Bryan wrote:
"Jeff" wrote in message
. ..

Bryan wrote:

I might try the 2 off the bow next time I overnight at Isla Coronado. I
don't need to; it's an uncrowded anchorage with plenty of swing room and
no current or wind shift concerns. However, it is a 30 foot depth so I
am maxed out on scope. Maybe I'll sleep better with 2 anchors down.

I was about to say that 300 feet was a lot of chain to put down for 30
feet unless you're very exposed. But I thought I'd look at a chart
first - that certainly looks like like its totally exposed with a ten mile
fetch to the mainland. This would be considered a pretty marginal
anchorage here in New England. We have a few such destinations, Mohegan,
Isle of Shoals, etc., but for the most part, its easy to find good
protection. Of course, the really nice places closer to Boston are
saturated with moorings.

Still, if you're not happy carrying 300 feet of chain, I would suggest
that you could get by with 50 feet of chain and 300 feet of nylon. The
holding power will be just about the same, and in fact you'll be better
able to feel when the hook is set firmly. If you like the extra weight of
chain, you can strap some diver's weights on the rode and slide them down
about 40 feet.

BTW, what kind of anchor do you use, and do you have a windlass?


The ground tackle is a Danforth anchor, 30 feet of chain, 250 feet of nylon.
No windlass. I aim for a 7:1 scope so 30 feet at high tide is the max depth
I'll anchor in. At Catalina I aim for a spot with 20 feet depth so I can
let out more rode if needed. I'm a fair weather anchorer, so I'll be on a
mooring if conditions aren't near perfect or I won't go. And you're right
my most common anchorages are not textbook perfect. I don't know where the
idea of 300 feet of chain came from (but it wouldn't be on the boat I'm
sailing).

Sorry, it is Gordon, who started this thread, that has 300 feet of chain.

If I were using a Danforth on bottoms other than mud, I would double
anchor more often. I've learned by hard experience that the Danforth
is less than 100% perfect when resetting on wind/current shifts. I've
never had a problem with a Delta, and I'd expect a Spade to do fine as
well. With two anchors this is not so much of a problem; I use a
Fortress as my secondary.

In article , Jeff wrote:
If I were using a Danforth on bottoms other than mud, I would double
anchor more often. I've learned by hard experience that the Danforth
is less than 100% perfect when resetting on wind/current shifts. I've
never had a problem with a Delta, and I'd expect a Spade to do fine as
well. With two anchors this is not so much of a problem; I use a
Fortress as my secondary.

Up here, I could probably get away with using an old tennis shoe in
the SF mud. The big issue is getting the damn thing out of the mud and
then getting the damn mud off the hook before we stow it.
--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Jeff" wrote in message
...
Bryan wrote:
"Jeff" wrote in message
. ..

Bryan wrote:
BTW, what kind of anchor do you use, and do you have a windlass?


The ground tackle is a Danforth anchor, 30 feet of chain, 250 feet of
nylon. No windlass. I aim for a 7:1 scope so 30 feet at high tide is the
max depth I'll anchor in. At Catalina I aim for a spot with 20 feet
depth so I can let out more rode if needed. I'm a fair weather anchorer,
so I'll be on a mooring if conditions aren't near perfect or I won't go.
And you're right my most common anchorages are not textbook perfect. I
don't know where the idea of 300 feet of chain came from (but it wouldn't
be on the boat I'm sailing).

Sorry, it is Gordon, who started this thread, that has 300 feet of chain.

If I were using a Danforth on bottoms other than mud, I would double
anchor more often. I've learned by hard experience that the Danforth is
less than 100% perfect when resetting on wind/current shifts. I've never
had a problem with a Delta, and I'd expect a Spade to do fine as well.
With two anchors this is not so much of a problem; I use a Fortress as my
secondary.

I do anchor in sand and mud; I'm very limited in my alternate opportunities
and the danforth is the common anchor on the boats I sail.

Actually, Gordon said he would like to get rid of 300 lbs in his bow!
Altho he does have 300 foot of 1/4" hi test chain.
Gordon


"Bryan" wrote in message
news

"Jeff" wrote in message
...
Bryan wrote:
"Jeff" wrote in message
. ..

Bryan wrote:
BTW, what kind of anchor do you use, and do you have a windlass?


The ground tackle is a Danforth anchor, 30 feet of chain, 250 feet of
nylon. No windlass. I aim for a 7:1 scope so 30 feet at high tide is
the
max depth I'll anchor in. At Catalina I aim for a spot with 20 feet
depth so I can let out more rode if needed. I'm a fair weather
anchorer,
so I'll be on a mooring if conditions aren't near perfect or I won't
go.
And you're right my most common anchorages are not textbook perfect. I
don't know where the idea of 300 feet of chain came from (but it
wouldn't
be on the boat I'm sailing).

Sorry, it is Gordon, who started this thread, that has 300 feet of
chain.

If I were using a Danforth on bottoms other than mud, I would double
anchor more often. I've learned by hard experience that the Danforth is
less than 100% perfect when resetting on wind/current shifts. I've
never
had a problem with a Delta, and I'd expect a Spade to do fine as well.
With two anchors this is not so much of a problem; I use a Fortress as
my
secondary.

I do anchor in sand and mud; I'm very limited in my alternate
opportunities
and the danforth is the common anchor on the boats I sail.

Gordon wrote:
Actually, Gordon said he would like to get rid of 300 lbs in his
bow! Altho he does have 300 foot of 1/4" hi test chain.


Well then, the simple answer is to get rid of all that chain. But I'm
guessing you think you need it, so your options for balancing the boat
are to reposition the chain elsewhere, or to balance it by moving
other weight aft. Of course too much weight in the extremes increases
hobby horsing, but its hard to tell how much your boat is affected by
that.

In my case, my catamaran's performance would suffer from adding that
much weight, so I'm forced to use the "high tech, light weight"
approach to anchoring - Delta & Fortress anchors, mostly nylon rode.
For most situations, this is equal in holding power to the "brute
force" approach of all chain, usually attached to a large Bruce or CQR
anchor. Actually, on my previous boat, which didn't have a (good)
windlass, my anchoring got much better when I switched to lightweight
gear, because I was always sure when the anchor was well and truly
set, and I did not hesitate to haul the anchor if I was in any way
unhappy about the setup.