(NOTE: All anchor dimensions given in this
book are approximate and are intended for
general reference. Confirm dimensions with
manufacturer prior to ordering.)
Several years ago, I was headed out for a
cruise on one of my office’s 44-foot (13.4 m)
sailing-cat designs. While we were still
among the finger piers, a fuel-line blockage
killed the engine. It was blowing 15 to
18 knots and we were drifting out of control,
setting down on the boats at the docks. While
most of the crew worked frantically to get the
engine running again, I dashed forward and
eased the anchor over. It bit, held, and kept
us off. Swinging just 18 inches (45 cm) from
the nearest boat, we needed another hour to
trace and fix the engine fault. Then we went
sailing. Had we not gotten the anchor set, we
might very likely have spent the rest of the
day on insurance claims.
Anchors and their related gear are the
onlything that really stopa boat. Inade-
quate or improper anchoring systems can
lead to serious situations: damage or loss
of a vessel, injury to crew and people on
other craft or to nearby docks or piers, and
even loss of life. Too often, individuals and
manufacturers spend time discussing the
merits of different types of anchors; how-
ever, considering the anchoring system as
a wholeis critical. Whether you’re speccing
an entire anchor system for a new design,
retrofitting parts of an existing system, or
surveying an existing boat, you need to be
able to evaluate the suitability of the gear
and its reliability. Here we’ll examine the
entire anchoring system: the anchor, the
rode, the windlass, chain or rope storage,
and deployment and retrieval gear. We’ll
also take a look at the important and closely
related gear of mooring cleats and chocks.Anchoring Systems
Anchoring-System Sizes
Of course, there is a considerable difference
between an anchoring system appropriate for
a 15-foot (4.5 m) daysailer and one for a
120-foot (37 m) motoryacht. The 15-footer
could have an anchor so light even a child
could swing it over the side, while the
120-footer’s anchor and chain would be so
heavy even several strong men would be unable
to manage it without mechanical assistance.Part Seven
ANCHORING
SYSTEMS
CHAPTER 22