[Rhodes22-list] Ground Tackle

Mon May 24 10:50:59 EDT 2004

Doug,

I have 6 or 7 anchors on board at all times.  I think they are important to have.  You never expect to need them, so you better have them on board when the unexpected happens.

I like Danforths.  I live near Michael, where the rule of thumb is 1 ft. of chain for every foot of boat length.  With 22 feet of chain, the lightest Danforth won't sail.  I like the light Fortress anchors, and have 2 of them.  You can disassemble them when not in use.

I also have 2 15 lb. vinyl covered anchors.  These are just hunks of metal covered with vinyl.  Easy to deploy.  Easy to retrieve.  Easily cleaned.  Perfectly fine as a lunch "hook" (there is no hook--they are smooth) Can also be attached to lighter anchors to keep them down.  When not in use, I keep 1 inverted above the anchor line tray.  It completely seals the hole, and holds the shackle where I can get to it in an instant.

I also have folding grapnel anchors of different sizes.  And a shore auger.  You can anchor much closer to shore in a Rhodes than in most other sailboats.  Don't get all involved with information you read that doesn't apply to this boat.  

My boat is anchored for 6 months of the year on a 300 lb., well set mushroom anchor with huge chain, and the largest piece of rope that will fit under the bow cleat.  This once came free because the chain wrapped around the stem of the anchor, and the buoyancy of the boat pulled the anchor out of the mud.  When I came upon it, the stern of the boat was 2 feet out of the water, and did not budge when I came aboard.  I was able to unwrap the mooring line, move the boat and anchor back to its original spot and reset it.  There was no damage to either the boat or the anchor. 

Apart from that incident, the mushroom anchor has always stayed put.  My boat is out there in all kinds of weather, including hurricanes.  The mushroom anchor, chain, and mooring lines are inspected once every 3 years.  They have always held.

I once rode out a decent sized storm on my boat while on the mooring to see what it would be like.  It was harrowing, and I'll never do it again.  In most of the places we sail you can see the bad weather coming, and you've got plenty of time to get out of it.  I will always do that if winds are predicted of more than 30 kts.  I often sail when there are small craft warnings, and would much sooner sail or heave to when on board during a storm.  If I can't do that, I'll take my boat close to shore, stern anchor and bow tie down to something on shore, and get off the boat.

I like multiple anchors, and am experimenting with what works best in my conditions.  We have a lot of currents in Long Island Sound that shift 180 degrees every 6 hours.  You set 2, opposed anchors with line from both going to the bow.  When you go to sleep you are anchored on 1.  When you wake up you are anchored on the other.

I don't like anchor line chocks.  I think they cut into your anchor line and stub your toes.  I just put chafe guard on my bow line.  I have never had to replace a chafe guard.  There is no wear to speak of.  Our boats don't put that much stress on the lines.

Anchoring is interesting, and part of sailing.  I like to anchor in shallow waters because it's easier, you can see what you're doing, and you need to carry a lot less gear.  There is plenty of space late in the day because bigger sail boats can't anchor where I can.  And if their anchors start dragging, their keels hit the bottom before their boats hit me.

I guess that's more than 2 cents worth, but once I got started thinking about it, I realized I don't do a lot of the things recommended to you.  The Rhodes 22 is capable, but small.  People buy physically large anchors like the Spade and the Bruce, but there is no convenient place to keep them on a small boat.  They are unwieldy.  People don't use them for years on end, and then finally misplace them.  

In my experience, multiple small anchors of different types with differing characteristics are a better way to go.  

Bill Effros

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Doug Mistler 
To: 'The Rhodes 22 mail list' 
Sent: Monday, May 24, 2004 7:02 AM
Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] Ground Tackle

Michael, thanks for providing specifics.  On the anchor line, are you saying
that larger than 3/8" does not have sufficient elasticity with a working
anchor?  I somewhat arbitarily estimated 15' of chain based on weight.

Having both a plow-type anchor and a Danforth-type aboard would seem to
provide for most types of bottom.  Of course, there is the issue of storage
for the second anchor.  Having the plow as the primary probably would
require one of the Danforths types which can be disassembled.

Fair winds!
--Doug

-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Michael Meltzer
Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2004 10:57 PM
To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Ground Tackle

I am the danfirth hater :-)

The highest number I every seen is 900-1100 pounds for the boat.

the basic are 200 feet on NewEngland 3 strand nylon, 3/8(4400 break, so 20%
working is 880), the boat does not ride right on 1/2(you
will break the anchor right out), 7/16 only works if you are sizing for
storm anchors and it still a little much in my humble
options. chain type 1/4 proof(1250 working load), shackles one size up and
wire them. chain length is a funny number, I like 1 foot
per foot of boat(tradition around me), but I think is more important to keep
over all system weight to a manageable level. 1/4
weight about .6 pounds per foot, 20 feet is 12 pounds, 5 pounds for the line
and I will assume that hauling 30 pounds around the
deck is the limit. So that leveals 13 pounds for the anchor.

ok, which one. Well I like the spades and the bruce(claw), the spade is
great but very hard to store on the boat without an anchor
roller, the 11claw will store under the seat but it is not great for
mud(most of your use).

Than thier is the danforth that only does great in mud, not the greatest at
reseting, and the light ones will sail and are hard to
set, but does store on the rail ok. That said you will mostly be in mud, a
steel danforth around 14-15 pounds should do on an bow
hanger. I would be very templed to recommend a 16.5 pounds bruce(claw) on
it's own chain and rhode in an anchor bag alway ready toI
run, stored in the lazzeret, the problem with the danforts on the bow is
they great when you are plaining to anchor, but getting
them off the bow and the rhodes up from the draw is hard when things
happening fast, like loosing the motor by lee rocks. the
bruces(claw) will set fast and be happy on short scope and will be handy to
have if you away from mud.

MJM

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mary Lou Troy" <mltroy at verizon.net>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2004 3:59 PM
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
>
>
> At 03:33 PM 5/21/2004 -0400, you wrote:
> >Back when we were discussing "Toys for Rhodes," Michael said that his
first
> >priority would be a working anchor system rated for 40+ knots.  As I am
soon
> >to purchase my anchor line and chain, I would like to ask the list, what
> >anchor & rode combinations are all of you using?
> >
> >As you guys and gals have a lot of experience, what do you recommend for
> >overnighting and weathering a Chesapeake Bay thunderstorm with some
margin
> >of safety?  Would premium 3/8" line with a moderate grade 1/4" chain be a
> >good combination?
> >
> >Fair winds
> >--Doug
> >(whose "slightly used" Rhodes is still at the glider factory)
> >
> >__________________________________________________
> >Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
>
> __________________________________________________
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