In the first three chapters of this Online Book we defined which anchors we like for our primary anchor (SPADE) and kedge (Fortress) and how big they should be.
These recommendations were pretty straightforward, with little ambiguity, and I’m very comfortable with them. But now, as I look at what anchors we should carry in addition to the best bower and kedge, the whole thing gets murky, with a lot of variables.
Let’s give it a go:
Hi John,
I reached a very similar conclusion on our third anchor when I was going through this. We have a Mantus primary, a Fortress secondary and a Manson Supreme as the backup that is 1 size smaller than the primary. I bought the Manson as a backup anchor for a previous boat that used a Rocna primary so it was a different size and since we are not headed as far away from civilization as you at this point, I feel fine with this difference. If I were to buy my third anchor from scratch, I would buy an identical Mantus to our primary as it would fit the anchor roller well, it would stow well and we have found this to be the best performing anchor we have ever owned.
I am curious as to what your thoughts are on getting a 120lb Spade up on deck? It has been several years since I have handled a Spade but if my memory is right, the fluke has most of the weight so disassembling doesn’t help as much as it would with an anchor that doesn’t a lead tip and therefore has more equally weighted parts that can be carried up separately. I guess it might not be a huge deal as you would rarely need to do this.
I have over 1000 nights on fisherman style anchors and there are things that I really like and really dislike about them. Most of those nights were either with a 500 or a 750lb version so it may not scale all that well to cruising yachts. The anchors set really well and worked incredibly at short scope but the holding power was low for the weight and the chain tended to foul on the stock. If someone does plan to use a fisherman a lot, I would recommend looking at how traditional sailing ships carried them. For calm weather, they would use a combination of a cathead and lashing the fluke to the rail. For rougher weather, it was traditional to pull the flukes inboard and lash them flat to the deck with the stock sticking vertically over the side which could be a practical option for a cruising boat provided that adequate protection was put to prevent damaging the deck or topsides. This is a very secure arrangement that has no issues with wave impacts and allows the anchor to be deployed and retrieved in a reasonable amount of time by first lashing the head in place with the anchor vertical and then lifting the flukes into place.
Eric
Hi Eric,
Thanks for the recommendations and confirmation on the fisherman type anchors, very valuable in that today, other than Maine schooner crews, so few people have actually used a fisherman.
Funny you should ask about handling the SPADE fluke. Phyllis and I were talking about just that last night over dinner.
The two of us can just manage the fluke in a back-safe way, but it’s a close run thing. So our recommended strategy is to get it under the fore-hatch and then use a halyard to bring it on deck to assemble.
Having said that, we are fortunate in that the triangular locker shown in the photo is right under the fore-hatch, so no need to lift at all.
For those that are not so lucky, I would recommend installing a lifting ring in the deckhead above the locker or hatch into the bilge where the fluke is stowed. That way a tackle could be used to lift the fluke out onto the cabin sole and then it can be slid on a piece of canvas until it is under a hatch.
Hi John,
I think that you are 100% correct here.
I carried 75lb Paul Luke aboard for 16 years, and never used it in anger. The one time that I did use it in a trial, convinced me of its difficulties re launching and recovery, especially single handed in a blow. Imagine how far you would drift while assembling, hoisting and swinging out a Luke, and the drama if it had to be recovered so that one could leave, if a wind shift made that necessary. I subsequently sold it, and made myself a 2 piece “Rocna”. The stock is a T section where it passes through the fluke, (so it can never fail), and is held in position by a bolt. It stores well in the Vee of the bilge, and is easy to carry , using the roll bar as a handle. It can be assembled very fast. Peter Smith did make a similar, 2 piece Rocna, but it was never produced commercially. My anchor inventory is 25kg Rocna, a Fortress, and the 40kg, 2 piece ” Rocna” , as a storm/ spare anchor. Jenain is 11m long, and displaces around 12 tons.
Hi John:
Hope all is well. Good article, thank you. Needless to say I was pleased with your choices. We’ve been using a 30kg Spade as primary for years and have 2 Fortress’ as back ups, a 37 and a 55. I like your idea of the 2nd spade.
While at the catamaran show in La Grand Motte there was an anchor there, from Turkey, called the Ultra. They have an interesting “upgrade(?)” on the Spade concept. They demo’d their anchor along with the Spade and Fortress and CQR in a small sandbox. It was impressive. They also had a unique swivel that stops twist. The downside is they are expensive. I wondered if you had researched the Ultra and if so, what your thoughts are?
Ciao from Sunny Sicily.
Hi Rick,
My thoughts on the Ultra and their sandbox.
I also don’t like swivels.
The bottom line is that I’m extremely sceptical of claims of improving on the SPADE. The only way I would be converted would be to use the aspiring anchor for some years in many different places since I don’t believe that anchor tests are of much use—article coming on that.
Hi Rick, Bill and Eric,
Thanks for the conformation of my thinking based on your own experience.
When I have come up with a piece like this that contradicts a lot of accepted wisdom I always worry that I might have missed some factor that makes my thesis wrong, or worse still, dangerously wrong.
Sanity checking is just another area where the “AAC Brain Trust” adds so much value to the site.
It seems that Rocna have released a new anchor called Vulcan that does not have a rollbar. Looks very similar to the Spade. Would be interesting to see how these compare.
Hi Marcus,
Yes, he Vulcan is interesting. Having said that I’m not convinced that an anchor without a roll bar can be made as effective as the SPADE without using the same fabrication build (rather than casting) method that SPADE uses. This method allows them to build a hollow stock and to weight the tip with lead, resulting in the highest percentage tip weight of any anchor made. Having used a SPADE for 20 years, I’m pretty sure this is the secret of the anchor’s success and versatility.
SPADE themselves have tried twice to build anchors without these expensive techniques and failed miserably.
I know SPADE, SPADE is my friend…and Vulcan, you are no SPADE. 🙂 Apologies to Lloyn Bentsen.
Having said all that, Peter Smith, the designer of the Vulcan and Rocna, is a smart guy and I could be wrong and just exhibiting familiarity bias.