NEWS AND NOTES
Blue Water Sailing
November 12, 2009
Fitting Out for World Cruising - Part II: Ground Tackle
Throughout the month of November both Blue Water Sailing Magazine and The Cruising Compass will focus on Fitting Out For World Cruising.
This week Cruising Compass brings you Part II of our "Fitting Out for World Cruising" Series. Our interview with Pam Wall continues on the subject of Ground Tackle.
CC: What should all cruisers know about Ground Tackle?
Pam Wall: Number One is: Know the different style anchors that are available. Also it is good to know what style of anchor to use on different bottoms and conditions. Your anchor size and style should be appropriate for your boat and the area that you are cruising. I recommend that you get the next size up or slightly bigger size than what is usually recommended in catalogs. This is, after all, your best insurance for waking up in the same place you anchored and went to sleep. Think of the next larger size anchor as a small price to pay for this kind of reassurance.
Second, have the appropriate windlass to deploy and retrieve your anchor and chain. I strongly believe that getting a larger than recommended windlass is also a good idea. Make sure that your anchor can fit properly on your bow and goes over the bow easily without hitting the hull, or the roller furling drum on your headstay. Look at your chain locker and make sure it is deep enough to accommodate all your anchor rode and has a free drop without having your chain pyramid when being brought aboard. You should make sure that the anchor rode can easily drop into your anchor locker without the aid of anyone down below having to pull the rode or flake it to fit the locker.
Anchor locker
Three: Don't forget your anchor snubber. You can make one easily enough and learn how to attach it to the anchor rode properly so it can easily be taken off.
Anchor Snubber
Four: Have the right size chain for your anchor and boat. This sounds a bit obvious, but so often the boats I see do NOT have appropriate sized anchor chain for the vessel.
Five: Bring along a good spare secondary anchor for deploying from your dinghy. This is invaluable for a quick kedge off a sandbar, or to move the boats' stern to the swell, or any event when you need to deploy a lighter weight anchor from a tender and cannot drop it off the bow. A 20 pound high tensile Danforth-style is something to consider for its light weight and fantastic holding all around anchor.
Danforth Anchor
Six: For nylon braid anchor rode, I recommend Megabraid – 12-plait nylon made by New England Ropes. It takes up less space in the locker and doesn't require flaking as it has no memory, never hockles, and falls into an anchor locker like over cooked spaghetti!
CC: Any last thoughts?
PW: Don’t forget, your ground tackle and windlass are really important to safe anchoring and need careful thought before installing on your boat. If you want to discuss this with me further, please feel free to contact me at: pamw@westmarine.com and I can describe the benefits of what kinds of chain is appropriate for your boat, the proper windlass, and of course what anchors work best where.
Tune in next week of the Cruising Compass for Part III – Comfort and Safety Down Below.
Outfitting List courtesy of West Marine.
Danforth image courttesy of http://www.danforthanchors.com/.
Anchor snubber diagram courtesy of http://www.bosunsupplies.com/.
Anchor Windlass diagram courtesy of Optimize Your Cruising Sailboat: 101 Ways to Make Your Sailboat Better By John Roberts.
