dgadee
Well-Known Member
So true. But there are plenty of places with seagrass without that kind of overt protection.
So did anyone buy an Epsilon Anchor and was it any good?
- Thread starter robmcg
- Start date
So true. But there are plenty of places with seagrass without that kind of overt protection.
Bilgediver
Well-Known Member
Any different to Studland seagrass or Scottish seagrass . Mind you a similar problem can exist in kelp.
dgadee
Well-Known Member
Yes, totally different. No-one ever seemed to suggest that an anchor would not go through Studland stuff, but I have seen boats try 10 or more times to get an anchor through the Med stuff.
Yngmar
Well-Known Member
Posidonia is very tough, tough roots and strong blades of grass. So most anchors below 50 kg or so just can't get their tips under the roots unless they get lucky. The whole anchor comfortably rests on a thick pile carpet of grass and slides around on top. You can drag it around a bit and sometimes get it to bite on an edge, but that's not very nice. I figure a grapnel or fisherman would work best here as they have long, sharp tips that will get through the carpet. In fact that's what we saw on many Greek and Portuguese fishing boats (often DIY welded from some rebar).
Our Rocna (and most others I presume) work well in Posidionia if you dive down, pick it up by the rollbar and then jam it back down hard with the tip under the roots. Then signal the helmsperson to set it in reverse and watch the magic (very educational watching anchors set - don't even need a action camera). We do this diver assisted anchoring often in summer (in difficult substrate, in sand you don't need to bother), as it's more fun and less work than trying 3 times before getting a lucky bite. Once the tip has dug under the strong roots, it will hold in any wind, although reversals can be iffy.
Of course it's always better to find a patch of sand, but as in many areas the Posidionia is in extremely good health, those aren't always available!
Neeves
Well-Known Member
Posidonia is very tough, tough roots and strong blades of grass. So most anchors below 50 kg or so just can't get their tips under the roots unless they get lucky. The whole anchor comfortably rests on a thick pile carpet of grass and slides around on top. You can drag it around a bit and sometimes get it to bite on an edge, but that's not very nice. I figure a grapnel or fisherman would work best here as they have long, sharp tips that will get through the carpet. In fact that's what we saw on many Greek and Portuguese fishing boats (often DIY welded from some rebar).
Our Rocna (and most others I presume) work well in Posidionia if you dive down, pick it up by the rollbar and then jam it back down hard with the tip under the roots. Then signal the helmsperson to set it in reverse and watch the magic (very educational watching anchors set - don't even need a action camera). We do this diver assisted anchoring often in summer (in difficult substrate, in sand you don't need to bother), as it's more fun and less work than trying 3 times before getting a lucky bite. Once the tip has dug under the strong roots, it will hold in any wind, although reversals can be iffy.
Of course it's always better to find a patch of sand, but as in many areas the Posidionia is in extremely good health, those aren't always available!
An answer is a sharp toe and leading edges plus a design that ensures the toe is able to engage in the first place, beats trying to set an anchor by hand in the dark
.Many anchors don't have a sharp toe, Bruce would be the classic example, but also CQR and, sadly, Spade. Once your anchor has seen some use the gal will have worn off the toe - you can then feel comfortable attacking the toe with some vigour - and a file.
Jonathan
