Anchoring in Brittany

[oldmanofthehills]

Have you considered adding 'Legs'....? Seriously?

They'd be quite easy to add to your boat, economically, and would open up a long list of highly-suitable havens in North and South Brittany, where anchoring further out is 'crowded out' by locals' moorings. You have the time to get these together, and they'd pay for themselves in just a couple of nights.

Consider, for example, Rotheneuf just east of St Malo, and just NNE of St Jacut de la Mer...... Google Maps/Satellite view is your friend.....

Edit: Whatever else you don't do, do not forget your Breton courtesy ensign.

Wooden Legs are bulky to carry on a small boat. I have just bought second hand metal "Collapsible" boat legs for use in just this situation (many thanks Vyv) but hard to find.

The "black and white" however is easy to carry and well worth it as a flag in that region - goes down particularly well if you cheekily combine with flying a Cornish ensign

 

[doug748]

.....

I would welcome any and all advice. Thanks

...

I guess you don't want advice that involves spending loads of cash so:

I don't think it is worth painting a copy CQR anchor as there have been so many dodgy reports about them and, indeed, all copies. As CQRs are no longer fashionable, you could look out for a good, genuine replacement which might cost from nothing to about 20 quid. If you wanted to spend £50 a Delta should be obtainable.

Shackling the two lengths of chain together would only cost a few pounds and away you go.
On the other hand if you had £200 to spend 40 or 50 mtrs of 8mm chain would be great for the job and, generally, means no more wrestling with wet, niffy rope.

 

[PhillM]

I guess you don't want advice that involves spending loads of cash so:

I don't think it is worth painting a copy CQR anchor as there have been so many dodgy reports about them and, indeed, all copies. As CQRs are no longer fashionable, you could look out for a good, genuine replacement which might cost from nothing to about 20 quid. If you wanted to spend £50 a Delta should be obtainable.

Shackling the two lengths of chain together would only cost a few pounds and away you go.
On the other hand if you had £200 to spend 40 or 50 mtrs of 8mm chain would be great for the job and, generally, means no more wrestling with wet, niffy rope.

OK so spending money may not be a problem. Looking at the Lewmar guide, it looks like a 6 kg or 10 kg would do the job. Anyone got any direct experience of these?

Re shackling together, is there a connector that would pass through my chain pipe as I would want to be able to just have everything ready to go.

 

[doug748]

.....
Re shackling together, is there a connector that would pass through my chain pipe as I would want to be able to just have everything ready to go.

Look at C links, you rivet them together. They are generally a lot weaker than the chain itself though probably strong enough for you in 8mm chain.

 

[PhillM]

Have you considered adding 'Legs'....? Seriously?

They'd be quite easy to add to your boat, economically, and would open up a long list of highly-suitable havens in North and South Brittany, where anchoring further out is 'crowded out' by locals' moorings. You have the time to get these together, and they'd pay for themselves in just a couple of nights.

Consider, for example, Rotheneuf just east of St Malo, and just NNE of St Jacut de la Mer...... Google Maps/Satellite view is your friend.....

Edit: Whatever else you don't do, do not forget your Breton courtesy ensign.

Good idea. However, my fear with legs is that you need to know where you are and the exact seabed. Once the tide goes out your stuck. Chose the wrong spot and the consequences are horrible.

 

[zoidberg]

Knowing exactly where you are is not normally a problem, these days. As for 'knowing the nature of the seabed', you could always ask..... on here or over there. Further, if the sheltered inlet you're considering already has a number of local boats of similar size, equipped with their own sea-legs, then it's a fair bet. Many of those places will have just those cues.

Having your own sealegs could save you several hundred Euros over the length of the cruise you're considering..... and they needn't be intrusively bulky on your boat.

I could give you a short list of suitable places, and others here would certainly add to it. You could look over the side, or probe with a pole.

As for a genuine-beduine CQR of the right size.... I have two. Make me an offer reflecting my preference in Beaujolais, and bob's yer uncle!

 

[Tintin]

I had a Leisure 27. 40m of 8mm chain was enough for my Brittany cruises, with some rope to tie on if needed. The weight is a long way forward and they aren't the speediest of yachts. You also have a windlass (luxury, lucky b$$$$r) and that will have added weight forward to.

I kept 20m of chain in the aft locker with the kedge, snap shackled on, with the idea of using it if I needed, but never did.

A bog standard CQR did me fine too.

 

[LadyInBed]

Look at C links, you rivet them together. They are generally a lot weaker than the chain itself though probably strong enough for you in 8mm chain.

I have always bulked at the idea of using C links, but a thought struck me that now, with the availability of Dyneema, weaving it in about three links either side of the join would give me more confidence in the joint.

 

[Sybarite]

IMHO, yes, or a Spade; much better use of weight than all that chain.

That said, you’ll have really kicked it off!!

All you need to do now, is ask if the SNCF in Brittany is as good as the RNLI and the forum will spontaneously self-destruct

Yep - a TGV would certainly get there faster....

 

[Sybarite]

Knowing exactly where you are is not normally a problem, these days. As for 'knowing the nature of the seabed', you could always ask..... on here or over there. Further, if the sheltered inlet you're considering already has a number of local boats of similar size, equipped with their own sea-legs, then it's a fair bet. Many of those places will have just those cues.

Having your own sealegs could save you several hundred Euros over the length of the cruise you're considering..... and they needn't be intrusively bulky on your boat.

I could give you a short list of suitable places, and others here would certainly add to it. You could look over the side, or probe with a pole.

As for a genuine-beduine CQR of the right size.... I have two. Make me an offer reflecting my preference in Beaujolais, and bob's yer uncle!

In a comparative study a few years ago, they decided not to include the CGR in the round-up table because the results were so poor.

 

[Sybarite]

I had a Leisure 27. 40m of 8mm chain was enough for my Brittany cruises, with some rope to tie on if needed. The weight is a long way forward and they aren't the speediest of yachts. You also have a windlass (luxury, lucky b$$$$r) and that will have added weight forward to.

I kept 20m of chain in the aft locker with the kedge, snap shackled on, with the idea of using it if I needed, but never did.

A bog standard CQR did me fine too.

I have cruised for years with 20m of 8mm chain plus a similar length of rope on a 14kg Brittany anchor. On a new boat I would choose either a Spade or a Brittany Roc.

 

[Daydream believer]

No one has suggested (as far as I can see) to the OP that instead of placing extra chain on the bow, why not take a chum & place it in the bilges where it will do most good for sailing. For the windy days he can place it down the chain to help the anchor.

On my Stellas I had 2 /56lb scale weights, for racing, that fitted neatly just a little forward of the mast. If I anchored for any length of time & felt that I needed to, then I tied them onto the rope (no chain) & that helped my, underweight, anchor do the job.

 

[dom]

No one has suggested (as far as I can see) to the OP that instead of placing extra chain on the bow, why not take a chum & place it in the bilges where it will do most good for sailing. For the windy days he can place it down the chain to help the anchor.

On my Stellas I had 2 /56lb scale weights, for racing, that fitted neatly just a little forward of the mast. If I anchored for any length of time & felt that I needed to, then I tied them onto the rope (no chain) & that helped my, underweight, anchor do the job.

For racing they're great, partly because one usually only anchors in light winds to stem the tide and partly because an all-rope rode can snarl the foils if it floats up.

For cruising a 10kg kellet is however only equivalent to 6/7m of 8mm chain and the stronger the wind the less use it will be. Probably near-worthless in 20-25kts of wind with a suitable snubber?

For Brittany, my advice would be to carry something like an 80m rode (tidal range up to 12m+) of which only around 20m needs to be of chain. Invest 3-5kg of the saved weight in a new generation anchor and one should be good to go.

 

[Daydream believer]

Probably near-worthless in 20-25kts of wind with a suitable snubber?

.

I am surprised to hear that because the yachting monthly had a large stand set up at the London boat show one year demonstrating its use & suggesting the benefits of carrying one. Of course in my Stella I had 2 at 56 Lb each if I needed them- which was only used once, when I left my boat at anchor unattended for 2 weeks on 2 anchors

I still say that it is a good option worth considering against having extra chain, that may not be needed most of the time, up forward in a small boat

By the way, in my 31 ft boat, if I do decide to take an extra cruising anchor with chain, that chain is only 6mm. I do not see the need for 8mm for strength. Length gives me all the weight I need.

 

[Poignard]

I am surprised to hear that because the yachting monthly had a large stand set up at the London boat show one year demonstrating its use & suggesting the benefits of carrying one. Of course in my Stella I had 2 at 56 Lb each if I needed them- which was only used once, when I left my boat at anchor unattended for 2 weeks on 2 anchors

I still say that it is a good option worth considering against having extra chain, that may not be needed most of the time, up forward in a small boat

By the way, in my 31 ft boat, if I do decide to take an extra cruising anchor with chain, that chain is only 6mm. I do not see the need for 8mm for strength. Length gives me all the weight I need.

I hadn't heard of that demonstration. What form did it take?

56lb is a hell of a weight to manhandle on a small boat in a seaway. You must be pretty agile!

My weight is 25 - 30lbs and that's quite enough to be staggering down the sidedeck with when she's rolling!

 

[Daydream believer]

I hadn't heard of that demonstration. What form did it take?

56lb is a hell of a weight to manhandle on a small boat in a seaway. You must be pretty agile!

My weight is 25 - 30lbs and that's quite enough to be staggering down the sidedeck with when she's rolling!

They had a tower, something like 20 plus feet high & in front of it, a length of sand. They made out the tower was the deck of the boat & the sand was the sea bed. They then- from memory- used different anchors & rode to show what happens. I only watched a bit where they used a chum on a rope.. I think they had the chum on a pulley & a separate rope so it slid down & could be pulled up on its own. Long time ago & I only watched briefly

Boat show visitors from past LIBS may recall & enlarge on the purpose & conclusions of the demonstrations