The Anchor

The anchor, a piece of emergency equipment or a mooring opportunity? However you view it for anyone cruising on river navigations, estuaries or coastal waters carrying one is a must. You may not need it but if you do it could save your life.

Choosing an anchor can seem like a minefield, so many types to choose from, so many weights and sizes; do you want chain or rope? It is important to select the right anchor for the job, too small and it won’t hold, too large and it will be difficult to man handle and take up too much space. Anchors must be sized correctly to the boat.

We have a 10kg Delta anchor on Naughty-Cal which is slightly over sized for the boat attached to 50m of chain which in turn is fastened to the boat with a webbing strap which is easy to cut should the ground tackle need to be cut free and dumped. The Delta anchor is a good all round anchor and we have successfully set it against a decent flow in sand, mud and rocky bed conditions. It also has the benefit of being weighted so that it falls in the correct fashion to help it grab the bottom; the only downside to this is that it often comes up the wrong way around for our roller.

The anchor needn’t be reserved for emergency situations only. River navigations often have limited visitor moorings and rafting up is not uncommon. If you fancy a quiet night, why not find a secluded spot out of the main navigable channel and spend the evening on the hook? Peace and quiet guaranteed. You do need to ensure that the anchor has taken hold of course, by gently reversing off the anchor as you lower it you will eventually feel the bow of the boat dip as the anchor bites and takes hold. Now lower enough chain/rope for the given depth of water and sit back and relax. To raise the anchor use the boat to do the hard work by gently motoring up to the anchor position taking the strain from the chain/rope making it easier to pull in.

We have spent some great time at anchor and in the right conditions it can be a very relaxing way to pass the time of day or night. It is a shame more boaters don’t embrace the anchor and see it as much more than safety equipment.