First Impressions Marine Consultancy
Help & Advice for boaters in South & West Wales
Look after your kit, it looks after you!
Size Matters!
Given the cost of a good anchor it not surprising that many seen hanging off the sharp end of the boats in marinas around the coast are small and wimpy. The chain and warp attached is often too short or too light to be of any use in other than very sheltered waters on calm days. The design is frequently inappropriate for the location. Specialist chandlers will give detailed advice on type and size. However,
some general guidance may be useful.
The ‘fisherman’ style anchors on the market are great for rocky ground where they hook any crag or rock. On weed they can dig through the foliage to grip the roots and ground below.
However, on mud or sand they drag through the ground without being able to gain any sound foothold.
‘Bruce’ or ‘plough’ styles, Delta, CQ, Brittany, Fortress and Danforth, all work reasonably well in sand or mud by digging in and presenting a good surface area against which it is resistant to drag. All have their good and bad points when compared in particular situations but the most common failing FOR ALL STYLES OF ANCHOR is lack of chain, (use at least 5 metres) the weight of which is necessary to ‘set’ the anchor at the angle required to dig in, or lack of ‘scope’, being the length of chain / rope paid out. This must be, even in calm conditions, 4 times the depth for all chain systems and 6 times the depth for a chain and rope system. That is the maximum depth likely to be experienced while at anchor, not what it is when you arrive!
Last but not least, how do you secure the anchor on board? Shackles can unscrew. A cable tie used as ‘locking wire’ will prevent that and not corrode. The ‘bitter end’ of the chain or rope must be secured so as not to slip over the side, but be easy to cut free if necessary. Secure chain with rope that you can cut free. An anchor pillar or cleat must be strongly mounted so as to withstand the ‘snatching’ experienced at anchor.
A mooring of course is little more than a ‘fixed anchor’ placed on the sea bed with strong chain and line to a float on the surface. All things deteriorate with time. When did you last check and service your mooring? It should be every year. The last thing you want is a refused insurance claim on the grounds of negligent lack of maintenance! Get it professionally checked! And while we are on the subject, that mooring you ‘borrow’ from time to time. When was IT last checked???
