Month 1 in the bag!
Yesterday marked the 1 month anniversary that Rebecca and I have been living aboard our new boat Katana. Woo hoo! Although we are still in the process of trying to organize things to suit us we are having a blast.
There is soooo much to learn it makes my head hurt. For example, let’s look at anchors and anchoring (a subject we are at present researching). Here are some of the variables:
- Type of anchor used (bruce, plow, spade, delta, danforth, fortress, rocna, fishermans, etc.)
- Size of anchor to be used (10 kg, 15 kg, 100 kg!)
- Type of rode (what attaches the anchor to the boat – chain, line or a chain/line combo)
- Length of rode to be kept on the boat (and if chain/line combo, how much chain)
- Bridle (how to split the load between the two hulls of a Cat)
- Anchoring methods (single anchor, dual, bow and stern, tandem, Bahamian, etc.)
- Area to be anchored in (bottom – clay, sand, weed, etc.)
- Windlass (a mechanical device to raise the anchor – yes or no, manual or electric)
- Other factors (wind shifts, tide, current, etc.)
That is a lot of variables!!! It’s no wonder my head hurts. There is a lot of info out there, and we do understand some of the basics, but this is a super important subject. Solid anchoring is what lets you sleep well at night. Given our recent experiences with other boats in our anchorage dragging, we want to get this subject sorted out. When we do so, we’ll be sure to share it here. 🙂
Our shiny Stainless Steel Bruce anchor.
Mike
Let me try to dispell any anchors infothat you may thinking are going to work in the Caribbean.
A Rocna is probably the best if you read all their web site news but @ almost $900 its a bit pricey. His old partner started to make an anchor similar to a Ronca but can be bought here in Ontario for around $500 at West Marine and I have talked to people who have used them and LOVE them for holding power and a lot cheaper as well. Keep in mind there is coral amongst the sand where you are going to anchor and you want to hook up very well in all conditions sooooo….Manson would be my choice of champs!Or not….LOL
Richard
Thanks Richard. I too have read that the Rocna, and similarly the Manson Supreme are about the best. We were actually pricing Rocnas today. I appreciate the input!!!
http://www.petersmith.net.nz/boat-anchors/manson-supreme-anchor.php
Check this out Mike….great info there ol buddy.
Mike
Hope Im not stepping out of bounds here but….when you make you bridle, use 7/8″ standed lines. Hook each one to the forward cleats and the vee end should be able to reach the mast head. Leave a loop on the end and insert a spring loaded carabiner(sp) on that end for hooking up to moorings and your anchor rode. That length gives you some freedom to hook up in high wind conditions and also takes a lot of the swing out of your boat.
PS…learn hot to splice line and try to stay away from braided lines as its a lot harder to splice then stranded line.
All this information and no where to use it is my excuse. My wife says I’m an dictionary of useless marine information…LOL I think its useful! 🙂
Definitely, definitely useful. Keep the info coming Richard!
Question: When you say leave a loop on the end how would you make this loop?
What do you think of this:
http://www.pdqforum.com/download/file.php?id=23
The connection at the ring isn’t good enough as there is a chance it will slip one direction or both which throws off the way the Cat will lie in the water, especially if there are stiff trades. A solid connection with splicing would be alot better. The boat will yaw if the connection can slide to one side or the other. Its ultimately important that the boat keep its nose directly into the wind as straight as possible. If you are going to be using chain as rode
( perferred way) a simple hook wll work just fine to hook up to chain or a mooring ball connection.