which anchor are you using?

[joenne]

Hi,
I need to buy a new anchor and am wondering what people are using in the bristol channel? I am thinking about a Bruce anchor....

Cheers
Jeroen

 

[Csail]

35 cqr with no problems.Next will be a fortress though.

 

[Coaster]

20 kg Rocna on 50m 8mm chain, boat is a Westerly Seahawk 34, displacement about 8 tons in cruising mode. This anchor has worked well each time we've used it. Not dragged yet, but so far has had only one season's use, total anchoring about 100 times.

Joenne, you may get better advice if you tell us what boat you have and what you intend to do with it, either when asking a question or by putting the information in your forum profile. If it's a RIB or a heavy displacement motor boat or a 35' cruising sailing boat or a 21' racing sailing boat the anchor requirements will be different. Likewise, if you're only anchoring for lunch, that's different to anchoring overnight or for longer.

If you are cruising, don't forget the need for a kedge anchor (if that's appropriate for your boat). That should almost certainly be a different type to the bower (i.e. main) anchor.


P.S. be wary about Bruce anchors. That company gave up manufacturing small boat anchors about 10 years ago or more, due to the market being flooded with cheap copies. Many of the copy Bruce-type anchors are said to perform badly. We used a genuine Bruce on a small motor cruiser for 4 years and were very pleased with it but I'd not risk using a fake, unless it was as a lunch hook only.

There is a reasonable summary of anchor types on Wikipedia, here.

 

[fergie_mac66]

we have a kli 10 kg which was normally supplied with catalac does its job and as not cast will not crack under load, but has bent when anchored in an f 8/9. we have a 12 kg cqr which attempts to nip my fingers at every opportunity and 8 kg folding grapnel . We have just bought a 16 kg delta type which is really well made considering it was bought on offer from here:-

http://www.boatgeardirect.co.uk/id14.html

for £39 plus £9.00 postage next day delivery .

Not tried it yet but its constructed really well , is easy to handle than the kli and the cqr the extra 6 kg should be useful , its not cast so dont have to worry about it cracking like the copy bruces about .

The 10£ off offer is in the march pbo

 

[Bosun Higgs]

Rocna. Have a 35cqr which almost never works first time in Combe and a Fortress type which is quite good. Got rid of a Bruce which was not so good. Got a Fob anchor of a similar weight ( French type here) bought for my other boat and which is quite good. Both the CQR and the Fob are for sale

 

[joenne]

Thanks for the replies. Of course should have said which boat! I have a 26ft Etap. It had a small Brittany anchor when we bought her on the east coast last year. We are planning to go cruising this summer. The rocna seems to be a very good anchor but is quite expensive.

 

[RobF]

I've got a 20ft Red Fox and swear by my fortress. Fortress anchors tend to do well in soft mud (of which there is a lot in the channel). I am aware that some people say these anchors do not set well when there is a shift in the tide or wind, however this has not been my experience.

 

[bluedragon]

Thanks for the replies. Of course should have said which boat! I have a 26ft Etap. It had a small Brittany anchor when we bought her on the east coast last year. We are planning to go cruising this summer. The rocna seems to be a very good anchor but is quite expensive.

Manson Supreme (excellent in BC and W.Wales we found). Failing that a Delta or Kobra II if the Manson won't fit.

 

[craigsmith]

The Manson Supreme is a poor copy of the Rocna, likewise the Kobra of the Delta. Stick to the genuine originals.

 

[joenne]

I had a look around on the pontoons at Cardiff Bay Yacht club and most of the boats seem to have a CQR or a Bruce type anchor.... Another consideration for me is that there is not much space on the bow.

 

[Coaster]

I had a look around on the pontoons at Cardiff Bay Yacht club and most of the boats seem to have a CQR or a Bruce type anchor.... Another consideration for me is that there is not much space on the bow.

In my experience relatively few boats spend much time at anchor, so looking at what other people have may not be a worthwhile guide to performance. If you intend to overnight on the hook I suggest it's worth getting the best kit. A 10kg Rocna costs about £250 which doesn't seem excessive for the security it offers. You'll sleep better with something like that.

Have you done much anchoring yet? If not, and you are stopping for short periods only, then almost anything may do. A second-hand CQR can be picked up for very little cost. I threw a rusty one away last year.

Whatever you use, you'll obviously need sufficient chain (or chain-and-rope) and a connector. We have a non-swivelling connector, relying on there being sufficient chain out to take up twist caused by swinging, but we never anchor in one place for more than two or three days. Others think differently about the anchor to chain connection.

 

[bluedragon]

The OP was asking what people are using in the Bristol Channel. The replies here answer that question. Just about everything. You go from mud and ooze to hard sand to pebbles to weed to rocks...etc, etc. After a while you figure out what anchor works best for you. And in spite of Craig's oft-posted and entirely predictable responses, we ended-up with a Manson and it's a good anchor. To be fair I'm sure I'd have been just as happy with a Rocna...

 

[Anwen]

I have a 16Kg Delta on my 31ft boat, which has worked well for me. I sail out of Swansea, and often drop the hook in Oxwich or Three Cliffs for the day. Overnight, I have anchored in the Range at Combe, Lundy and Tenby. All of these anchorages have been sand, and the Delta has been completely secure.

I have recently bought a Fortress FX7 back from the USA to use as a kedge. Those of you further up the channel and using them in mud, do you add the additional plates and move the stock pivot?

 

[bluedragon]

I felt very secure on our Delta as well. It struggled to bury in a few spots and I thought I'd try a roll-bar / sharp point design (Manson / Rocna). A Manson came my way, and I was very pleased. I tend to judge anchors not by their holding power in the ultimate storm, but how well they set first time and with no or little drag during setting. My reasoning is that if it sets that fast and easily, it'll re-set fast and easily if it comes out...and that was the big problem with a CQR copy we had. Once it buried I felt secure...but it often took way too long and too many attempts.

We also had an aluminium Guardian anchor (more basic Fortress). I fitted the mud plates anyway (why not) but only used it a few times on sand. Held immediately, but was useless on weed over sand. The weed blocked the flukes and it wouldn't dig in. It didn't have the adjustable angle and we didn't actually ever try it on mud. Best choice for a kedge though IMO, and I wouldn't be without it. Need a bigger one if anybody wants to buy my old (almost new) one (Actually I've got two...one from the old boat, and one from the new one...any takers?)

So that about sums-up our anchors trials in the BC over about 4-5 years with lots of waiting out the tide and/or nights between Cardiff - N.Devon -Milford - St.Brides Bay - Fishguard.

 

[Alcyone]

28ft Cobra 850, 3.5 tonnes. We got fed up with our 35lb cqr dragging (Once we almost dragged ashore at 2am at Porlock). Bought a 6kg Delta, second hand from this forum. I've only dragged that once, in very thick kelp in a force 7.

We also carry 50m 8mm chain and a Danforth kedge anchor.

 

[Brian@Fortress]

The Manson Supreme is a poor copy of the Rocna, likewise the Kobra of the Delta. Stick to the genuine originals.

Copies can out-perform the genuine originals, as evidenced by this German magazine test (below) where a Manson and Kobra copies both out-performed a Rocna. If you would like a copy, please send me a private message with your e-mail address.

I have recently bought a Fortress FX7 back from the USA to use as a kedge. Those of you further up the channel and using them in mud, do you add the additional plates and move the stock pivot?

Deepjoy, please install the Mud Palms permanently as they will help the anchor set faster in ANY type of sea bottom. Unless you are anchoring in a very soft, silty mud type of bottom, and you need more holding power, then I would not adjust the setting to 45° for soft mud, I would leave it at the 32° setting.

Regards,
Brian

Fortress Marine Anchors

 

[craigsmith]

Copies can out-perform the genuine originals, as evidenced by this German magazine test (below) where a Manson and Kobra copies both out-performed a Rocna. If you would like a copy, please send me a private message with your e-mail address.

One of the bunk tests - keep posting 'em, they might become worthwhile with enough repetition - with no repeat pulls and no controls on variation of bottom type, by amateurs with inadequate gear, skills, or time - but as is becoming the norm with Fortress, anything that suits your agenda.

All properly controlled independent testing consistently shows copies to under-perform compared to the originals - the compromises made to construction in the interest of cost cutting can only ever have negative ramifications.

 

[Alcyone]

Nothing worng with you guys espousing the virtues of your products on here, I'd be interested to know whether either Fortress or Rocna anchors have been tested in the Bristol Channel, with it's 12, 13, even 14m, tidal ranges and associated currents?

The only comparable place, I guess is the bay of Fundy?

 

[Brian@Fortress]

Nothing worng with you guys espousing the virtues of your products on here, I'd be interested to know whether either Fortress or Rocna anchors have been tested in the Bristol Channel, with it's 12, 13, even 14m, tidal ranges and associated currents?

The only comparable place, I guess is the bay of Fundy?

Alycone, no interest in espousing the virtues of Fortress, which was not even in that test I mentioned above, just making a point about copies. Rocna is sore that their anchor did not perform well, and so he tries to put down the German magazine test. There are other tests as well where copies beat the originals, including Rocna, and I can share them if you would like.

Regarding the Bristol Channel, I do not know of any testing that has been done there. Certainly the conditions with the tidal ranges and currents can be troublesome. Having the right amount of scope becomes a huge factor in the anchor's performance.

If the bottom is any combination of sand, mud, or clay, the Fortress should perform well.....but if grass, weeds, or rocks, then a Delta or Bruce might be a better option, although no anchor is completely dependable in those types of bottoms.

Regards,
Brian

Fortress Marine Anchors

 

[Severnman]

Its often worth noting that piggybacking your anchors can be extremely beneficial as well as using an angel (sliding weight on your cable).