the gear was too large for so small a vessel, but the anchor never dragged once in three years. Therefore, no, it was not too large.

Our current ground tackle on the Swan is,

If we ever lose or have to replace the CQR bow anchor, we will seriously consider one of the new spade type anchors, either the Manson Supreme or the Rocna. We have personally witnessed these hooks in action. They set very quickly and hold fast on short scope.

We originally began our cruising with a backup bow anchor and hundreds of feet of backup chain and line, but we never used any it. Since all of this extra stuff weighed a lot and was typically stowed in the ends of the boat, robbing us of performance (not to mention space), we got rid of it.

The Yankee 26 had no windlass, just a chain stopper. However, I am older now and the gear is heavier, so we use a vertical Muir manual windlass and a heavy chain stopper to take the riding load from the windlass, since it is only good for 500 pounds. We always use a half inch nylon snubber, rolling hitched to the chain, primarily to take the load off the bow roller. The loads on the roller can be huge when anchoring in deep water, just from ground swell and boat wakes.

With our ground tackle we generally use 3 to 1 scope in depths between 20 and 50 feet. This assumes a bottom with good holding. Lighter gear might require more scope. If serious wind and weather threaten (assuming we are in a good location), we increase the scope to 5 to 1. In general, we find that deeper water requires less scope and, conversely, shallower water requires more. The type of bottom is the big variable.

We drop our anchor at a controlled rate with the boat moving very slowly astern (sometimes wind only is enough) until we have deployed nearly full scope. Then we put the engine in reverse very slowly until the anchor fetches us up. Then we increase RPM to about 1200 until we are set. I put my foot on the chain between the windless and the roller to feel when the set is solid. I also watch the angle on the chain from the roller to the water. I find a range on our beam to mark our movement. When the range remains fixed, I know we are set. If the wind is blowing fresh, I use less RPM for the set. If the bottom is questionable, I use more. Finally, I deploy the last bit of chain to reach full scope. Usually, this is the amount of chain required to put slack in the chain after I have attached the snubber.

We set downwind, keeping in mind that the wind may switch to a completely different direction later, particularly at night. After the anchor is set, we take “escape” bearings in case we have to get out in the dark. A landlocked anchorage is a beautiful thing, but it is rare. We always anchor a safe distance from land or other hard objects. We consider how much sea room we will need (in all directions) to get the anchor up should the weather force us out at night.

Anchoring is an art, especially in crowded anchorages. Practice is essential. We find the safest rule is to anchor as far away from other boats as possible. We try never to anchor in front of someone, If we do, we make sure we leave enough room that we are not sitting over the other boat’s anchor, considering also the possibility of having to increase scope in a blow. It is the height of rudeness to foul another boat’s berth. If the thought even crosses our mind that we are too close, we move. If the other boat’s skipper thinks we are too close (assuming he was there first), we move, no matter our opinion. Finally, if someone fouls our berth and won’t yield to gentle persuasion (extremely rare), we move. Nobody wins a bumping match between multi-ton boats in a choppy anchorage.

Below is a diagram demonstrating the value of a snubber. Not only does the nylon line absorb shocks, but extra chain can be lowered below the snubber/chain connection to create a chain “kellet,” flattening the catenary and creating a gravity spring.