Anchor Chain Length

[jcwads]

Soon off on my West Country Adventure including the Scillies if weather allows...

Currently have 50m of 8mm chain on my T40 on a Delta Anchor.

Upgrading to a Rocna 20 Anchor. However do people think 50m of chain is enough for lots of overnighting.

Cheers

J

 

[sarabande]

The chain will weigh in at something like 70 - 75kg, and that should be enough, especially with a good big hook like a Rocna 20.

Just in case, do you have a means of extending the chain by joining a long warp to a shackle on the inboard end of the chain ? And is the chain able to be released quickly from its attachment point in the locker ?

 

[simonfraser]

Depends dunnit, how deep, how much wind, how good is the holding ground, how choppy, etc

I would be happy with depth x wind force in Beaufort assuming you can grab hold of some bottom.

 

[jcwads]

Good point. It’s shackles on, so I may just put some rode on and have that as backup too

 

[sarabande]

Apologies if it is granny and egg sucking.

If you have the chain shackled to a strong point in the locker, then you might wish to replace the shackle by a length of strong rope, long enough to end on deck. The perceived wisdom is that if, for example, your anchor jammed and you had to release the chain, it can be done on deck by cutting the retaining rope. Or adding a length of warp to extend the chain can be done with good access and visibility. I'd keep the extra warp unattached till you plan to use it.

 

[Rocksteadee]

“So how long do you want it?”......”er, forever”

 

[petem]

Good point. It’s shackles on, so I may just put some rode on and have that as backup too

If you add rope, how will you recover it? What I'd be tempted to do if I required more chain would be to add another 20m of nice stainless chain that would flow easier than the galvanized stuff that's fitted as standard.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Add another 25m of chain. It will cost pennies in relative terms and you'll sleep a lot better at night on the hook. FWIW the accepted wisdom is a scope of 3:1 but for overnight anchoring 5:1 is safer especially in marginal conditions so more chain would be desirable in your case

 

[QBhoy]

I suppose the quick answer and without sounding cheeky....would be...it depends on the depth you anchor in ? Sounds plenty for your average anchoring location ?

 

[jcwads]

Max 10 metres on a high spring. I’d say we’d average 8 metres max.