On Sat, 16 Feb 2013 09:57:49 -0500, "Flying Pig"
wrote:

So, how do you like your Rocna, 20+% down in weight from the spade?

Under way with much better wifi than in the harbor...

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All else being equal, the Spade was a wonderful anchor with an almost
perfect record of setting the first time, every time. We've learned
that with the somewhat lighter Rocna, we need to pay out more chain
before backing down on it.

Of course we're backing down with 30 inch, 4 bladed props, driven by
by enough engine torque to literally pull tree stumps. That's my
criteria for a good nights sleep however. Once the Rocna is set, it
has always stayed set but we are still early in the evaluation
process, less than a month out of home port at this point.

One of he problems with having a very heavy anchor on an all chain
rode is getting the darn thing back up again from 30+ feet of water,
especially if it is covered with a lot of sticky mud. There were a
few times that retrieving the big Spade was a real struggle and I had
to make some engineering improvements to the windlass to cope with all
that.

I understand that it's a bit chilly up in Florida today. We're up
around 80 here in eastern Puerto Rico but the trade winds are howling
at 20+ kts, kicking up big surf just outside the marina entrance.
With 4 flopper stoppers down we are rolling less than any other boat
on the dock but still more than we'd like. We're waiting on parts for
a generator repair otherwise I'd go over to Vieques and find a
sheltered anchorage.