HANDS-ON SAILORonce it contacts a deeper but
fl atter surface.WATCH IT!
In an ideal nautical world, we
would always anchor in 20
feet of water over hard sand
with an off shore breeze. But
too often the water is deep,Inevitably, that’s when the
blustery onshore wind comes,
at 0200 on a dark night. InALL ABOUT ANCHORScruisingworld.com95the swing room limited, or
the bottom so fouled that
your anchor will hook on
old discarded rigging wire
or an abandoned crab pot.these conditions, the right
decision is the hardest to
make: post an anchor watch.Have someone up, dressed
and alert with the engine
already warmed.
When I traveled near Cape
Horn, the williwaws were
so severe that often anchors
alone simply wouldn’t work.
That required dropping a
series of anchors as we pushed
ourselves right up to the steep
shore and tied off to stumps
or boulders, the spreaders
actually in the trees. We
dropped fenders and old car
tires between the boat and
the cliff s.
All we need to know is
written on the land and sea,
if only we can learn to read
it. I call this natural literacy.For example, we learned to
anchor by color during our
travels. If we saw bushes with
fresh green leaves intact, we
snuggled right up close to that
shore, knowing the leaves
could be there only if the 100-
knot katabatic winds could
not bend sharply enough over
the cliff s to terrorize our little
sanctuary. A mere 100 yards
away, the wind would whip the
water’s surface into a foaming
frenzy while on deck a candle
could have burned. Sea lions
lazing on a rock indicated
a deepwater approach and
another haven from the wind.
As sensible as carrying hull
insurance may be, it can onlyreimburse you for the loss of
your vessel well after the fact.
It cannot make you safe on
a dark and dangerous night.
Your best and most aff ordable
insurance is made of rope and
iron, not paper and ink. But
remember, a chain is only as
strong as its weakest link, and
you are a link in that chain.
Invest the time to learn and
practice the so-called black
art of anchoring, and you will
be able to safely secure your-
self to any bit of bottom in our
wide and watery world.Two-time circumnavigator
Alvah Simon is a CW
contributing editor.january/february 2017HANDS-ON SAILORonce it contacts a deeper but
fl atter surface.WATCH IT!
In an ideal nautical world, we
would always anchor in 20
feet of water over hard sand
with an off shore breeze. But
too often the water is deep,
the swing room limited, or
the bottom so fouled that
your anchor will hook on
old discarded rigging wire
or an abandoned crab pot.
Inevitably, that’s when the
blustery onshore wind comes,
at 0200 on a dark night. In
these conditions, the right
decision is the hardest to
make: post an anchor watch.Have someone up, dressed
and alert with the engine
already warmed.
When I traveled near Cape
Horn, the williwaws were
so severe that often anchors
alone simply wouldn’t work.
That required dropping a
series of anchors as we pushed
ourselves right up to the steep
shore and tied off to stumps
or boulders, the spreaders
actually in the trees. We
dropped fenders and old car
tires between the boat and
the cliff s.
All we need to know is
written on the land and sea,
if only we can learn to read
it. I call this natural literacy.For example, we learned to
anchor by color during our
travels. If we saw bushes with
fresh green leaves intact, we
snuggled right up close to that
shore, knowing the leaves
could be there only if the 100-
knot katabatic winds could
not bend sharply enough over
the cliff s to terrorize our little
sanctuary. A mere 100 yards
away, the wind would whip the
water’s surface into a foaming
frenzy while on deck a candle
could have burned. Sea lions
lazing on a rock indicated
a deepwater approach and
another haven from the wind.
As sensible as carrying hull
insurance may be, it can onlyreimburse you for the loss of
your vessel well after the fact.
It cannot make you safe on
a dark and dangerous night.
Your best and most aff ordable
insurance is made of rope and
iron, not paper and ink. But
remember, a chain is only as
strong as its weakest link, and
you are a link in that chain.
Invest the time to learn and
practice the so-called black
art of anchoring, and you will
be able to safely secure your-
self to any bit of bottom in our
wide and watery world.Two-time circumnavigator
Alvah Simon is a CW
contributing editor.ALL ABOUT ANCHORSjanuary/february 2017cruisingworld.com95COURTESY OF THE MANUFACTURERS- Danforth anchors hold well
in mud and sand due to their
large flukes, but don’t do
as well in rocky or weedy
bottoms. They are most
popular on smaller vessels. - Fortress anchors are similar
in shape to Danforths but can
be disassembled for easier
stowage, making them a good
choice for an auxiliary anchor. - Spade anchors have a concave surface that is designed to help them
dig effectively into the seafloor, holding the anchor in place. - CQR anchors have a hinge connecting the shank and flukes.
This allows the anchor to respond to changes in wind and tide. - Delta anchors are plow-shaped, with a weighted tip designed
to make the anchor fall cleanly from your bow roller. They
have good holding in most bottoms but can struggle in rocks.- Rocna anchors have a roll bar to encourage the anchor to lie
at an angle where it will dig into the bottom. A sharp, chisel-
shaped tip is intended to help the anchor bite into weeds. - Mantus anchors are another variation on the plow shape. They
can be disassembled for storage, making them a good choice
for a spare anchor. - Old-fashioned fisherman anchors are good in slate and boulder
bottoms but questionable in silt due to minimal fluke surface
area. They are susceptible to fouling, so a trip line is advised. - Bruce or claw anchors are made of one piece, so there are
fewer opportunities for failing. The wings of the fluke are
intended to help the anchor enter the ground however it falls.
The curved shape makes these anchors suitable for storage on
most bow rollers.
4.9.CRW0217_HOS1_Anchoring.indd 95 11/22/16 10:26 AM