INTRODUCTION
Selecting an anchor is a daunting task, even with the prodigious number of
magazine article and books on the subject. After all, this relatively simple device
is what you depend on to keep you off a lee shore at night when the wind picks up.
At some point, the safety of your vessel and crew may depend on its ability to dig in and
resist some pretty enormous loads.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
The type of anchor that you choose should depend on the area
that you will be setting the anchor in. In some cases you may want more than one
anchor on board. The traditional anchor such as the Danforth is good in sand and
mud. If you are going to anchor in rock or grass you would want a Bruce. A CQR
will hold in sand, rock and grass.
RODE TYPES
Not surprisingly, no one rode does the job for all boats.
Small boats often use anchor rodes made entirely of three-strand nylon.
Although all-nylon anchor rodes can be quite strong, they lack the chafe resistance of
rodes with chain and are not appropriate for extended use or for use in rough weather.
A good compromise is to use a short length of chain (6' to 30') connected to the
anchor, with a long length of three-strand nylon line connected to the chain.
SCOPE
Scope is defined as the ratio of water depth (plus freeboard)
to anchor line paid out. Most anchoring texts and anchor manufacturers agree that a
scope of 7:1 achieves the best holding power.
CONCLUSION
In inland, coastal, and performance cruising applications, boaters should use a
combination of nylon line and galvanized chain. For serious cruisers, all chain rode
is a better solution. the trade-off is one of weight vs. abrasion resistance.
