Anchor Test in the Chesapeake

In August 2014, Fortress Anchors conducted scientific anchor testing in the Chesapeake, utilizing the 81-foot research vessel Rachel Carson owned by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Testing was observed by Chuck Hawley, the former Vice President of Product Testing at West Marine, and Robert Taylor, a U.S. Navy anchor design and soil mechanics expert for over 45 years, consulted on the project. The bottom condition was soft mud, which is common in the Chesapeake Bay.

I have long argued that a lot of anchor testing is done in unusual bottom conditions that create odd results, whereas mud is the predominant bottom found in most harbors all around the world. Yes, there are extremely rocky bottoms in Chile, and some people never anchor outside of the sandy Bahamas or the coral-strewn waters of the South Pacific, but still the majority of harbors found up and down the coasts of North America and Europe are mud, which goes for most of the rest of the world, too.

Test results here.

Florida Anchoring Survey Explores Restrictions

Having cruised Florida waters off and on for almost 30 years I have seen many anchoring restrictions come and go. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) is once again on a crusade to come up with some sort of new restrictions, due to the prodding of influential people behind the scenes.  

Sadly, these laws are being pushed by a few well-connected land and business owners who want to chase away anchored boaters, whether legitimate or not. Virtually every problem cited in the survey is adequately covered by existing laws and regulations already on the books. There is very little, if any, documented evidence of widespread problems of the sort listed in the survey. Where is the evidence that anchored boats are causing signficant damage to waterfront property or docks? Where is the evidence that boaters are routinely blocking access to marinas and other waterfront facilities? Where is the evidence that if these things occur law enforcement does not have the tools to deal with them? The answer is there is none, other than hearsay testimony from anonymous sources.

And, all of these isolated issues are covered by existing laws. It is not a lack of laws that is the problem, but lack of commonsense enforcement when needed.

Take the anti-anchoring survey!

Edit:
The proposed regulations have all sorts of problems with them. Here’s one. The 150-foot setback rule presumes that your entire swinging circle lies 150 feet away from docks or marine infrastructure. That means you could be anchored almost 300 feet from shore to windward of you and still be in violation of the law, because if the wind switched to come from the other direction your stern could swing within 150 feet of shore, no matter how unlikely that wind shift is. But, what if I then dropped a second anchor to avoid swinging anywhere near shore? I bet it would hold up in a maritime court, but try explaining that to a local police patrol boat. And, how would they determine this measurement of your swinging circle? Another option in the above scenario would simply be to pull in a few feet of scope making me 152 feet from the object. That would technically be not a violation. The 150-foot rule sounds good to landlubbers, but in practice it would be a nightmare. 

Florida Anchoring Wars Resume

Once again there is a big push in Florida to restrict the anchoring rights of boaters. The latest trial balloon contains the ominous suggestion to outlaw anchoring within 300 feet of waterfront property, which would essentially prevent anchoring along much of the Intracoastal Waterway. You can read more about that crazy idea here and here.

The excuse that this is only to prevent derelict vessels from clogging the waterways is being floated as usual, and as usual it is just a smokescreen. The real reasons these silly laws keep coming back to haunt us are many, but they mostly begin with a few influential and wealthy property owners and business owners complaining. The average Florida citizen doesn't live on the water and believes it is for the public to share, as is written into the Florida Constitution.

Unfortunately, there are some who believe they should be able to control the public water within their view, even though they don't own it. There are also some communities that thought forcing boaters to pay for moorings would be a money maker, though most have been sadly mistaken. The mooring business is not lucrative, particularly when it is run by a municipal government with high overheads in staffing, benefits, and bureaucracy. It is a little known fact that the Marathon mooring field is only kept going by infusions of hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer funding from other sources. And, that is one of the largest, best run, and most popular fields in Florida. The city has tried to force more boaters onto moorings by charging just as much to dinghy ashore as to rent a mooring. I wonder how many people, like myself, who prefer to anchor now simply go elsewhere?

Other communities are finding that running a mooring field isn't the easy cash cow they envisioned. A boat broke loose from a mooring in St. Augustine recently, and it appears it was due to a failure of some mooring component. This type of problem will grow as mooring gear ages and more boats stress the gear during bad weather.

To compound this problem of failing moorings, cities in Florida require boat owners to sign documents that absolve the city of all liability. You might want to ask your insurance company what they think of you signing such an agreement, while at the same time putting your boat on a mooring you can't inspect. You will have no way of knowing what shape it is in, unlike your own anchor gear that gets inspected every time you haul anchor.

Anchoring has been and always will be an essential part of boating, and for many of us it is a skill and pleasure that makes boating special. Frankly, one of the main things I like to do on a boat is go some place and anchor. What's next? Are they going to outlaw sailing?

Other Anchor Considerations

One thing rarely talked about with regard to anchor selection is whether or not that big hunk of steel will fit conveniently on your boat, and whether or not you will be able to deploy it easily.

The photo shows a typical mooring pickup struggle in Cuttyhunk Pond. These folks are now hooked up, but a lot of people have problems getting a line through the little eye on the top of the mooring pole and then securing the line before the wind blows the boat away. There's not a lot of room to maneuver, and you can imagine the language used when the wind is howling.

In order to lead the mooring line fair many boats require the removal of the anchor from the roller, which can be easier said than done when you are dealing with something pointy, weighing anywhere from 35 to 75 pounds (or more), and you are leaning over the bow pulpit or bowsprit trying to do it. Even if you can get the thing off the roller, which frequently requires letting out some chain and then pulling it in upside down, you still have to be able to manhandle it aft and out of the way. That is when I regret not having steel-toed boat shoes and shin guards.

Whatever you do, don't allow a mooring line to chafe on your anchor. Experiment with what angles the mooring line will be pulled to if the boat yaws from side to side or pitches in bad waves. I have seen a lot of boats on permanent moorings that leave the main anchor on the roller, even though the line chafes on the anchor under certain conditions. No matter how great your chafing gear, this is not a good situation. One of the most common causes of mooring failure is chafe on the painter.

Another situation where you may want to remove the anchor is when sailing offshore. Bigger boats rarely dip their bows under, but I have done so in heavy weather and I didn't want any possibility the anchor would come loose. Usually, some extra lashings will do the trick, but some folks have anchors way out on bow sprits that add a lot of resistance when you dip that thing into green water.

It may sound silly, but this little bow dance to remove your anchor is worth practicing a few times when you are securely tied up somewhere calm. When the wind is screaming, your mate is shouting something at you from the cockpit, and you have just pinched your finger, it can be difficult. I have added a short length of line attached to my anchor, which goes over the side with the anchor when I set it. The line gives me something to hold onto during the awkward removal process, and helps me to tie it down quickly once on deck.

Other considerations begin earlier in anchor selection. Yes, holding power and setting ability are important, but if the anchor doesn't fit on your bow roller in the first place, can you even use it? Some people are discovering that the newer roll bar anchors conflict with bow pulpits, anchor rollers, and bow sprit arrangements. In some cases, modifications can be made to your existing hardware, but in other cases major changes would be required.

I have encountered certain anchor and roller set ups that when pulled hard home on the roller the anchor jams in place, which is usually only noticed when you are trying to release the darn thing and the wind is roaring. I have had to pry the anchor forward in order to get it free. Other anchors sometimes are too long and the shank interferes with other deck hardware when the anchor is pulled all the way in. Sometimes, there is no good way to secure the anchor when in the roller, so it wobbles and bangs around, creating noise and wear. Whatever you do, don't drill any holes in your anchor shank to allow you to secure it to the roller--an anchor is the last thing onboard you want to weaken. If you anchor is just too loose up there while sailing, try using some bungy cords and/or line to secure the thing.

Mantus: A Folding Anchor

I received a new 45-pound Mantus anchor in a surprisingly flat and compact box. A single page of instructions, some nuts and bolts, some lock washers, a container of waterproof grease, and the parts of the anchor were all neatly inside. It was quite obvious how everything fits together, so I really didn't need the instructions, but I skimmed them anyway. Obviously, being able to store a very large storm anchor disassembled would be a nice safety feature on a cruising boat.

About the only non-obvious thing was which way the bolts should pass through the anchor. Should the nuts be on the top or the bottom? I opted for the nuts on the top, though I doubt it would make any difference in use once the anchor hits the bottom. Having the nuts on top means a little bit smoother bottomside, making moving it about the boat a bit less likely to ding things up.

Unfortunately, my box had been busted open and some of the nuts, washers, and the grease were missing. The bolts were standard galvanized one-half inch and my neighborhood hardware store had everything I needed. I substituted marine trailer wheel bearing grease.

Assembly took maybe five minutes once all the parts and tools had been gathered on my foredeck. My first impression was that the anchor seems well made and solid, with a heavy galvanized finish. The hoop is held on by just two bolts, but I suppose it wouldn't normally be treated to great strains. The hoop on these so-called "new generation" anchors make them much easier to move around the boat, in comparison to something like a CQR with its hinged plow, or a Danforth or Fortress with flukes that want to snap back on your fingers if you turn the anchor over. The hoop is a perfect handle for carrying the anchor, and it would also be a good spot to tie on an anchor float, if one was needed (I very rarely use one).

The design of the anchor is reminiscent of the Rocna and the Manson Supreme. Many cruisers sing the praises of this type and I am looking forward to seeing if the reality meets the hype.

The shank is pretty long on these things--a lot longer than on my Bulwagga anchor that immediately preceded the Mantus on my bow roller. For now I have to assume the dimensions are such to improve holding, but it is something to keep in mind if you have a tight foredeck, like I do.

Real world anchoring tests will be coming up.

Florida Anchoring Battle Continues

In mid-November 2011 the FWC approved St. Augustine's restrictive anchoring ordinance, but didn't allow the 10-day anchoring limit, which was replaced with a 30-day limit. In Stuart/Martin County rules that would have eliminated all anchoring in Manatee Pocket seem to have been shot down. But, both areas continue to move forward with ordinances that will both confuse boaters and law enforcement and limit anchoring opportunities.

St. Augustine has all sorts of set-back rules for how close you are allowed to anchor to maritime infrastructure and channels, while Stuart/Martin County are pushing no anchoring within 300 feet of shore, infrastructure, or the moorings in the St. Lucie River and not within 1000 feet in the Jensen Beach area. In all cases the laws are so poorly worded that even those of us in the know are not sure exactly what they mean, and once they are enacted many anchorers are bound to get caught up in a snarl of red tape. I strongly suspect it will take a court of law to sort it all out, at further cost to the taxpayers and boaters in these areas.

One nice piece of news was the creation of a website [NOTE: Not sure if it still exists in 2018] showing precisely where you can anchor legally in St. Augustine. The site also provides lot of great information for boaters on the area. As these communities write up ever more restrictive ordinances you will find boaters adapting and innovating like this in order to continue to enjoy cruising as we know it, despite official efforts to chase us away.

Over in St. Pete there is no good news. The Vinoy Basin is now closed to anchoring while the mooring field is built there. This will eliminate the only sheltered anchorage convenient to downtown St. Pete, unless the weather cooperates enough to allow you to chance anchoring east of the waterfront out in Tampa Bay. The city is also exploring the idea of limiting or prohibiting anchoring in other nearby anchorages.

The Sarasota mooring field fiasco continues, with something in the nature of $500,000 + already spent on getting permitting, engineering studies, failed mooring experiments, and a pumpout boat. By the time all is said and done the city will have spent close to $1.5 million and will have 35 moorings to show for it. The current plan sounds dubious to this sailor: steel H beams will be driven into the limestone substrate in lieu of the helical screws which can't penetrate the bottom. This will be a very noisy and environmentally dirty project in creation, and I am uncertain what projected longevity it will have. An active group of local sailors is working with the city to try and prevent onerous anchoring ordinances designed to drive boaters onto the pay moorings or away from the city.

Unfortunately, the average taxpayer in these Pilot Program cities and counties has no idea of these machinations and the costs involved, because the entire fiasco is being driven by a few well connected businessmen, some disgruntled waterfront homeowners, and a few others. If these expensive and controversial projects were presented to the voters I am sure they would be soundly rejected, but they won't be. Instead those pushing these laws continue to ram them through despite vocal and strong opposition from boaters, who will be the ones impacted.

Florida Set to Restrict Anchoring

Once again the anchoring war is heating up in Florida. Under the guise of the Anchoring and Mooring Pilot Program, called just the "Pilot Program" by most, five areas in Florida were given permission to come up with regulations on anchoring in conjunction with permitted mooring fields. Sounds harmless enough, right? Wrong!

The first problem came when the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) allowed the borders of the five pilot areas to expand vastly. Here's a link to the FWC site. With permitted mooring fields in Key West and Marathon in the Keys, the entire area of Monroe County became a pilot area. This covers most of the Florida Keys! In conjunction with a mooring field in Stuart the FWC allowed Martin County to be included. The cities of St. Augustine, Sarasota, and St. Petersburg round out the five trial areas.

Despite the wording in the statute, which says in part that the program will allow for regulations governing anchoring of non-liveaboard vessels "outside the marked boundaries of public mooring fields," the law is being interpreted to mean almost anywhere within the entire jurisdiction of the permitted cities and counties. In other words, St. Augustine is now pushing for laws to limit anchoring within the entire city limits, and Monroe County is considering anchoring limits in Key Largo, some 40-50 miles from the nearest mooring field. Sarasota, like St. Augustine, is also considering anchoring restrictions everywhere within city limits. Same in St. Pete. Martin County wants to limit anchoring at Jensen Beach, many miles from the moorings at Stuart. Talk about taking a mile when you're given an inch!

Already St. Augustine has drafted ordinances including a 10-day anchoring limit, requirements for boat inspections, and other ordinances that not only infringe on boaters' traditional rights of navigation, but are actually in direct contradiction to the goals stated in the ordinance itself! One of the stated goals of the Pilot Program is to "Promote public access to the waters of this state." It is impossible to see how anchoring restrictions accomplish this goal. 

How will boaters in the future know that anchoring regulations vary from municipality to municipality and from county to county? It will be impossible to put signs all over the waterways indicating the hodge-podge of anchoring zones, time-limit zones, etc. Boaters will inadvertantly break these laws. It will be an enforcement nightmare for authorities and boaters alike.

These new laws are not needed to take care of the derelict, improperly stored, and abandoned vessels cited in the law. Florida's listings of these vessels indicate that the vast majority are not even at anchor. Plus, there are existing laws on the books that if properly enforced can take care of these problem boats. Already jurisdictions around Florida are removing derelict vessels and disposing of them using existing programs. There are existing laws requiring boats to be registered, properly equipped, and using pollution prevention devices. It is already illegal to dump sewage into the waters of Florida.

The Pilot Program has allowed five counties and cities in Florida to create restrictions on anchoring that are not needed due to existing ordinances, will not accomplish the goals of the program, and are going to limit how and where responsible boaters can anchor.

I recommend if you are a member of BoatUS you should write a letter or send an email to their Government Affairs office (govtaffairs@boatus.com) and to their magazine (LettersToEditor@boatus.com), and maybe we can utilize the clout of 650,000 boaters to stop these laws in their tracks.

And here's a link to another great site discussing this issue.

Anchor Connection Wrinkle

With an anchor that only allows me to put the pin of the shackle through the shank, I was forced to use a second shackle in order to connect the anchor chain. This resulted in an awkward set of shackle pins that were oriented at right angles to each other, meaning the heads of one or the other pin would often hang up on the roller, making retrieving the anchor more difficult. In fact, this system meant that 50% of the time there was a good chance that one anchor pin head or the other was going to catch.

I contemplated replacing this awkward linkage with a stainless steel anchor swivel, which is seen on many boats these days. However, having read reports of some failures of these items, particularly under side loading, and being rather wary of putting dissimilar metals together immersed in saltwater, I wanted to stick with tried and true galvanized steel fittings.

The solution that came to me was to purchase a Crosby welded master link, as can be seen here. The 3/8" link matched up nicely with my 3/8" shackles and the working load was higher, so this would not be "the weak link."

As can be seen in the photo, adding this one extra link allows the shackles to lay in the same orientation, with the heads of the pins on the same side. This reduces the chance of one of the pins hanging up on the roller since 3/4 of the four possible orientations are free of catch points.

In practice the new arrangement does come in over the roller very easily and so far (knock on wood) I have lucked out and not had a catch this season. Of course it is still possible for the chain to come in with the pins facing down in the catching position, but in practice I find that the assembly seems to flip onto the flat side very readily, allowing the chain to come in. In the past that first flip often meant it would then hang up on the second shackles pin (at least 50% of the time), which it no longer does.

This is a cheap, simple, strong, and effective improvement to my anchor system.

The Good Ol' Days?

Some would have you believe that anchoring in the old days was a harrowing experience due to the lack of reliable anchors and gear, but that was not the case. Sure, we had different equipment and systems, but we also used it differently and I really don't think we had any more problems than today's cruisers at anchor--in fact, I'm pretty sure there were less issues. The reason? People had to learn the craft and did so because they didn't have push-button windlasses that allow huge, heavy anchors and chain. Without a windlass even boats up to and beyond 40 feet usually relied on muscle power to handle everything, and that often meant a short length of chain, mostly nylon rode, and something like a 20-35-pound Danforth anchor on the end. Having to lower this by hand meant that someone was up on the foredeck carefully lowering the thing over the side, feeling when it touched bottom, and then gradually easing out rode, snubbing the anchor periodically as the boat drifted back. Then, because we didn't have all-chain rode we put out 5:1 or 7:1 scope, checked that the anchor was really well dug in by backing down while feeling the rode and watching, and anyway a Danforth beats any modern anchor for sheer holding power in a straight line according to almost every anchor test ever done.

In short, better technique meant that we used what gear we had to the fullest instead of relying on some miracle design to just work. But, but, what did we do when the wind shifted? We often used two anchors in a Bahamian moor, as was taught by Robert Danforth Ogg in the little booklet that generations of boaters got when they bought their anchors. Pick up a copy of Anchors and Anchoring by R.D. Ogg if you ever find one. There were many generations of this booklet published, but they still provide some of the best basic anchoring advice and information ever published. Plus, Ogg backed up his advice with what is probably the most extensive testing program any anchor design has ever gone through because of the original requirement to create an anchor that would allow landing craft to winch themselves off of beaches. Today, an aluminum Fortress anchor does even better, but it is nothing more than a refined version of the original Danforth made of a different material.

How good were these ol' school anchors? We rode out Hurricane Gloria on two Danforths and a CQR set in a star pattern, and sat in one place while most of the mooring field dragged by and went ashore on Long Island. Two Fortress anchors helped hold our boat on a mooring in Cuttyhunk Pond during Hurricane Bob--it took most of a day to dig those anchors back out of the bottom. Short of something breaking there was no possibility of those anchors dragging. When hit by a tornado in the Chesapeake a CQR and a Fortress held our catamaran in wind estimated to be over 100 mph. The force of the wind took one boat's Avon complete with outboard and blew it through the air and up into a tree ashore, where we later found it. Just anecdotes, but to me they have proven that anchoring technique is more important than having the latest and greatest gear.

It Wasn't a Drag

In the previous post I described how anchoring used to be done with lighter weight gear due to the lack of electric windlasses. I remarked on how we didn't drag back then any more than we do now, but I didn't explain why.

First, let me describe a typical anchoring situation we find in crowded Cuttyhunk harbor every summer. We manage to find a spot in the charted dredged square, but it is short on space and depth, and offers iffy holding in spots due to weed. Towards late afternoon more and more boats pack in, and many of them sport the latest in anchoring gear: all chain rode, electric windlass, and most frequently it seems a Delta anchor, but more and more we see these supposed "new generation" anchors on the higher-end boats, along with plenty of old standbys (probably in the majority) like CQRs or other plows and Bruce anchors. In any case, it doesn't matter too much because the anchoring process is almost universal. Use the windlass to lower the anchor and chain over the side, either by the dog-pile method or by lowering it to the bottom using the machinery. For those not in the know, the dog-pile method, which is quite popular, is to release the windlass brake so that the anchor drops into the water unimpeded followed by a bunch of chain rattling over the side into a big pile on the bottom. Then the engine is thrown into reverse and the mess is straightened out, often resulting in the anchor being dragged over the bottom because nobody has bothered to mark the chain for length and nobody has a clue as to how much scope is out. Besides, they've ordered a huge anchor and all that chain and they've been told it holds great at only 3: 1 scope!

Usually, it really doesn't matter what they do, because the wind in the harbor is less than 20 knots and since the bottom is mostly mud the anchor probably gets a decent bite, but nobody really knows until the frequent midnight or thundersquall wind shift sends half the anchored fleet dragging away to the edges of the dredged square where they go aground long enough to sort out the anchor and using the motor proceed to try again. Needless to say on windy nights nobody sleeps much in Cuttyhunk!

Stay tuned to see how it used to be done.

What Happened to Lightweight Anchoring?

Read any cruising boat forum and the subject of anchors and anchoring will create a lot of heated debate--actually that's just a nice term for arguments! What ties floating boats to the ground is a very important topic because we all know that 90% of cruising is spent in harbor, even on a circumnavigation. And that topic was just as important decades ago, as evidenced by a look back at boating books and magazines. There was Don Street touting his beloved Herreshoff pattern, fisherman-style, traditional anchor, while the Hiscocks, Roths, and Pardeys were all advocates of CQR plow anchors.

And then there were folks like Robert Danforth Ogg, one of the co-creators of the Danforth anchor. He was an advocate of lightweight, high-holding power anchors, combined with mostly nylon rodes and maybe a six-foot piece of chain near the anchor. Ogg famously used two 12-lb. Danforths and mostly nylon rode to routinely anchor his 64-foot powerboat, often with others rafted alongside. Bob Bavier, an editor of Yachting magazine, championed the same system for his heavy cruising sailboat that he took all over the Bahamas and Caribbean.

What happened to this lightweight school of anchoring? Judging from the current recommendations of most manufacturers and the online words of most cruisers you would think it is mostly dead with the exception of Fortress anchors and their champions. However, my non-scientific reading of the current wisdom is that most cruisers recommend you only use a Fortress as a kedge anchor, or maybe a back up, and possibly carry an extra big one for your ultimate storm anchor. The currently in-vogue anchoring system, seemingly recommended by everybody, is to go with an all chain rode, and lots of it, plus a huge primary anchor, at least one or two sizes too big, and in some cases twice the manufacturer's recommended weight. The often-repeated joke is that you know your anchor is the right size when people walking down the dock point and laugh at it because it is so huge. "Size matters," is the current mantra.

I would argue that one of the main reasons for this current love of weight and chain is that it is now possible to think this way due to the wide use of electric windlasses. Back in the '60s it would be rare to find a windlass aboard even 40+ foot cruising sailboats, and in most cases that would have been a slow manual windlass. A typical cruising boat did not have a bow roller either. Lightweight anchors and gear were a necessity when you had to pick the anchor up from its chocks on deck and carry it to the bow, where you had to work it through the bow pulpit and over the side. No roller meant that you had to have nylon rode to run through the bow chocks. That was the exact set up on my 1967 22,000-lb. cruising sailboat that was sailed all over the place from Canada to Antigua, and out to Bermuda more than once.

Did this mean we dragged anchor all the time? No! Why dragging was not a problem will be the subject of my next installment.

Are New Generation Anchors Any Good?

They sure have promise, judging from the many comments I read on the forums. But, I have to caution that I believe there is a strong tendency to want something to be really good once you've spent a fair bit of money on it. It must be worth what you spent, right?

And there are a few questions still out there. As I noted in my last post I have not yet seen enough testing to come to any definite conclusion, especially in comparison to anchors like the Danforth, the Fortress, the CQR, and the Bruce that have not only been through numerous tests over several decades but have also been in continuous use throughout the cruising world by many experienced boaters. Evans and Beth Starzinger did some unusual testing down in Chile where they found that their anchor favorite, the Bruce type, still performed better than the new generation anchors in the rocky shale found in those waters. There have also been some soupy mud tests done by other manufacturers indicating that there might be some doubts about new gen. anchors in those bottoms. Plus, I have witnessed a big boat having trouble with his Spade in a hard-mud-weedy bottom where my Bulwagga bites in fast every time.

Other boats have problems dealing with the roll bar not working properly in their anchor roller set up. Another interesting thing is that the new gen. anchor folks are all quite conservative on their recommended anchor weights. In the past, anchor manufacturers all seemed to compete to claim the crown of lightweight champion, but today everyone seems to be conceding that point to Fortress, which is basically a Danforth design from 1939. I now see anchor weight tables suggesting I add ten pounds or so to what the leading anchor companies suggested 10 years or so ago.

Am I interested in new gen. anchors? You bet! Am I sold yet--No.

New Generation Anchors?

Anchor talk in the boating forums is usually heated and opinionated, and lots of fun too! There is lots of discussion right now about what some are calling the "New Generation" anchors, and how they compare to what I guess we must now call the "old generation" anchors. Putting myself into that old generation, some of us feel a bit defensive about the term--they're not old, just well tested! And that is what sets the old generation from the new. Yes, there have been a few well-publicised anchor tests in recent years that were apparently won by the new generation anchors, but if you take a close look at these tests they have some critical flaws.

The test that got these anchor wars rolling in the U.S.A. was the one conducted by West Marine and SAIL magazine, and published back in the fall of 2006. Results also appeared in Yachting Monthly in Europe, and in other publications, with varying degrees of quality in the reporting. The results have been argued about endlessly on the forums, but the general conclusion was that the new generation anchors, including the Rocna, the Spade, and the Manson Supreme, did significantly better than the old generation, except for the aluminum Fortress anchors, which I include in the old generation because they are closely based on the Danforth design.

However, I would argue that this major test was fatally flawed from the get-go, despite the best intentions of the testers and the organizations involved. For some reason unknown to me they chose a location with a firm, hard sand bottom, that was obviously highly variable based on the results. Now, there is nothing wrong with anchoring over sand, which many have to do while cruising in the tropics and other locations, and sand generally produces the highest holding power of any bottom material.

The problem lies in the difficulty in getting a proper anchor set in sand, particularly the hard kind like the type the test was conducted in. Those of us who have dove on anchors in sandy bottoms in places like the Bahamas, Florida, and the Caribbean know that it can be both the most welcoming bottom and the most problematic. Texture can vary from deep, soft, and accepting, to more like the compacted surface of a sandy airport runway, and practically everything in between. The former will produce outstanding holding with almost any anchor while the latter may not allow even the sharpest anchor to penetrate. Holding becomes more a matter of what you can get one point or another of the anchor hooked into.

I can vividly recall numerous anchor sets in the Bahamas, where the water can be crystal clear, where we could apply full reverse on the anchor, yet when I observed it underwater there was nothing hooked in but the tip of the point. To me that is not good holding, and anchor test results generally come to how sharp the anchor's flukes are compared to the competition, possibly how much weight is on the point, and also how lucky you are with where the anchor ends up on the bottom.

Back on that Bahamas bottom where the anchor was barely hooked in I could snorkel around and find a nice dip that might be filled with soft sand providing an ideal nesting place for the hook, once I dragged it over there. I might then sit out a tremendous blow in total confidence knowing the anchor is in a good spot with good holding, but if the boat next to me dragged I also knew it probably had very little to do with the holding power of the anchor and everything to do with the quality of the bottom and the luck of the drop.

This fatal flaw means that the West/SAIL test is near worthless in telling us anything other than the new generation might have some promise. I will take a look at more of these tests in further installments.

Can You Afford to Go?

During the winter, with my boat laid up ashore in Massachusetts, I tend to read the various sailing blogs and forums where I research gear ideas and try to be helpful to others with my suggestions. Constant refrains include all the questions from newbies and wannabees about various pieces of equipment. I participate in some of these threads, but what often strikes me is how people with very little experience weigh in on the merits or demerits of one piece of gear or another. Anchor selection is always a hot topic, often generating as much heat as light. The "in" anchors are currently the Rocna and the Manson Supreme, and by all accounts they seem to perform very well and have lots of avid followers. But, from what you read you would think that people are risking their boats and maybe their lives if they are using a CQR, a Bruce, or a Delta.

What people have to remember is that others before them, like the Hiscocks, the Pardeys, the Dashews, and the Roths all went around the world and to many places most of us will never visit, and they did not have the option of using a "new generation anchor" because they did not exist. The same can be said for many items that appear to be considered standard equipment by many new cruisers: SSB, GPS, AIS, radar, electronic charting, and even comfort item like refrigeration and DVDs.

I am not saying that this new gear is bad or wrong to have onboard, but that you may be focusing on the wrong questions before you go. For example, anchoring success is not guaranteed if you simply purchase the latest anchor design, electric windlass, and new type of anchor rode. Easily 95% of anchoring success is due to skill, with 5% due to equipment and dumb luck. Someone like Eric Hiscock could safely sail around the world numerous times with a CQR anchor on the bow because he knew how to use it safely, not because it was a CQR. And yet that particular anchor is condemned by many as worthless. Are we no saying that you can't safely sail with a CQR because it has been supplanted by superior anchors? Of course that statement is ridiculous, but you might not get that impression reading some of the forums.

So, do as I say and not as I do, and please read the blogs with a critical eye, and don't believe that just because everyone is doing something that it is the only way of doing it. 

Florida Anchoring and Mooring Law

A new law is being considered in Florida that could have a huge impact on transient boaters who like to anchor out. I am opposed to this law, as it currently stands, for the following reasons:

1. The law allows cities to create mooring fields (the so-called "pilot" program) that drastically reduce, and quite possibly eliminate, anchoring opportunities in these communities. These mooring fields will probably take up all of the best anchoring room, and the law allows cities to enact ordinances prohibiting anchoring outside the mooring fields. Note that the mooring fields in Ft. Myers Beach and Marathon have essentially eliminated all anchoring except for the shallowest draft boats. This law does not protect access for the public, and in particular transient boaters.
2. The law does say that the laws limiting anchoring around mooring fields must be approved by the FWC with proper input, but that is an awfully vague standard. No limits are placed on these laws. This is a huge loophole through which very onerous laws could be enacted. There should be clear-cut criteria on limiting anchoring: not within so many feet of the moorings might make some sense. But to allow communities to dream up any laws, subject only to the approval or disapproval of the FWC, puts total trust in our lawmakers, and provides no protection for boaters.
In any case, this may be a moot point in many harbors (like Ft. Myers Beach and Marathon). If the mooring fields cover all of the good anchoring area, there won't be anyplace to anchor.
3. There are miscellaneous disasters in the law waiting to happen. One that jumped out at me is that counties will be allowed to charge boaters up to half of the regular Florida registration fee for the privilege of being in the county. Every county will look at this as a way to pick up revenue by hounding boaters for their fees and probably requiring some sort of sticker to prove that you've paid.
In short, this law does nothing for transient boaters, and probably will also negatively impact Floridians who wish to cruise the state.

Life on the Hook

Life on the hook is generally good. We prefer use our anchors, while some like to tie up in the floating ghetto known as a marina. It's a nice ghetto, but it is still a ghetto.

In other words, I like to be able to toss a cold cup of coffee overboard without dousing my neighbor. I like to get up in the middle of the night to check out the weather in my underwear. I like to lie on the deck and enjoy the cool evening breeze.

I don't like telling someone to please stop fiberglassing at 10 PM. I don't like asking someone to please drown your dog before I do it. I don't like joining the party unless I want to join.

Sure, there are nights when I have to sleep in the cockpit to keep one eye on dragging boats, and my wife would love to have air conditioning. But, we do swing into the wind, when there is any, so we get whatever natural cooling there is. On the really hot days I don't see much of the marina folks--they stay huddled around their air conditioners. I do think that they get air conditioned bodies that melt when exposed to tropical air. You can see it on their faces--they're thinking "why did I come outside?"

You participate in the weather when you live at anchor. If it's windy, you know it. When it's hot, you sweat. When it's sunny, you roast. But, you also get the best of the best moments. You wake up at dawn and see the sun rise, then you watch the sun set over the water while those ashore enjoy their air-conditioned cocktails and watch TV. I like the connection with nature. It's why I go boating. The bad times just make the good times seem that much better, and you get used to dealing with whatever is dished up, which makes the bad times gradually seem less and less bad. Got that?

Goodbye to an Old Friend

I've said goodbye to an old friend. He always held when the shit hit the fan, even if he required some careful handling from time to time. He was stronger than Hercules, shedding insults and injury like the superhero he was. But, he was getting long in the tooth.

The new heros on the block took over long ago. The new boys don't rely on brute strength as much as guile. They out think the baddies instead of clobbering them into submission. I like that, but there was always something reassuring about knowing you had the strongest friend on the block, even if he wasn't always the slickest character.

My old friend was down there during Hurricane Gloria when the eye passed right over Katydid, taking most of the mooring field away with it. My old friend held. It was down there in the Storm of the Century in North Carolina. It was down there during the storm that later became the Perfect Storm when it went to the Grand Banks. It was down there in Hurricane Bob, with gusts over 100 blowing trees over the cabin top.

He still has lots of his kin out there, and he will continue on cruising proudly on the bow of a neat French aluminum cruiser. Yep, I sold my last CQR anchor at a boater's flea market here in Cartagena. I wasn't going to let it go for a song--it was just as good as the day it was drop forged. But, I was tired of breaking toes (two this year) on it. I couldn't remember the last time I used it. It was nice to know it was there, but now my Bulwagga rides the place of honor on the bow roller, backed up by two Fortress secondaries. I feel secure with that trio, but who knows, maybe I'll see if a Spade or a Rocna can displace one of the gang.

Anchor in the Middle

Someone swam out to our boat yesterday and apparently was trying to climb aboard (I was ashore with the dinghy) when my wife asked him what he was up to. He swam to shore and took off. We were anchored in a good spot in Cartagena, in nice shallow water close to shore with good holding. It was also convenient to the dinghy dock at Club Nautico, but it was obviously too convenient for those on shore who might be interested in checking out how the rich gringos live. 

Of course, we have no idea what he was up to, and I suppose it could have been an innocent swimmer who was getting a bit tired, but we doubt it. So we moved to a spot where we could drop the anchor in 12 meters of water in the midst of the cruising fleet. We’re now surrounded by friendly eyes and ears, and Colombian Coast Guard patrols pass nearby.

Hopefully, that’s all we’ll need to do to feel safer. Usually, making yourself a slightly more difficult target than the next boat is all you need to do to be safe. Lock the dinghy and they’ll go for the unlocked dinghy. Close the hatches and they’ll go for the boat left open. Put away the loose gear and they’ll choose the boat with tempting items in plain view. Anchor in the midst of the cruising fleet and they’ll go for the boat in the isolated cove where no one is watching.

Luckily, cruisers are a very observant and helpful lot, and they tend to watch what is happening on other boats, if only to make sure the other boat isn’t dragging anchor. That can be a real safety plus if security is a concern.

After One Year

Some good friends of ours, the Johnsons on Side by Side, are taking off on their catamaran this year. The other day I received an email asking me for my thoughts on gear after a year out here. Actually, it's not exactly correct to say we've been out for a year, as Leslie and I have been cruising off and on since around 1976. But we do have a new boat, to us, Minke, a Finnsailer 38 motorsailor. I sent the Johnsons my thoughts, but I've subsequently rethought things. So here are the best five things we brought and the five things we brought but didn't need:

Glad we have:
1. Inflatable kayaks for the kids--it gives them independence, and we have back up dinghies if the big inflatable is stolen.
2. Electronic chart plotting and charts for the PC--we've ended up going all sorts of places we didn't plan on going, and the electronic charts allowed us to do so. But, I always print out charts in case the electronics fail.
3. Bulwagga Anchor--never fails while other boats are dragging all around us.
4. Manual ABI anchor windlass--powerful and always works, but it is slow.
5. Lots of anchor chain--we sleep more soundly knowing the rode won't chafe through, and we can use less scope in tight anchorages.

You'll note there's a theme for a lot of that list. Your anchoring gear is probably the most important gear onboard. You'll be at anchor a lot more than underway, and you'll probably be in worse weather while at anchor then when offshore, if you're watching the weather like you should. Don't scrimp on anchoring gear.

Probably don't need:
1. Pressure cooker--Leslie has used it only once a month or so and it takes up a lot of stowage space.
2. Spare CQR 45-lb anchor. It used to be our old faithful, but it now takes up deck space and breaks toes. The Bulwagga is our main with several aluminum Fortresses for second anchors. I'd trade the CQR for a really big Fortress.
3. Our built-in 3KW generator, which has never worked, is heavy, and takes up a lot of space. I'd rather have more solar panels and/or a portable generator.
4. Full carpeting--we had nice new carpets made, but in the tropics they are too hot and get dirty from sweaty feet. We now have painted floorboards and a few small throw rugs.
5. Our 12/120 volt refrigerator, which is very inefficient in terms of power consumption. I wish we had a bigger holding plate fridge or a newer generation, more efficient 12-volt unit.

Testing a Bulwagga Anchor

We tried to purchase a Spade anchor before we left, but there was an eight-week wait for the size we needed. We then checked into the Rocna anchor, which looks a lot like the Spade, and there was also a wait. So, I decided to try a Bulwagga anchor, which is made in upstate New York, near our home town of Saratoga.

The Bulwagga looks like a grappling hook with blades instead of prongs. No matter how it falls, at least two of the sharp blades penetrate the bottom quickly. We first tried it in Cuttyhunk Pond, Massachusetts. The bottom there is very weedy and notorious for not holding well, but the Bulwagga bit right in.

However, the first real test was in the cold front that swept through Block Island. As frequently seems to happen, the frontal passage was at night, so we experienced the sudden shift from westerly winds to northwest and then northeast in the pitch black. Several boats dragged away in gusts up around 30 knots, but the Bulwagga held and held well. No problems so far.

We then swung around and around our Bulwagga for several weeks in the soupy mud of Spa Creek in Annapolis. No problem.

ICW anchorages tend to have sticky mud, so they aren't much of a test of anchoring, but we did encounter one little problem in Georgia. We were anchored just south of Thunderbolt in the Herb River. Overnight the current switched several times and in the morning our Bulwagga came up fouled by the anchor chain that had wedged under one of the blades. However, the anchor had held us despite being fouled.

So far, in more than a year of almost continuous cruising, that is the only time we've had a problem with the Bulwagga. Subsequently, I usually use a second anchor in a Bahamian moor if I'm worried about reversing winds or currents. The Bulwagga has held us in winds up to 56 knots or so, in areas where other boats with other anchors have dragged.

I don't find the anchor hard to handle as we just leave it on the roller. I have to adjust its position a bit to get it to seat snugly on the roller, but that's about the extent of any hassle. You do have to be careful not to get your fingers pinched when manhandling the anchor as there are moving parts.

I like the Bulwagga, and most importantly it has held our boat safe and sound.