Vulcan anchor anyone used one.

[dgadee]

I replaced a 20kg genuine Bruce with a 15kg Vulcan. Rocna would not fit, but happy with Vulcan.

Only problem has been with seagrass when we got to the Med. I think I have the technique now to cope with that. Holds very well in sand and sticks like glue when dropped.

 

[FirstAway]

Only problem has been with seagrass when we got to the Med. I think I have the technique now to cope with that. Holds very well in sand and sticks like glue when dropped.

I would be very happy to hear your seagrass technique if you could share it please? I am afraid ours comprises looking for a patch of sand!

 

[dgadee]

I would be very happy to hear your seagrass technique if you could share it please? I am afraid ours comprises looking for a patch of sand!

I found that I needed to drop the anchor, let the boat ride back, and then very slowly reverse under power. Only when it seemed that the anchor had started to set would I put on full power and hold that for 10 seconds. Then I ease off and full power on again. The problem seemed to be at first (and I was knocked on the hull in Ibiza and told that I was underway - very lucky I didn't hit anything) that the anchor was not going below the seagrass - I had to wait for it to settle rather than my usual sand approach of just dropping, then putting into reverse at half throttle, then full throttle.

Seagrass is an awful pig of a thing. In San Antoni, Ibiza (where I dragged) I saw a UK large wooden boat with a CQR try well over 10 times to set and then give up and move elsewhere.

In Tuelada, Sardinia, I was sure that I had anchored on a sand patch one evening. Next morning I went for a swim and saw that the sand patches were actually seagrass in bloom. I think we would have held should the wind have got up, but it taught me to be more careful.

 

[FirstAway]

Re: Seagrass technique - Vulcan anchor

Thanks very much for that, how much scope do you have out while you slowly reverse back please?

 

[dgadee]

Re: Seagrass technique - Vulcan anchor

Thanks very much for that, how much scope do you have out while you slowly reverse back please?

At least three, sometimes four. I have 60m of chain and have used it all on a couple of occasions where depths were up to 18m, but that length only onto sand.

I should say that the Vulcan didn't set one time and I suspect very fine mud was responsible. That was before I sorted that new technique. Not sure if it would have made any difference, though.

 

[FirstAway]

Re: Seagrass technique - Vulcan anchor

Many thanks for the advice, we are back on the boat at the end of August and look forward to trying it.