Jeannette wrote:

My anchor rode consists of 100 feet of chain and 2 length of 200 ft
of 5/8 lines spliced together. The splice is very long. At least 24
in. Is that splice ok?. I am concerned about how much strength is
lost in it.

A number of the standard references give estimates of what happens to the
breaking strength of various types of cordage when they are tied or spliced.
Many knots, bends, and hitches result in significant weakening compared to
the untied cordage. A properly made splice, on the other hand, usually
results in a decrease in the neighborhood of 10%. I am quoting from memory
and I may be off a little, so I advise you to check the original references
(Ashley, Brian Toss, etc.)

I have a setup that's similar to yours with one major exception. There are
5 or 6 rodes, and each has an eye splice in _both_ ends. The eye splice is
built around a metal thimble of the appropriate size. The advantages are
that the rodes can be handled, coiled, and stowed more conveniently than if
the rode were a single piece 3 or 4 hundred feet long. More importantly,
should it become necessary to use more than a single length, the individual
"shots" (not quite the right terminology) can be assembled using heavy pin
shackles. This is the same method used to secure the rope section of the
rode to the chain section, and it's quite strong.

Doing it this way also provides for those cases when several long mooring
lines in the vicinity of 100 or so feet are required.


--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.home.comcast.net/