[Rhodes22-list] Ground Tackle

[Mary Lou Troy]

Doug,
One of the keys to getting a Danforth to set correctly is making sure that 
it lands properly on the bottom. I have heard tales (no personal 
experience) of Fortresses sailing over the bottom while they are being set 
- something about the area of the flukes to weight ratio.

We keep our Danforth in a mesh bag in the lazarrette rather than on the 
bow. The rode is carefully flaked in followed by the chain and then the 
anchor so all is ready to go on a moments notice. We use the v-berth for 
storage and store the second anchor forward in its own bag. We decided 
shortly after we got the boat that we didn't like the idea of storing the 
rode in the tray in the v-berth. Didn't like the idea of introducing all 
that excess moisture (and muddy smell) to the interior. When we hauled 
anchor last weekend after the storm, not only was the anchor loaded with 
mud but the chain was extremely muddy for about half its length. We were 
able to get most of the mud off the anchor by dunking but the bag kept the 
muddy chain contained until we could get back to the dock and a hose. We've 
been considering some sort of washdown set-up.

As we've been mulling over our second anchor situation, we've considered a 
Bruce - lots of holding power for the size and it looks like we could stow 
one in the mesh bag but they aren't as good in mud as the Danforth so no 
decision yet. I'd like to hear from other Chesapeake Rhodies about their 
anchoring experiences. Uh...Don? Are we getting together this weekend?

Mary Lou
1991 Rhodes 22 Fretless
Swan Creek, MD / Ft. Washington, PA



At 06:50 AM 5/24/2004 -0400, you wrote:
>Thanks for the data, Mary Lou.  15' of chain seemed about right, so your
>experience with 14' is reassuring.
>
>I was thinking of upgrading the anchor and keeping Stan's.  I am looking at
>the Fortress line of adjustable Danforth-type anchors, but need to do more
>research.  With a new "slightly used" boat coming in, I have to address
>other needs first.
>
>Fair winds!
>
>--Doug
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
>[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Mary Lou Troy
>Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2004 4:00 PM
>To: The Rhodes 22 mail list--
>Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Ground Tackle
>
>Doug,
>I think your 3/8 in rode and 1/4 in. chain are sufficient. We've anchored
>for years with a 9 lb Danforth and only 6 ft. of chain. The only time it
>didn't hold was with a 5 Rhodes raftup but that wasn't intended to be
>overnight.
>
>That said, we've always thought we didn't have enough chain so we just
>swapped it out a couple of weeks ago for 14 ft. of chain and immediately
>had it tested last weekend. We were anchored up in Swan Creek overnight
>with the Danforth well set with a 7:1 scope. There was a t-storm
>overnight  - with winds said to be 30 knots/gusts higher (by others in the
>anchorage with wind instruments). The winds were from a different direction
>than the windds when we set the anchor (maybe 90 to 120 degrees different).
>We had the pop top enclosure and the bimini up and sailed all over the
>place but the anchor held just fine. We had the outboard started as a
>precaution because there were quite a few very large boats boats and
>raftups nearby but we didn't need it. It was wild for 35 minutes or so and
>just very windy for another 15.
>
>I do think the 9 lb Danforth is a little light but we've had such good luck
>with it and and I am so familiar with how it sets that I am reluctant to
>change. We have the 13 lb. Danforth that came with the boat as a back-up.
>It also has 3/8 in. rode and 16 ft. of 1/4 inch chain. There are a lot of
>people who don't like Danforths but in the Chesapeake mud ours always sets
>and has held through wind and current shifts. We keep talking about a
>second anchor of another type but just haven't figured out the storage
>logistics.
>
>Mary Lou
>1991 R22 Fretless
>Swan Creek, MD / Ft. Washington, PA
>
>
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