Best anchor for bristol channel

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David 01

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Hi, I've not long bought a new boat, boat currently has a bruce type anchor.

What would be the best type of anchor for the Bristol channel where I will be sailing 95% of the time?

Boat is a beneteau 42 lying in cardif.

Thanks all.
 
It's a pretty expansive subject. I guess the first question is anchoring for lunch or overnight? The next us what sort of ground do your favoured stops have?

The anchor is just the first part of a whole system - 3 links, swivel, chain, splice, rope, snubber, chum. So that's the 3rd question - what's your whole rode made up of? Is the anchor a bit small?

Bruce anchors are an older style, true Bruce's better than modern repro's. Bruce's can be OK in reasonably consolidated bottoms - sandy somethings/stiffer muds.

A newer style (Rocna/Mantus/Epsilon/Spade/Sarca/etc.) will most likely be better. P'rhaps even a Delta to keep price lower but still have good holding.

The most general rule is over sized ground tackle and lots of it.

Maybe look at your whole rode, take a couple of trips and see how you get on before splashing a lot of cash.

Hope you enjoy your new boat! (y)(y)
 
If you go to SV Panope YT channel
you will find that Bruce is not so bad in mud. Of course newer designs anchors are better, but with bottom type in Bristol Channel plus not many places to anchor, I decided buy Bruce. If in future I will go further, then I buy something more modern, still keeping Bruce
 
Many places to anchor in the Bristol Channel, one just needs 50m of chain and some cunning to keep out of the tideflow, and for a shoal draft boat many places to dry out - just no harbours of refuge until Milford

I found a bruce excellent in the Bristol Channel mud above Foreland or east of the Mumbles - a true bruce with sharpish edges not a poor copy. Not bad in the S E Wales or NE Cornish sands either.

I bought an Manson Supreme for use in other grounds and though it was a lot more awkward to manage on a semibowsprit boat it did hold just a well in mud while being better in weed and large shingle (Porlock, Lynmouth, Combe Martin or off the Holms etc) However now I am based in S Cornwall the Manson is the main and the Bruce only the backup.
 
Our 27 tonne motorboat (with a lot of windage) came to us with a 50kg genuine Bruce anchor and it's never let us down in a number of anchorages in the Bristol Channel including Tenby, Lundy, various other places. We also carry a Fortress as kedge/spare anchor. I agree with Lodestone, the important thing is to review your entire ground tackle system, the anchor is only part of it. But if your anchor is a genuine Bruce and it's sized for your boat you don't have to buy a new one until you have made up your own mind what you need.

I emphasise genuine Bruce because some of the copies are dangerously defective. I have seen photos of one where the shank snapped in half.
 
In my experience of the muddy upper reaches of the Bristol Channel - the Holms and upwards - pretty much any anchor will bury itself deep and hold. But you do need a lot of rope and chain - I used to favour 30m of each, to allow anchoring at high tide on a spring tide with a decent scope and still being afloat 14m lower at low tide...
 
Slight thread drift here but it's worth noting. My first anchor in the Bristol channel was outside Minehead, to see out a foul tide, on my way up to Bristol. We put out 40 meters of chain which held with a cqr anchor. However, at low tide we now had a far bigger scope of around 10 to 1. This meant that we had drifted further inshore and nearly ran a ground an hour and a half before low water.
 
Thanks all for the great replies lots of good info, currently looking into the lewmar epilson anchor, but will look into your suggested ones also.
Thanks. Dave
 
David 01 said:
Thanks all for the great replies lots of good info, currently looking into the lewmar epilson anchor, but will look into your suggested ones also.
Thanks. Dave
Click to expand...
That would be a good choice. I have one and it does what it claims. Better than a Delta, tested with similar holding power to other new gen anchors but less than half the price. A bit rough and ready looking - at least my early one is but does not affect function.
 
In most places in the BC you are anchoring in sand or mud, for which a Danforth or Fortress is very good - I think better than any plough-shaped device. In a lot of wind however it may dig so deep as to be VERY hard to retrieve. Danforth type rubbish in the shingle outside Porlock though, for which a Fisherman worked better.
 
Our Bruce held rock solid at Dale during a VERY nasty spot of bother which blew up while we were walking around the peninsula. On the way back I thought I might find our boat had blown back onto the beach or the rocks but it never moved an inch. We got soaked on our return in the RIB.
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David 01 said:
Hi, I've not long bought a new boat, boat currently has a bruce type anchor.

What would be the best type of anchor for the Bristol channel where I will be sailing 95% of the time?

Boat is a beneteau 42 lying in cardif.

Thanks all.
Click to expand...
My advice is....
A heavy one. and lots of chain.

Personally have a pool anchor and loads of chain, even works at porlock weir with no problem. (56ft heavy steel motor cruiser)
 
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