can carry such weight in the bows, or you're blithely unaware of the effects of trimming a boat down by the head.
Quick reply to this message Reply Reply With Quote Hi charles not so an 11x4.7 meter cat. We also carried two more anchors with 60 meters of chain. It worked for us. We often got 14 knots in strong winds so we were well balanced.
 
I have always had all chain. Previous (big) boat had 100m of 16mm. Present fairly heavy displacement 36ft ketch has 65m of 10mm. I can quite understand that a light displacement boat cannot carry anything like that up at the bow, and so are quite correct in having part chain and part nylon warp.

I'm accustomed to the chain coming straight down off the gypsy into the chain locker, and self stowing. How well does that work with warp? Is a quarter of the gypsy in contact with the warp sufficient to pull it in? Does it self stow in the locker?
 
I have always had all chain. Previous (big) boat had 100m of 16mm. Present fairly heavy displacement 36ft ketch has 65m of 10mm. I can quite understand that a light displacement boat cannot carry anything like that up at the bow, and so are quite correct in having part chain and part nylon warp.

I'm accustomed to the chain coming straight down off the gypsy into the chain locker, and self stowing. How well does that work with warp? Is a quarter of the gypsy in contact with the warp sufficient to pull it in? Does it self stow in the locker?

I have a 38' ketch, also heavy displacement, with 70m of 10mm, previously was 70m of 8mm, was fortunate enough to have a neighbour who's wife decided she wanted s/s 10mm chain, so that what showed above deck looked better, they also replaced the gypsie cog too s/s. When he piled all the galvanised 10mm on the pontoon wandering how he would dispose of it, he offered it to me, along with the old 10mm cog as well, we both had identical gypsies, I checked all the chain, he had 80m but the last 10m had been in the bottom of the locker and many areas were corroded, so I had 70m of good 10mm. I also have 40m of 16mm octoplait which I bought to add to it, not yet done so as I need to practice plaiting it to the chain. So far i have not needed to put out more than 50m, a benefit of the upgrade to 10mm is that it weighs around 1 kilo/m more than the 8mm, making for great catenary when out.
 
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I have a 30 ft. boat with 40m of chain and 20m of warp.

My friend has a 35' catamaran.
He had NO chain - just 60m warp. I spent years moaning to him about the terrible risk he was taking and hectoring him with the anchoring theory that we are all so aware of.
His response was that he had been sailing for 30 years and had never had an anchor drag. He is a very intrepid sailor who sails (and anchors) in the most unlikely places, so it was hard to argue with him.
A few years ago, just to shut me up, he put a couple of metres of chain on the anchor, (keeping the 60m of warp). Thankfully, we have had no dragging anchors, or I am sure he would have blamed the chain!
I am a disciple of the RYA and pile out my chain, as per RYA recommendations.

But, on his yacht, I have seen, for myself, that an all-warp scope can do the job, even in a ripping current in Jersey.

Maybe he is just lucky or maybe the importance of chain is overstated. Who knows?
 
I don't understand why you want all chain. I've got 30 m of 8 mm chain, and 50 m of 16 mm 3 plat nylon, on a similar sized boat. I wouldn't want any more weight in the bow.....

That to me is ideal. I have the same (in 10mm on a 44 foot boat). Anchored all round the south coast, France and the C.I.'s. Have never needed any more. Next year however we are off across the pond and beyond, am upgrading to 50m chain and 100m warp. It reallty does depend on what sort of anchoring you intend to do. Lunchtime stops and perhaps the odd overnighter in a shallow, sheltered harbour you could get away with 5 metres of chain and 50 metres warp, just !

Chris
 
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