Anchoring a Grand Banks Europe 52

[backinblue]

In an effort to be contrary, most of the boats on my dock don't even anchor at all.

Good point. They should carry a Fortress with 10' Chain and 100' rope and be done.

 

[rgano]

The comment was made that Danforths are excellent in mud. Not sure what mud was experienced by that person, but I have had absolutely miserable experience with 40-pound true Danforths in mud hereabouts. The best mud anchor I have experienced through a few hurricane anchorings is the Fortress adjusted from the standard 35 degrees of the Danforth to the 45-degree "mud" position of the Fortress. In my case it was a pair of FX37s dropped in the same spot where the Danforths had failed the year before, even after I stood on the flukes to get them to bite in the waist deep water with a 200-foot nearly horizontal rode pulling them - they cranked right back to the boat the other end of which was tied to a tree.

 

[Peter B]

Originally Posted by AndreHuizing
- A plough is designed to move in the ground...not stay stationary;
Cheers, André
LOL!

Alaskaflyer responded...
I'm glad that I'm not the only one who had that thought strike them.

Actually, many folk think that thought is a bit unique and a telling point. However, if you actually look at the fluke of a plough style anchor, the obvious difference from the implement the farmer ploughs his field with is that there are two sides to it, not just the one, which does indeed turn the ground outwards.

The mirror image one on the other side of a plough anchor has the effect of opposing the ploughing effect of its mate, creating, especially in the case of the newer gen. types like the Sarca Ex-cel, a diving effect. This much lessens the 'ploughing' effect and tends to dig it in even deeper - however still preserving the substrate-shedding virtue on retrieval. This is why Rex Francis of Anchor-right, after experimenting with concave flukes, went back to convex. The word plough (plow in US), is a misnomer when applied to these anchors. Just sayin'...

 

[AndreHuizing]

I would sleep like a baby anchored with a 75 kg. Spade!

I would not sleep at all behind a 35kg CQR

 

[Johnboyrtw]

Sarca Excel

I just bought a Grand Banks 42, 1996. Have had it for a month now. It has a 44# CQR with 200 ft of G43 chain. I did a lot of research on anchors. I just ordered the Sarca Excel, the galvanized 65lb model.
Sarca anchors are made in Australia. The only dealer in North America is called Ground Tackle, located in British Columbia,Canada. They have a shipment enroute now with anchors.
For your Grand Banks I would choose the 88lb sarca excel. When it comes to anchoring and peace of mind you want the best ground tackle you can afford.
https://www.groundtackle.com/online-store/Anchors-c19413262

 

[Peter B]

Thanks for putting up that link Johnboy.

I couldn't find one at the time, but the pictures illustrate rather well how the modern convex fluke is not really a plow at all, but if it's holding power is exceeded, the shape, (adopting Nomad Will/Erics aircraft analogy here - thinking of holding it at eye level and imagining it being forced through a medium), will tend to sustain a downward thrust, but as it slides through the substrate slowly, it can shed the compacted substrate as it moves, thus giving a controlled drag, usually without breaking out.

Whereas those with concave flukes, while maybe having a higher absolute holding power when well-set and not moving, if their holding power is overcome, they will more likely tend to fill the fluke with compacted substrate as they drag, and even pop right up and out, as any downward force would be negated by the bottom-filled fluke.

That's my take on the difference anyway, and Steve's tests tended to support that, and I suspect why the Sarca Excel came out number one in his series, even though it may not have quite as high ultimate holding power as say the Spade or Rocna Vulcan.

 

[jimL]

Thanks for all of the advice and recommendations. We're going to try our first anchoring in a safe anchorage where we can get use to the ground tackle.

We have the Lofrans' Falkon windless with a dual gypsy. The gypsy on the port side is smooth and I have all chain on the starboard. Does anyone have experience with anchoring with a dual gypsy where the second is smooth? I checked YouTube and couldn't find a video on it.

Thanks - Jim

 

[rgano]

Nomenclature nazi here: Smooth sided gypsy is a warping head, and the chain side is a wildcat in North America, although technically just the chain grabbing wheel portion is the actual wildcat. The industry often refers to a chainwheel as a generic term for a chin gypsy. Boating is so PHUN!

 

[firehoser75]

The warping head is used with a rope rode or the portion of your rode that is rope. It must be tailed by the operator as there is not enough weight in the rope rode to self tail. Once you reach the chain portion of your rode (if so equipped), you can place the chain back in the chain gypsy for self tailing operation.
Some chain gypsy's will work with the correct type and size of rope, but can be hard on the rope. Personally, I have never done this, and the few times I actually got to and used the rope portion of my rode, I retrieved it using the warping head.

 

[jimL]

I was wondering how to deploy two anchors using that set up. If the main anchor was deployed using the wildcat gypsy (am I using the term correctly?), when I go to use the warping head side, wouldn't it also change the wildcat side?

Jim

 

[rgano]

I was wondering how to deploy two anchors using that set up. If the main anchor was deployed using the wildcat gypsy (am I using the term correctly?), when I go to use the warping head side, wouldn't it also change the wildcat side?

Jim

When I needed two anchors off the bow I would drop all-chain anchor side by releasing the brake on the wildcat and letting the anchor freefall and then using a snubber to relieve the pressure on the wildcat as I set the anchor. Then I removed the snubber left the wildcat loose or lightly braked so that chain could run through it as necessary while I moved the bow over to the second anchor's drop spot. The second anchor was dropped, and the snubber (a braided piece of 5/8 or 3/4 inch twisted nylon) was again used to set the anchor rather than stress the warping gypsy. Then the chain and rope rode were evened up with the nylon allowed to slip on the warping gypsy as the wildcat clutch was tightened to adjust the chain either in or out. The chain was secured to a snubber, and the wildcat brake was loosened to allow the warping gypsy to be used with the rope without moving chain in or out of the chain locker. When both were evened up, snubbers were applied, the rope taken to a cleat and the wildcat fully brake fully engaged.

 

[jimL]

Thanks Rich, This is helpful.

Jim

 

[Osprey69]

The warping head is used with a rope rode or the portion of your rode that is rope. It must be tailed by the operator as there is not enough weight in the rope rode to self tail. Once you reach the chain portion of your rode (if so equipped), you can place the chain back in the chain gypsy for self tailing operation.
Some chain gypsy's will work with the correct type and size of rope, but can be hard on the rope. Personally, I have never done this, and the few times I actually got to and used the rope portion of my rode, I retrieved it using the warping head.

Given this, my preference is 60' chain (OK for most benign conditions) and 200' of nylon rode for the OMG conditions. I like the nylon rode/chain combo for elasticity when the poop hits the fan.

Is it that east to go from nylon rode to chain?

 

[rslifkin]

Given this, my preference is 60' chain (OK for most benign conditions) and 200' of nylon rode for the OMG conditions. I like the nylon rode/chain combo for elasticity when the poop hits the fan.

Is it that east to go from nylon rode to chain?

It depends on the windlass. With some, you'll have to snub the rode and transfer it between the warping drum and the chainwheel. But others will happily pull rope with the chainwheel and feed it into the locker provided the 2 are joined with a splice, rather than a thimble and shackle. My Maxwell HRC10 happily pulls both on the chainwheel, for example.



In general, until you get into really big stuff where you won't find a windlass with a rope/chain chainwheel, I'd want a windlass that handles both on the chainwheel. That allows you to run however much chain you want or need to handle bottom abrasion, etc. plus additional rope after that (up to locker capacity if necessary) to account for deep anchorages. The ideal balance and total length will vary depending on your preferences, how the boat handles weight up forward, bottom types in your typical cruising grounds, etc.

 

[rgano]

Thanks Rich, This is helpful.

Jim

Evolutions like that need to be thought out ahead because you can surely run yourself ragged up there if you get out of sequence or your windlass doesn't support what you want to do.

I once had a ship's boatswain on the salvage tug I commanded who loved butcher paper presentations. He'd bring his easel and butcher paper to the wardroom and go through every shackle and pin of the coming evolution with the officers, and I'll be darned if things didn't always go well.