Real-World Anchoring
After nearly four decades of being married to my CQR plow anchor, I decided to try a new anchoring solution aboard my Ericson 41, Wind Shadow, and mounted a Manson Supreme on her bow roller. Ill be long-term testing the Manson, but heres a preliminary look at the CQR and the Manson.
Anchor Rode Report
In our continuous research of ground tackle, we noticed that large oil rigs are often anchored into place with a spider web of stranded wire-or in some cases, Dyneema, a low-stretch, high-strength synthetic fiber. We wondered whether Dyneema or a wire cable might have some application in recreational sailboat anchoring, and we launched field tests to find out. These tests also looked at how changing the diameter of your anchor chain affects anchor performance.
Rodes Tested from Shore and Catamaran
Our test anchors included a small, 11-pound Spade anchor, which we set using a chain winch off a beach in Pittwater, Australia. We set the anchors using two different rodes: 30 feet of 5/32-inch stainless wire strop that we fabricated using old lifelines and 33 feet of quarter-inch, short-link BBB chain. We extended each rode with 5/16-inch chain and aimed for length-to-depth ratio of a 5-to-1.
Mantus Upgrades to a Stronger Shank
Late last year, we had our first look at the bolt-together Mantus anchor. Although we liked the design, and prices were favorable (around $330 for a 35-pounder), we raised concerns about the shank strength, which by our estimation was the weakest of all anchors of a similar design.
Mantus Anchor-chain Hook
Practical Sailor recently looked at various ways to take the load off the windlass and roller by means of a short rope snubber or bridle, but we did not talk about how to attach a snubber to the chain. The Mantus Chain Hook takes an innovative approach, and seemed particularly useful for catamaran owners with long bridles. Testers put the 1/4-inch stainless Mantus hook through more than 50 anchoring cycles and dozens of tide cycles aboard a PDQ 32. Find out how the Mantus fared.
Where Credit Is Due: September 2013
Alpenglow I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to (and recommendation of) the folks at Alpenglow Lights (www.alpenglowlights.com). We have many of their fixtures and have contacted the company on numerous occasions for new sales, upgrades, and technical questions. Without fail, they have exceeded our expectations, from offering to perform upgrades at minimal cost, to telling us secret workarounds that enabled us to use locally sourced parts and supplies to re-invigorate their excellent lighting units.
All is Lost and Found
A photographer friend stumbled upon this photo of my wife, Theresa, from our cruising days. It was taken in Fiji around 1995. She doesn't usually look this serious; it probably had something to do with having two guests on board a cramped 32-foot Atkin ketch for a couple of weeks. I thought the image illustrated well something that Ive been thinking about lately: the value of resourcefulness while cruising. This notion of the self-sufficient sailor came to mind most recently while watching the movie trailer for All is Lost, in which a single-handed sailor (played by Robert Redford) tries to keep his beloved Cal 29 afloat.
Shockles Snubber Test
The string of anchor tests weve carried out in the last year presented a good opportunity for us to also test an anchor accessory: the Shockles anchor snubber. Makers claim it helps your anchor stay set by reducing the constant shock loads during strong winds or in rough seas. We did some real-world testing aboard a 6-ton Lightwave 38 catamaran in a range of conditions and anchorages, and we also bench-tested the snubber, using a load cell and chain winch.
Mailport: June 2013
How thick is too thick for the buildup of old layers of bottom paint? This question arises because I have just finished painting the bottom of my boat. Even though I diligently sought out potential flaking spots with my knife, while rolling on the paint (Pettit Ultima Eco), I would frequently get a mess caused by the paint flaking off. I have only owned this boat for three years, so I really do not know how many layers there are.
Anchor Tests: Bending More Shanks
In the first part of this series on anchor-shank strength, we examined how the shanks of anchors that supposedly met the most stringent industry standards could bend under loads that a typical cruising sailboat could encounter. With this installment, we wanted to demonstrate how that might happen in a fact-finding field test. Based on our previous findings, we concentrated our study on a specific group of anchors and specific type of load. The anchors are regarded as super high holding power (SHHP) anchors, and the load was a sudden, snatch (or dynamic) load applied at a 90-degree angle to the direction each anchor was set.
Finally Cheap Enough to Be Dangerous – This 42-Foot Jeanneau DS
Tour the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42DS, a 42-foot cruising sailboat that may be one of the most tempting used sailboats on the market. With...
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