anchors.....advice re how much chain and rope etc

[niccapotamus]

this is the next in the list of daft questions from a returning sailor

new to us boat - lots of chain and anchorage stuff onboard. trying to reduce and rationalise.

30ft bilge keeler. Displacement about 3700 kg

we have a 12kg spade type anchor + 20m of (probably 8mm but could be 6mm) chain and about 30m of warp as anchor no 1. Also buried in a locker was a fortress (danforth style) anchor of about 18kg (i believe) + a load more chain in about three lots (which was a struggle to get off the boat!!) and some warp but not too much.

My current thinking is to leave the spade anchor as is with the chain and maybe keep a bight of chain to use as a weight (what are they called....) to slide down the main rode if needed.

Then use the fortress anchor as a kedge so attach it to a shorter length of chain and some warp.

I know this question might get a load of differing opinions but

1. does this sound like a sensible plan
2. how much chain and warp for the kedge
3. i think we probably have enough warp and chain on the main anchor

bear in mind that we will be south coast sailors who might venture to france a bit and anchor occasionally but are planning to anchor a bit more than might be typical these days of marinas everywhere.

thanks

nick

 

[Tranona]

18kg for a Fortress kedge does not sound right - far too heavy.

Anyway, your main arrangements sound OK, although you might find the total length on the short side if anchoring in areas with big tidal ranges. 50m of rope would be better, and some might argue that 20m of chain is on the short side and 50+30 is a better combination. For the kedge, 5+50 is common, but it does depend on how you expect to use it.

 

[prv]

Are you sure your identification of Spade and Fortress are correct?

The Fortress is made of aluminium and is very lightweight, so an 18kg one would be massive. More likely at that weight that you have a bog standard no-name danforth pattern. Good choice of kedge, I have the same, with 10m of 8mm chain and then 50m of rope.

The Spade is an excellent anchor (in my opinion the best, but that's open to (interminable) debate!) but as far as I know there's no such thing as a "spade type", only the genuine article. The Spade has a single fluke, the back edge of which (forward-most part when the anchor is hanging from a bow roller) is curved like a spoon and has a small hole halfway along. There is no hinge, and the top surface of the fluke has a yellow plastic coating on it to make the anchor visible in clear water. Are you sure you aren't thinking of a "plough type" instead?

For the main anchor, assuming it is a CQR knockoff as I suspect, 12kg plus 20m of 8mm chain and 30m warp seems adequate but a little light for my taste. I had 12kg CQR + 40m 8mm chain (plus a long warp in a locker to be added when required) on our previous 24 footer. Now we are 34 feet I have a 20kg Spade and 60m of 8mm chain, plus again a long warp kept elsewhere ready to shackle on (think it's 40m). This is probably a little on the large side, but I sleep well at night

Pete

 

[Twister_Ken]

bear in mind that we will be south coast sailors who might venture to france a bit and anchor occasionally but are planning to anchor a bit more than might be typical these days of marinas everywhere.

thanks

nick

Others have commented on the anchors, but to my mind that scope is a bit short if you plans might include N Brittany and the Channel Islands where tidal ranges are somewhat massive.

My answer is 40m of chain shackled to 50m of warp. Not saying that's right, but I hope it's adequate.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

A Fortress of that size is for a 60' boat. I doubt it's that.

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

I have a similar boat to yours (mine is 5 tonnes) and I use a danforth as a ketch, a genuine CQR as a spare and a big Bruce copy (i dont trust it because is a copy) as a bow anchor on a 10m 8mm chain (would be better having 20m chain) and 60 m three strand 22mm rope. Your arrangement sounds ok but make sure the chain is 8mm not 6mm. You could improve by getting longer rope; you may need it in deeper water assuming 7:1 depth/rope ratio.

 

[oldbilbo]

All above are suggesting you 'lengthen' your primary arrangements, as am I, and you will probably need to deploy more than 20m + 30m warp if relying on your anchor in a breeze and in other than shallow water. Certainly I'd ensure I had 50m of wholly-robust warp to secure to my 20m chain - which is a bit minimalist IMHO.

You don't specify what lengths/size are the other chains you've unearthed, and I'd be more at ease with about 10m or more chain on the second anchor. A hefty 18kg anchor is rather better considered a 'storm anchor' than a kedge - or lunch hook - and if you wanted to deploy this out in deeper water to haul off after you'd dried out upright on the beach at the likes of Porz Kernoc/Ile de Batz or Havre de Rotheneuf/St Malo, you'd certainly want another 50m of light warp for that task.

I'm not a fan of sliding weights up and down. I'd rather use spare lengths of chain to extend the scope I can deploy.