I like the look of the traditional plow and have a bow roller for one. Is
there a compelling reason to go with a Bruce or a Spade?

Hi Roger,

The type of anchor you choose should be mostly driven by the type of bottom
you expect to anchor in. Plow anchors are great in certain types of
bottoms, but not in all (like sand). As I'm sure you're aware, the size of
anchor is based on your vessels displacement, windage and "comfort level"
(ie., I always slept better knowing that I had a -big- anchor holding me in
place).

There have been a number of good anchor reviews written in "Practical
Sailor", and a thorough coverage of anchor selection in Dashiew's "Cruising
Encyclopedia" 2nd Ed. I'd get my hands on both of these, Dashiew's is
especially helpful.

A couple other topics you'll need to think about (if you haven't already) is
how much and what size chain, and how are you going to pick it up (ie. do
you have an anchor windlass?). Dashiew's book cover these topics as well.

For cruising the West coast and Hawaii, we decided on a Bruce with 50% chain
for our main system, a Fortress with about 25% chain for a lunch hook and a
big, heavy Danforth with 25% chain as a back up anchor. We mostly anchored
in sand, a bottom these anchors do very well in. Our boat was an ultralight
displacement former raceboat and very sensitive to weight placement, thus
the reason for no more than 50% chain on the main anchor (in the forward
locker).

--
Paul

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