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Anchors - All you ever needed to know!

All anchors, regardless of type, should be in excellent condition and all pins and shackles likewise.

Treat all homemade anchors with caution as it's not only weight that is important, but also strength, material and the ability to dig in to the bottom is of prime consideration.
There are many styles of anchors, but the below mentioned are the most common found on small craft in use today:

• CQR:An old favourite, highly regarded by many boat owners. Its characteristics are excellent holding and is a Lloyds-designated high-holding power anchor. Used by every size and type of craft, it's important to check that the CQR (or plough) is an original and not a cheap cast copy. These copies tend to be inefficient.
• Danforth (or river anchor): The choice of many boaties, but really designed for river and estuary work. They don't work well on weedy or slippery bottoms, where they are unable to dig in. Once again, a Lloyds-designated high-holding power anchor.
• Bruce: Another Lloyds-designated anchor designed for maximum holding power. Its one-piece, strong design allows use in very tough conditions. Many sizes are available.
• Fisherman: The traditional anchor of days gone by, it has seen many centuries of use. Primarily used in rocky or coral bottoms, it can do considerable damage to coral formations and has been discarded in favour of the grapnel in coral. Its stock can be disengaged and then it lies flat, but all-in-all it's less efficient than the foregoing anchors already described.
• Grapnel: Used by many fishermen, its ability to hold in rocky bottoms and among weed is usually regarded among its better qualities. Many are used for general-purpose anchoring.

Checking The Chain:

All your chains should be in good condition. Rusty, corroded chain is extremely undesirable from several points of view. For a start, the amount of corrosion on a chain prevents an accurate assessment of chain wear and rust creates a hostile environment in aluminium boats where dissimilar metal corrosion can result. Remember, rust equals chain strength degradation.

At season's end, pull all your chain out of the boat and hose it clean and inspect it carefully before re-stowing.

The practice of painting different colours on chain is inferior to the tagging of the chain with marked plastic depth tags, as the paint is liable to lift off rather quickly as it wears against obstacles.

Always ensure the chain length is sufficient to ensure a good horizontal pull along the bottom to keep the anchor dug in. On larger craft a good length could be up to 30m (especially in coral or rocky areas where ropes are vulnerable), however on smaller craft this is impractical. A good trailerboat rule of thumb for chain length is the length of the craft as a minimum. Two times the length is even better.

Whatever the length, if the chain is at all suspect, get some expert advice on it before re-stowing onboard.

Finally, ensure all anchor chain lockers can drain excess water away from the chain itself to prevent rusting.

Anchor Ropes

It is vital to ensure that your anchor rope is of the correct size and of sufficient length and, more importantly, of the correct type. There are dozens of rope types and your local chandlers will have (or should have) all the differing dimensions for your type of boat.
However, the elasticity of nylon braided anchoring ropes is extremely helpful as this rope stretches well, to reduce excess loads on the line.

Again as a rule of thumb, in order to hold well, an anchor line should be at least five times the depth of high water (note: this is called the scope). When securing rope to chain, ensure all connections are properly secured using the correct shackles, splices and thimbles.

Every season, it's a good idea to swap your anchor rope end for end as most wear will occur at the anchor end. When anchored, protect the rope from wear on the bowsprit or stem roller by slipping a length of garden hose, split down the middle, over the rope resting on the roller.
Check the retaining pin and roller condition carefully as sharp snags and worn pins can cause the loss of this vital piece of anchoring gear.

Remember that all anchor storage lockers must allow the rope to drain free, and good ventilation is a must. Dampness can cause rot to set in if neglected.

Lastly, all anchor pins, shackles, splices, rollers, swivels, fairleads and gear will last a great deal longer if checked regularly. Sharp ends and corners on lockers and gear must be rectified quickly to prevent premature fraying.

If your boat is moored in a choppy sea area unattended, a good safety device is a rubberised mooring 'snubber' or springer. This simple device coils around your anchor line and as the boat surges or 'snubs', the rubber stretches long before the line does, relieving the 'snatching' effect so detrimental to ropes.

It is vital to ensure your anchoring tackle is of A1 standard on your craft. Your life and others too, could one day be in danger if these important pieces of onboard gear are neglected.