Anchors Aweigh
Anchors Aweigh
Boating is an adventurous hobby. Every new outing offers a different experience from relaxing to exciting and oftentimes the combination. This very quality makes it important that boaters keep an eye on the safety aspects of the hobby. This experience is not like badminton in the backyard.
Boating safety boils down to the basics: float plan, charts, compass/GPS, life jackets, horn, anchor, and a few other things. All are important, and in many cases required by the U. S. Coast Guard, but let’s focus on the anchor here.
When looking at anchors consider the type of anchor first. Different anchors, such as Delta and Danforth anchors, hold differently on various bottom types such as mud, sand and rocks.
Once you’ve narrowed the options to the desired type, review the different sizes available. Many people carry a storm anchor for the next larger boat to reduce the chance of future difficulties. Whatever you do, don’t try to save money in this area, putting yourself and your crew at risk.
Then, look at the line diameter, construction, and length. A 16’ Whaler might get away with 3/8 diameter line, whereas a 24’ Sea Ray runabout might be better suited to a 3/8” line. In either case, three branded nylon is a popular construction choice. Pay particular attention to line length as typically 7-1 scope is advised in moderate weather conditions, and more in unfriendly seas.
After purchase, try to use the anchor on a regular basis as line left sitting oftentimes develops kinks which inevitably surface during tricky anchoring situations.
The subject deserves a deeper dive, but hopefully, this primer, will get the mental wheels turning on this important topic.
