Small, Emergency or Lunch Anchors

[Quantico Frank]

Probably most folks get, "Practical Sailor", but if you haven't seen this, it comes from an email I received today. There's been some discussion here of these types of anchors.

"All anchors are a compromise. Since some anchor types work best in certain bottoms, it is a good idea to carry anchors of different designs. At minimum, a cruising sailboat should carry at least two anchors adequately sized to anchor the boat under most conditions. Four anchors is often the norm on offshore cruising boats—two working anchors (a primary and secondary), one stern anchor or kedge, and one over-sized storm anchor—but cruising boats that sail with six or more full-sized anchors are not uncommon.

"So where does a lightweight alloy anchor fit in the hierarchy of cruising anchors? It depends. Aluminum alloy anchors, particularly multi-part anchors, have a number of strikes against them. Lighter anchors take longer to set and are more likely to drag; their shanks are more vulnerable in side-load situations (aluminum alloys can shear when steel will bend); and multi-part anchors like the Fortress and Spade introduce other handicaps.


"Despite these drawbacks, if Wednesday evening buoy racing is your passion, there's nothing wrong with an alloy race-day anchor. Owners of heavy-displacement boats with formidable bow rollers should look at high-tensile steel anchors for their primary anchor.

"While high-tensile steel is the king of primary anchors, lightweight alloy anchors have two chief advantages—even for cruising sailors. They are portable, and they are easier to deploy by hand from a small boat. This is useful for kedging a boat into deeper water or away from a pier or obstruction.

"Because alloy anchors are so easily moved around the boat, they don't need to be stowed on a dedicated bow roller, making them an appealing choice for a third, backup anchor— especially on boats with only one bow roller. Sizing an alloy anchor varies according to its purpose. Generally, the alloy anchor you choose should have similar holding capacity as the boat's primary anchor."

[pgandw]

Perhaps I'm a fool, but I have never had more than 1 anchor per boat.  Not quite true, in the Bahamas in the '60s, carried a grapnel in addition for anchoring in coral (very frowned on nowadays).  Almost always a Danforth type, once a Fortress aluminum.  Almost always 6-10ft of chain plus 100ft of nylon rode, but seldom need more than 50ft.

I found too light an anchor was difficult to set in a small boat that is easily blown about by the wind.  I like 8lbs minimum.

But I like small, trailerable boats.  The biggest I have owned is an ODay 25.  Current boat - Stuart (ODay) Mariner 19 is beachable with 10" draft board up, and I sail in shallow waters so I just don't have the use cases for multiple anchors.

Fred W
Stuart Mariner 19 #4133  Sweet P
Yeopim Creek, Albemarle Sound, NC

[Riggerdood]

Interesting stuff there Frank. They seem to equate anchors with the old knot adage, that if you can't tie good ones, tie lots of 'em! If you don't have one good anchor, have lots of 'em. The anchor debate is as old as boating itself, but to my mind, since the vast majority of boaters aren't cruising the world, and mostly tend to go to places with a certain type of bottom - sand, mud, reef, weeds/kelp, rocky, etc. - over and over, that having two anchors for that type of bottom should suffice 99.9% of the time.

[Quantico Frank]

I bought a small "emergency" cockpit anchor, based on Brian's recommendation, after I found myself drifting towards a lee shore when my engine was fouled and died on the way back to the marina one time. Not sure it would have held, but it might have slowed things down as I made my 16'5" dash into my cabin to dig out one of my real anchors.

[Riggerdood]

Sounds like a good plan, and I do the same. The larger one lives in the bow anchor locker, and the smaller one, which used to be my main anchor on the DS, lives in the cockpit lazarette. I also use the smaller one for anchoring the dinghy to shore.

[DBthal]

I have a Rocna as the primary anchor on both of my boats. Danforth or Fortress as secondary on both.

The Rocna holds well and resets in tide changes and wind shifts.

The Danforth works very well as a secondary anchor to hold the stern in tight quarters.  However, they "trip" or foul easily when there is a shift.

[Captain Kidd]

I usually sail with one anchor. On my last big trip up ICW over multiple days with the possibility of foul weather and 4-5 knot currents, I loaded up with anchors. I had a couple 8 pound danforth type, a couple mushroom anchors, a couple of Kelley's (weights) to slide down my rode, a 32 pound danforth, and a homemade 25 pound bulwagga. And lots of chain. First night we put out 2 anchors. The weather was mild and currents less than expected, so the rest of the trip we used the bulwagga alone. We were good the whole trip. I would say I was over prepared but better that than under prepared.

[Riggerdood]

"Bulwagga"? Now there's a term I've never heard, but looks like an interesting anchor design. Another term you used that got my attention was Kelleys. I've always heard these referred to as anchor angels, but by any name, I've always been surprised at how many folks are not aware of them and their function(s). I bought the biggest prop shaft zinc I could find for mine, fed the rode through the hole, and tied a small line around the body to use for setting depth and retrieval.

In case anyone is unfamiliar with this simple anchoring accessory, it has two basic purposes:

1. After setting anchor, you lower it down to the depth you're in, then cleat it off. It helps (a little) to maintain a more horizontal pull on the rode/chain.

2. What it also does, is if you have a bouyant rode, and the wind dies completely, and your boat is just drifting/turning aimlessly over/around your anchor, it keeps the rode from wrapping itself around your keel/CB, rudder, motor, etc. Very simple, yet very effective.

[Quantico Frank]

I usually sail with one anchor. On my last big trip up ICW over multiple days with the possibility of foul weather and 4-5 knot currents, I loaded up with anchors. I had a couple 8 pound danforth type, a couple mushroom anchors, a couple of Kelley's (weights) to slide down my rode, a 32 pound danforth, and a homemade 25 pound bulwagga. And lots of chain. First night we put out 2 anchors. The weather was mild and currents less than expected, so the rest of the trip we used the bulwagga alone. We were good the whole trip. I would say I was over prepared but better that than under prepared.

FULL of new to me information I'd like to know more about. What are you sailing these days, again? I should, but don't remember. Thanks for posting this!

[Captain Kidd]

Auto correct got me. Should be kellet not kelley. That's simply a weight with an eye on it so that you can slide it down your rode to provide tension and give to your anchor setup. I don't happen to have a pic of mine. IIRC seems I used a mushroom anchor as a kellet on my trip. I have two and both have eyelets.

Bulwaggas are no longer available in the US, at least last I checked. So I had my step grandson (works at a metal fabrication shop) cut out the pieces and my neighbor welded them together. I like the design and reviews and I thought it would have the most holding power in varied bottoms and would easily reset if wind or current changed. It's bulky but it sits on my bow pulpit pretty nicely.

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[Captain Kidd]

What are you sailing these days, again? I should, but don't remember. Thanks for posting this!

You're certainly welcome!

I sail a Hunter 18.5 (since 2012) and a homebuilt Calendar Islands Yawl 16 that I completed November 2022. (https://forum.woodenboat.com/forum/building-repair/256238-?276173-Calendar-Islands-Yawl-16-in-Chattanooga=&highlight=chattanooga)

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[Brian N.]

Jumping into the conversation late - but lots of great information. I carry a 7 pound Danforth style and a smaller emergency claw. The Danforth sets well in the mostly sand bottom prominent in the Long Island Sound. I can count on one hand the number of times I've anchored, mostly for a lunch break, and my 7 pound Danforth has done well to hold the boat even during a tidal change. Have not had to use the emergency claw (to be used off the stern), but now thinking about it, I'll give it a "test run" next time I'm out

[Wayne Howard]

When I had Unole (Necessity), I had a claw on the bow and a danforth for a spare. Two anecdotal episodes I would like to spare with the group.

We were anchored in the white sand at Juana's Pagoda at Navarre, Florida with the claw offshore and the danforth dug into the beach to prevent a tripping hazard. The boat was facing west when a squall line came at us from the north. When the rain had stopped and we looked about we were facing north into the wind and a lot farther from shore because the danforth had dragged during the storm.

The second episode was in Chocolate Bay west of Galveston, Texas. We had just the claw down and were riding nicely with a southerly breeze blowing us away from the barrier island that separated us from the Gulf ICW. About midnight, I woke up and realized the wind had died down a lot and a thunderstorm was brewing to the north of us. If it backed down on us, we would be on a lee shore anchorage. UGH! So we raised the anchor and allowed what was left of the southerly breeze to push us farther up the bay. We drifted maybe 150 feet before lowering the anchor again. An hour later, the storm did back down on us and we were downwind of a long fetch before a lee shore. It was a tense hour while I looked out the port to see the same dredge tower stop at the same place in relation to the port. Later that morning the storm cleared out and I couldn't get the claw off the bottom until I used the jib winch to attempt to haul it up. The bow dipped about 6 inches before the anchor broke free. It was caked in sandy stinky mud. The Galveston airport reported 56 mph winds that night but that report was 18 miles away so I don't know how fast the winds were where I was.

So when we bought the big boat, I sold the two 45 pound danforths that came with it and bought a 23KG claw. And I sleep good at night.

One final thought: CHAIN!!! Chain lays flat on the bottom causing your anchor line to pull horizontally on the anchor. No chain and the rode pulls the anchor upwards and out of the bottom. People has recently poo poo-ed the idea of one boat length of chain but that's what I went with when I bought a new anchor rode for the big boat. I've snorkeled my anchor after storms in Pensacola and you could see where the chain worked back and forth across the sand but wasn't moving at the anchor itself.

I'm not an authority but I've slept through a 47knot storm in 8 feet of water on my 37 foot Tartan. (You should have heard the Admiral cussing me for going to sleep!)

[Charles Brennan]

In the pic below, I have purchased exactly two anchors. (#1 & #5.)
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ALL the rest of them been found while scuba-diving in the Dolt-Rich waters of Fort Lauderdale and Key Biscayne.
People who used cheap line that chafed easily, or decided they could ignore mousing their anchor shackles and whatnot.

#1 is a 16.5 lb Simpson Lawrence Claw was purchased after anchor #'s 2, 3, & 6 dragged in the muck that passes for a bottom, in  Robert's Bayou on a BEER Cruise.   
Charlie Jones had a Simpson-Lawrence Claw and not only did it hold his boat, but several boats rafted up to his boat.  Decided I would have me one of them anchors, too!
Works great.  Has 20 feet of chain that is chain-spliced to 100 feet of ½-inch Dacron tri-laid line.
Last time I ever dragged anchor.

#2 is a 12 pound Danforth designed for up to 36 foot boats; figured my 18 footer was in good shape.
Has 20 feet of chain that is chain-spliced to 100 feet of ½-inch Nylon tri-laid line.

#3 is a 10 pound folding rock anchor, useful in rocky areas.  Quit using it when the National Park Service outlawed them for use in coral rock areas. Has 15 feet of chain that is chain-spliced to 100 feet of ½-inch Dacron tri-laid line.

#4 is a Northill anchor that is apparently highly-prized in Texas and the Chesapeake area.  It had 12 feet of chain that is chain-spliced to 100 feet of ½-inch Dacron tri-laid line.  Never really used it all that much.  I think I finally gifted the anchor to Travis Votaw and kept the chain and rode.

#5 is a 3-pound folding anchor used for my kayak Mango Smoothie when kayak fishing.  It has 2 feet of cheap galvanized ¼-inch chain that promptly rusted and 75 feet of ¼-inch nylon tri-laid line.   

#6 is a 20 pound mushroom anchor on 25 feet of 3/8-inch nylon tri-laid line.  It gets used for muck bottoms and used as a kellet in difficult mooring/anchoring locations.

#7 is an 18-inch diameter sea anchor used on my kayak to minimize drift when fishing off-shore.
Not pictured, I also have a 36-inch diameter sea anchor that looks the same as that one, only bigger that I use for off-shore fishing on Urchin.  A little tricky to get the length just right to minimize boat/wave action, but noticeable when you finally get it right.

#8 is a 8 lb Danforth with 6 feet of galvanized chain and 100 feet of 3/8-inch nylon tri-laid line, kept aboard Short Ribs my rigid inflatable boat.

Also not pictured above, since I acquired it after this pic was taken is my Sand-Stake similar to this one:
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I have 100 feet of tri-laid nylon line and a stainless steel shackle to attach to the ring on the stake.
Here it is, in use on the recent FL 120.  It is the third anchor I have ever bought.
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Once had a Fortress aluminum alloy anchor which was the worst anchor, ever.
We originally got it because we were fishing the Tenneco wrecks off Fort Lauderdale  and it took about 300 - 400 feet of line to get down there and hauling up an anchor from that depth was arduous.  We figured a light anchor would make it much easier to handle.
Uh . . . . .  no.
ANY current at all and the anchor would "sail" on its flukes and drift merrily behind the boat, like a semi-submerged water-skier! 

We had to use the mushroom anchor (#6) to get it to the bottom and were then stuck pulling up a heavy anchor/kellet combination, again.

Story behind the loss of the Fortress anchor:
We were about a mile out of Miami Beach, bottom fishing.
We weren't all that happy about our fishing spot, but it had taken so long (and so many attempts!)  to get the anchor down and holding, we weren't inclined to move again. 

Coming up on us was an ocean-going tugboat who was racing all around a big-@$$ barge, carrying humongous paper rolls for the Miami Herald. Turns out,  some Sports-Fisherman had cut across his tow line and the barge was now a run-away  and the tug was maneuvering to try and slow it down and control it to some extent, prior to getting another tow line on the barge.

And  . . . .  of COURSE, it was heading right for us.   
And  . . . .  of COURSE, the outboard refused to start. 
Brennan's Motor Dictum states:
"The Only Thing A Motor Does Reliably, Is Fail."
(My buddy, in his excitement had neglected to engage the choke first.)

He was frantically trying to raise the anchor so maybe we could drift clear.
My practiced eye, doing a rough range-bearing and T-D calculation, saw that was not going to happen. 
I told him to cut the anchor line free, while I dealt with coaxing a flooded outboard motor back to life.
The motor wasn't catching, the barge was barreling towards us like your average city-block wide freight train, the tug operator was now frantically trying to deflect the barge away from our boat and honking pretty much every horn he had, trying to control well, SOMETHING!! 

The motor finally caught and started; I looked back and my buddy was still frantically fighting the anchor rode and I coolly walked back there, fillet knife in hand and severed the rode.
"HEY!! That was an expensive anchor!" He exclaimed.
"This is an even more expensive boat." I replied and went forward, engaged the gear shift and got outta there.
 
True Story,
Charles Brennan

[DBthal]

Charles said: "Once had a Fortress aluminum alloy anchor which was the worst anchor, ever. ............. ANY current at all and the anchor would "sail" on its flukes and drift merrily behind the boat, like a semi-submerged water-skier!  "

This is my experience too, and why I won't use a Fortress as an emergency anchor.  The "current" can be generated by a boat blowing towards a lee shore.   A Danforth is heavier, but can still "sail" in current. A Rocna/Bruce/Spade/Claw type anchor will sink & bite quickly.