Anchor chain length for med

robertager1962

robertager1962

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I have searched through the posts but cannot find a simple answer to this one and would appreciate your collective advice.
We are heading to the Med next month and I am now questioning the length of anchor chain we will need. Unfortunately our windlass only takes chain so I can't add warp and we have 40m of 8mm chain and a 15kg ROCNA on a Southerly 105 (about 36ft). I would happily add more chain to my existing amount but am not sure a joining link is a safe option so it would mean having to buy a whole new anchor chain.

I would appreciate any help.
 
If you go to Vyv Cox's website he has a section on 'C' links - of which he approves - if you buy the right quality.

Look at (website), or ring, Tecni in the UK. I believe they sell the 'C' links and will sell mail order. You need to buy one made by Crosby (there maybe other reputable suppliers - but I don't know them and you will not find a reliable 'C' link in your local chandlery!!!)

I source my Crosby stuff, shackles, through Tecni - they send, cheaply, to Oz.

Just watch the 'C' link for corrosion every month or so.

All you need to know now is the extra length of chain you need - sorry I'm not much use there - its a bit far.

Jonathan
 
It rather depends where in the Med. Some areas such as Turkey shelve dramatically close to shore so you need a large scope of chain. Other areas not so much ie nearby Greek isles. Therefore Turkey could easily be 20m and Greece 5m. Chain x 5 max depth.
 
I carry 64 metres but have not been to Turkey. We have had all of it out a few times, Sardinia free anchoring and stern-to anchoring in Greece.

C-links by Crosby are good but their galvanising is not great, so paint it and inspect occasionally.
 
Vyv probably mentions it on his website - he is pretty inclusive.

But do not try to be clever and weld it - you will destroy, or markedly reduce, its strength and might finish up, much, weaker than your chain.

In partial defense of Crosby - they do not focus on the marine industry where items are constantly submerged in the sea, smothered in mud and then stored in a warm damp locker - the gal is probably good enough for their primary markets. The method of joining 'C' links, belting them with a big hammer to rivet them together, can do little for the galvanised coating - I'm amazed they last so well.

Jonathan
 
We moved up from 35m of chain to 60m of chain plus 60m of warp (mostly Croatia and Greece) and used all 60m in our first trip with the new chain in a popular bay where you anchor in 18-20m of water. Since then we have run out of chain a few times in our first Greek season but only by dropping anchor too far from the quay - never in free anchoring. Eventually we will change our 10mm chain to probably 100m of 8mm but for now the combination seems fine although rarely used and a bit hassly when we have.
 
Thanks all, much appreciated. We plan on staying in the Med so may well visit Turkey sometime in the future. I will certainly look at the C link and now check out actually how much chain will fit in my locker. It sounds as if 100m would be the best choice.
 
For your information:

100m of 6mm chain weigh 80kg
8mm chain weigh 145kg
10mm chain weigh 230kg
12mm chain weigh 380kg

Approximately

and smaller chain, obviously, takes up less room


Its a lot of weight in the bow if you have a modern relatively light yacht. Which is why, I suspect, RupertW, above, Geem (I think) and ourselves moved to smaller chain, of higher strength. Note there is an additional cost of downsizing - you will need a new gypsy. We went from 50m of 8mm to 75m of 6mm.

Jonathan
 
Baggywrinkle said:
I used to have 50m but when I replaced the chain I went up to 65m as there have been a few occasions when I wanted a bit more out. Cruising ground - Croatia.
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RupertW said:
We moved up from 35m of chain to 60m of chain plus 60m of warp (mostly Croatia and Greece) and used all 60m in our first trip with the new chain in a popular bay where you anchor in 18-20m of water. Since then we have run out of chain a few times in our first Greek season but only by dropping anchor too far from the quay - never in free anchoring. Eventually we will change our 10mm chain to probably 100m of 8mm but for now the combination seems fine although rarely used and a bit hassly when we have.
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jordanbasset said:
I used to have 50m of chain and did struggle on a couple of occasions. Now have 70m and not had a problem.
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It's a familiar story. I started with 50m but, having run into issues a couple of times in Croatia where a bay was busy and I needed to anchor a bit further out, I added another 50m joined with a Crosby C link.

Since then I've only used the full 100m a couple of times and 75m a couple of times so it's not been a deal breaker but does remove an area of concern.

Richard
 
robertager1962 said:
Thanks all, much appreciated. We plan on staying in the Med so may well visit Turkey sometime in the future. I will certainly look at the C link and now check out actually how much chain will fit in my locker. It sounds as if 100m would be the best choice.
Click to expand...

Never spent much time in the Med but round the atlantic 60m chain has usually been ample with another 50m octoplait spliced on for any deep anchorages. Seems an OK compromise for weight in the bow, my windlass can take rope & chain but before fitting that the first bit of rode wasn't too hard to get up by hand even with 10mm chain in 12m water, wrap round a halyard windlass can help.

Bearing in mind less scope (ratio rode/depth) is needed in deep water to keep the chain on the sea floor.
 
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fwiw,

greece, 70m, more than a few times used most of it (stern to) or rope to the rocks.
I'd consider 60m too little and anything less impossible unless you are marina hopping (and not around Greece...)

V.
 
Sandy said:
Really depends in the depth of water you select to anchor in!

I select where I am going to anchor against the length of chain I carry and the sea/wind conditions.
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In the Med, sometimes it's not that simple. Anchorages can get quite crowded so you sometimes have no choice but to anchor a bit further out ... that's when a bit of extra chain comes in really handy - an extra 15-20 metres can make the difference between a pleasant evening with a G&T and an hour-long trudge to the next available anchorage.
 
scruff said:
Can you expand on that? I've never taken the depth into account when deciding what depth multiplier to use...
Click to expand...

This might help .. equations might not be bang on but seems accurate enough to get a handle on things >

http://www.moondogmoving.co.uk/catenary.html

So to lift the last link just off the seabed in 5m water with 230Kgf horizontal force and 10mm chain scope will be about 6.4:1, in 15m water scope needed to do the same is less, about 3.8:1.

If you want to go that route then day to day for 10mm chain , length = 2 x water depth plus about 22 is usually pretty close.

Let the anchor wars begin :)
 
GHA said:
This might help .. equations might not be bang on but seems accurate enough to get a handle on things >

http://www.moondogmoving.co.uk/catenary.html

So to lift the last link just off the seabed in 5m water with 230Kgf horizontal force and 10mm chain scope will be about 6.4:1, in 15m water scope needed to do the same is less, about 3.8:1.

If you want to go that route then day to day for 10mm chain , length = 2 x water depth plus about 22 is usually pretty close.

Let the anchor wars begin :)
Click to expand...

That's really interesting, thank you.

Will do a bit more reading up on it. My wife, a maths teacher, will enjoy the equation!
 
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