Anchors

Hello to the BCC email group.

My name is Pete Cisek. My wonderful wife and I are fortunate enough to
have BCC #115 (we haven’t quite settled on her name yet) being built
for us at the Sam L. Morse yard. It has been delightful working with
Roger.
I’ve been eavesdropping on this group for what must be a year plus
soaking up various tidbits of information. #115, I’m hoping, will be
completed sometime in mid-spring of 00 or so and we are now in the
throes of defining the initial outfitting list.

Which leads me to my first question from you experienced BCC sailors.

Anchors! Now I don’t want to start any heated discussions about which
anchor type is best (and I won’t even mention which anchor has been my
favorite to date). Rather I’d just like to know what folks have been
using with their BCC’s. Specifically the type of anchor and weight and
how well that anchor has performed for them in both mundane and
challenging anchoring situations. Also, how easy or difficult is it
(the anchor you use) to retrieve and get on deck and what sort of
stowage schemes are folks using? I am considering having the company
add (more $$, geez doesn’t it ever end) the double rollers (out on the
bow sprit) before she’s finished as they seem useful in in the “letting
go” and the weighing process. Does anyone have these and have they
proven to be as useful as they look?

Appreciate any thought you can share…

Thanks - Pete

Hello Pete,

Here’s what I use:

Primary: 35 lb CQR on 200 ft 5/16" high-tensile chain and 150 ft 5/8" nylon
3 strand. Stowed on the bobstay, a la Pardey. This is a snap to drop and
retrieve. We left it on the bobstay, even when offshore. I think this
contributes some drag, but never makes any noise or threatens to jump loose.

Secondary: 33 lb Bruce on 40 ft 5/16" BBB chain and 150 ft 5/8" nylon 3
strand. Stowed on a custom roller attached to the sprit about 2 feet from
the stem. Also easy to deploy and retrieve, but not as easy as the CQR.
Its stowed position keeps it completely clear of the CQR. I would note that
while we stow and deploy the 33 lb Bruce from the custom roller on the
sprit, we do not use this roller for load bearing. We pass the rode through
the hawse hole to the bits to secure it once set. I do not think it is a
good idea to load the sprit in the middle - it takes it out of column.

Stern/Spare: 22 lb Bruce on 40 ft 5/16" BBB chain and 200 ft ½" nylon 3
strand. Stowed in a PVC tube attached to the gallows frame. If we have to
use this one, we usually deployed it from the dinghy.

Storm: 50 lb Northhill (cast, not SS folding) on 20 ft ½" proof coil chain
and 200 feet 1" nylon 3 strand. Stowed in the lazarette. I had to use this
once, for Hurricane Iris in Martinique, FWI. I daisy chained the primary
equipment to this anchor, so the sequence went: 35 lb CQR, 200 ft 5/6" HT
chain, 50 lb Northhill, 20’ ½" PC chain, 200" ½ nylon to the bits. This was
a bear to deploy and retrieve, but thankfully we only had to do it once.

I’ve been extremely pleased with the performance of all of this gear. While
it may seem overkill to some, I think it offers peace of mind and a better
night’s sleep. It suits my cruising grounds, where I rarely anchor in more
than 25 feet of water (so all chain is ok), and frequently deal with tidal
currents (so 2 good anchors at the bow).

Regards,

Jeremy Waters
WatersJeremy@PRAintl.com <mailto:WatersJeremy@PRAintl.com >

A couple of other thoughts from Calypso-

The 22lb Bruce we actually used as the secondary before we got the 33, and we
sat through Tropical Storm Iris in Martinique sitting to that one mainly. As
Jeremy has said, we daisy chained the CQR and the Northill together out to
the direction we thought the wind would blow hardest from, but the 22 was out
at an angle to it, and the way the wind shifted we wound up sitting to the 22
for about two days as the wind blew a steady 30-35. (we hadn’t planned that,
but . . .) We never budged. We certainly love our oversized gear and spent
lots of time figuring out our “system” - we also slept superbly during our
three years of cruising.

Anchors are critical, but if you don’t anchor properly you won’t get good
performance out of your gear. I am sure you have read all the pertinent
literature (or at least a good chunk of it - hard to read it all) and
understand the business about chain vs. line and letting the anchor dig in
rather than just powering it backwards . . . definitely ask if you have any
questions on that front! Diving to check on the anchor wherever possible is
the best way to get a good night’s sleep! And deploying an extra anchor
before you think you’ll need it might mean more work in the morning but a
better night’s sleep . . . and none of us go cruising to stay up all night on
anchor watch.

Cheers,

Nica Waters, Calypso

Thanks for the info in response to my query. Helps a great deal in
solidifying my approach.

Another item I have put off for acquisition later is a windlass. Plans
are for a manual type. So far I’ve looked at a Simpson Lawrence
“Hyspeed” and a Lofrans model.

I noticed, Nica, in your response ot Don (very interesting discussion)
you mentioned you had a manual windlass. What type is it? Anyone else
using a manual windlass and what types are they?

Thanks - Pete C.

Pete,

The windlass we have on Calypso is a manual horizontal single acting
type. It was manufactured by a company called Moritz. I think it
is/was a California based company. I’ll have to look at it next time
I’m down on the boat to see if it has any info on the manufacturer.
The windlass was installed by the original owner in '76-'79.

This windlass is very, very simple but works great. It is a single
horizontal shaft with two wildcats and two capstans on either end. The
shaft is also served by two ratchetting lever arms/tubes (for hauling),
another ratchet/block which only permits chain to be hauled (can be
disabled for lowering), and a friction brake to control
lowering/release.

Lifting anchor is a two handed operation. There are two stainless
steel tubes, one for each hand. While one hand pulls, the other is
pushing fwd (ratcheting). The tubes (removeable) are long enough that
this is done standing.

The shafts and tubes are stainless. Everything else is bronze.
Lubrication is by grease nipples. All of this is “external”. This
windlass has no “housing”.

Hard to explain, but I hope this gives you an idea of what we have.

Regards,

Jeremy

pjcise-@prodigy.net wrote:
original article:http://www.egroups.com/group/bcc/?start=270

Thanks for the info in response to my query. Helps a great deal in
solidifying my approach.

Another item I have put off for acquisition later is a windlass.
Plans
are for a manual type. So far I’ve looked at a Simpson Lawrence
“Hyspeed” and a Lofrans model.

I noticed, Nica, in your response ot Don (very interesting discussion)
you mentioned you had a manual windlass. What type is it? Anyone
else
using a manual windlass and what types are they?

Thanks - Pete C.