Prepping for our long cruise of 2007, and one of the itmes on the "to
do" list has been renewing the ground tackle.

We have been using a mixed rode, with about 40-feet of chain and 200
feet of nylon rope. This is something like our 14th summer with this
particular boat, and we have never changed the rode. It wasn't
probably brand new when we bought the boat, so I was becoming nervous
about the nylon rope.

I think my concern was well-founded. The leading 50-feet or so of the
rope was beginning to fray and was showing some obvious
chafing scars. I've probably been luckier than I deserve the last
couple of times we have anchored out.

So far, I have replaced our 24 pound Danforth anchor with a 28-pound.
I always thought that 24-pounder was just slightly undersized, and I
like the larger flukes on the 28. We most ordinarily anchor in mud, so
Danforth is a good choice for us and the wider flukes will grab a
wider chunk of the bottom and better resist pulling out.

The old chain never really fit the gypsy very well. I think it was
proof coil instead of BBB, as even though the individual links would
nestle between the cogs on the gypsy the links were too long. When
under tension the spacing between links wasn't exactly proper. Proof
coil is fine for a rode that will be wound up on a large drum on the
foredeck, (often seen on commercial vessels), but most gypsies are
designed for BBB links.
I've found 85-feet of BBB chain at the local 2nd-hand marine supply
store, but I'm hoping to come up with 100-150 feet instead. A lot of
our anchorages are crowded and the reduced scope required when
anchoring with chain helps control swing.
I'll splurge for a brand new length of nylon rope- used chain is OK,
but not used rope.

It's also time to replace the deck switch for the windlass.

And as I'm getting prepared to anchor more securely, I need to
remember that it's best not to anchor at all if there are mooring
buoys or a float nearby. Most of the depths that are suitable for
anchoring in this region are covered with eel-grass- a very important
environment in the eco system. Eel grass is where herring spawn, so
plowing up the seabed with a dragging anchor or chain mows down a lot
of the eel grass and reduces the number of herring. Fewer herring
means less food for salmon, and fewer salmon means less food for
humans and orcas. Funny how a decision whether to drop an anchor or
spend $10 to tie up to a mooring buoy can actually have long range
environmental impacts, isn't it?