
Obviously, when thinking about anchoring, the first step is to select a good anchor.
So I’m going to use our experience with our favourite anchor, the SPADE, to highlight the four things that really matter in anchor selection, and then move on to a detailed review of the SPADE.
That said, if you prefer other anchors, that’s just fine with us. This is not about trying to push anyone into buying a given anchor, but rather about setting a standard for what good anchor performance looks like.
And later on in the book we will cover strengths and weaknesses of other anchors—all have both.
What Anchor Success Looks Like
Phyllis and I have owned SPADEs for 19 years. In that time we have cruised over 100,000 miles and set the SPADE well over 1000 times in every bottom type imaginable:
- The rock-strewn and kelp-encumbered coves of Greenland and Baffin Island.
- The hard sand of the Bahamas.
- The thick mud of Britain and Nova Scotia.
- The thin soupy mud of the Chesapeake Bay.
We have lain safely to a single SPADE while:
- Hurricane force gusts, varying in direction by over 100 degrees, came screaming off the Greenland Icecap, slamming us back and forth across anchorages, only to come up short with bone-shaking impacts, despite having a long nylon snubber.
- Cold fronts came through crowded Bahama anchorages, causing as much as half of the other boats to drag by.
- Late fall storms blew steady storm force with higher gusts in anchorages like Great Salt Pond at Block Island that supposedly have poor holding.
- Anchored off islands and in open roadsteads where few other yachts dare to anchor—we have a thing about exploring offshore islands.
In all that time, and with all those sets, we have never, not even once, dragged once set.
The Vital Four
…Wait, let’s think about what I just wrote.
#1 Never Drag
This is the single most important thing to focus on when buying an anchor. Every other strength or weakness that an anchor may or may not have is insignificant if it drags, even once, and puts us on the rocks.
#2 Setting Reliability
The next most important criteria is setting reliability across a wide range of bottom types. Here again, SPADE excels: we have only had ours fail to set on the first attempt less than 20 times in all those years and only been forced to find a new place to anchor with a better substrate less than 10 times.
#3 Resetting Reliability

Our SPADE has never failed to reorient and/or reset in a wind shift, even a radical one. My theory is that because the lead-weighted tip and hollow stock provide very high tip weight percentage, it orients into the setting position regardless of how much crap may have stuck to it, and also because the clean design allows debris to exhaust off the fluke as it digs in anew.
#4 Strength
Unlike most anchors, the SPADE stock—the most vulnerable part of any anchor to failure—is made of three pieces of metal welded together into a triangle, with a hollow in the middle, resulting in far higher strength than any other anchor.
Here’s a quote from a study done by Mantus anchors comparing the stock strength:
The HT-Steel Spade is not shown and only because its predicted Bending Strength is twice that of the highest ones shown so it falls far outside chart boundaries.
Yup, twice as strong as the next best, and that from a study done by a competitor.
And this is not just theory. On at least five occasions over the years we have brutally ripped our SPADE out of obstructions by pulling in the chain until it’s vertical, locking it off with our massive chain stopper, and then surging our 25-ton boat back and forth with the full power of our engine—when you are in Greenland and your best bower (primary anchor) looks like being lost, you do whatever it takes. None of this has damaged our SPADE.
Not Just Our Experience
And it’s not just us. In the some 15 years we have been writing and hosting thousands of comments about anchoring, we have never had a SPADE owner say that the anchor has let them down.
Secondary Selection Criteria
But what about the secondary stuff? Glad you asked:
Fast Setting
Not only does the SPADE set reliably, it sets fast. When we got our first SPADE I dove on it after pretty much every set to find it fully buried in less than its own length from the landing mark. And this was in the hard sand of the Bahamas.
These days we always set a waypoint on our GPS at the drop point and the SPADE (except on the few occasions where it has failed to set) always ends up setting on that point.
(We check by measuring the chain veered and then checking the distance to the waypoint while setting—surprisingly accurate with a modern WAAS-equipped GPS.)
Not only is fast setting comforting, it also dramatically reduces the chances of the anchor fouling on something on the bottom, and ensures that we end up where we intended to in crowded or small anchorages.
We Love The Way Our Anchor Drags
Now there’s a counter-intuitive headline. Let me explain. On the few occasions that our SPADE has failed to set, it has only dragged back very slowly and never at less than 450 pounds (204 kg) of rode load.
By the way, a useful, albeit rough, rule of thumb is, assuming a reasonably efficient propeller:
rode load in pounds=HP x 22.5
rode load in kg=kW x 13.7
Note that the HP and kW variables are measured at the shaft, so we need to use our engine power curve to arrive at that from RPM (except at wide-open throttle.)
So if our SPADE ever did start to drag once set, it would do so slowly, probably at less than a knot, even in gale force winds, giving us time to deal with the situation.
Easy to Stow
The SPADE is much easier to stow securely on a bow roller than anchors incorporating a roll bar.
And, better yet, it can be disassembled into two parts by undoing one bolt, making stowage below much easier.
By the way, there was a lot of hullabaloo about this last feature some years ago, after a boat was lost off New Zealand when the SPADE she was lying to came apart. I’m not sure what happened there, but I’m as certain as I ever am about anything that the fault did not lie with the anchor, since the bolt is not load bearing in use.
Anyway, SPADEs are now shipped with an aircraft nut, which can’t back off, and said nut and the bolt are drilled to take a split pin—if there ever was a problem, it’s solved.
Streamlined

The SPADE is streamlined when viewed from ahead of the boat. Don’t underestimate this benefit: The loads that some large fluke area anchors will subject the bow roller to when the bow is driven into green water are pretty impressive.
Deep Setting

There are two other benefits to this clean design:
- In kelp-encumbered bottoms, where many other anchors fail, the SPADE just burrows through to the bottom below—we have tested this in Baffin Island and North Labrador where the kelp beds are so thick that the fronds often break the surface in 20 feet of water.
- In very soft bottoms, where many anchors will skid along the soupy surface, a gentle hand on the throttle while setting can work a SPADE through to the thick mud deep down. This is, I think, why we have successfully anchored, through gales and even storms, in places that have bad reputations for holding.
No Roll Bar
Roll bars have long been touted by the manufacturers of anchors that have them as a desirable feature. And, yes, they do help the anchor orient into the setting position reliably without the need for ballasting the anchor much, or even at all.
That said, I now believe that roll bars are probably more a bug than a feature, since they:
- Increase the chances that the anchor will foul with a rock or other piece of debris.
- Add resistance that will prevent the anchor digging into the bottom as deeply.
- Will make an anchor less effective in thick kelp—this is backed by substantial anecdotal evidence in the comments.
- Will, I think, particularly very large ones like that on the Mantus, subject their mounting points to huge leverage loads in a fouling situation. So, particularly if bound for the high latitudes where rocky bottoms are the rule, we recommend an anchor without a roll bar.
Yes, I know, many of you who love your roll bar anchors are now severely pissed off. Sorry. When you have had a chance to cool off, do think seriously about whether your belief in roll bars is based on logic or simply because you have been told they are great for years by the companies that make roll bar anchors.
Bottom line, the roll bar anchor manufacturers, starting with Rocna, have out-marketed SPADE by a huge margin for years. And, further, because so many roll bar anchors have been sold in recent years, confirmation bias will be what is primarily shared on forums—understandable, but not the basis for good decisions.
All that said, if you decide that roll bars are great, particularly for your usage, that’s just fine with me. My purpose here is not to stir the shit, but rather to make sure we have all really thought about this “feature” and not just assumed it’s a good idea.
Downsides of SPADE
So is the SPADE perfect? Of course not, nothing is. Let’s take a look at some negatives:
Expensive
The fabricated construction that contributes so much to the SPADE’s functionality also makes it expensive to build. So the SPADE price is typically substantially more than most competitors.
Poor Availability
Particularly in the early years, SPADE did a poor job of distribution and product delivery. The result is that major chains like West Marine stopped selling them and most marine stores don’t stock the SPADE.
For example, here in Canada there is only one dealer that actually sells the SPADE—others claim to but will try to sell you some other anchor if you call.
The result is that a buyer will be faced with shipping charges on top of the already higher price of a SPADE, as well as the hassles and expense of cross-border clearance in countries with no dealer.
Poor Galvanizing

Over the years SPADE anchors have had galvanizing quality control issues ranging from mild to severe. And the yellow paint “feature” is, in my opinion, just plain silly because it only lasts for a few months of real cruiser use.
And, if that were not bad enough, getting a SPADE re-galvanized is a royal pain since the lead ballast in the tip must be melted out first and then replaced afterward.
Having said all of that about rusting, in my experience, and we had a bad one, the issue is cosmetic only. It does not affect the strength or function of the anchor.
Short-Scope Performance
The SPADE is not great at setting in difficult bottom types on a scope of less than about 4:1, particularly in relatively shallow water.
That said, recent testing has shown that the SPADE holds well on shorter scopes after being set. However, I have never personally tested that since we generally prefer larger anchorages where we can use at least 5:1 scope.
(If forced to use a very small anchorage, we prefer to use shorefasts and longer scope, rather than anchoring on short scope.)
Also, be aware that some interesting analysis in recent years seems to show that some of the attributes that contribute to exceptionally good short-scope setting ability may have downsides for general use.
Thin Mud
We have had occasional problems setting the SPADE in very thin mud, like that in some parts of the Chesapeake Bay, particularly on short scope. That said, the problem can usually be managed with good setting technique. And, once the SPADE has burrowed through the thin stuff, it holds great.
In fact, we have ridden out two gales securely anchored in the same creek where Fortress did their much-ballyhooed testing that purported to show that the SPADE, and most all anchors other than Fortress, were dangerously useless in soft mud—the setting protocol used in the test was badly flawed and skewed the results.
Also, very large fluke areas can, I think, reduce the anchor’s ability to bury itself really deeply and, counter intuitively, actually result in lower ultimate holding—see Colin’s SARCA Excel review for some experience that seems to support this.
Update March 2024, Stock Vulnerability
The very construction methodology that makes the Spade stock so strong for it’s weight—fabrication from several pieces of metal welded together—also makes it more susceptible to catastrophic failure if if it does fail, and also to failure caused by manufacturing mistakes or corrosion.
How big a problem is this? We know of one Spade failure that we think was maybe caused by a manufacturing defect, out of the tens of thousands of Spade anchors manufactured in the last 26 years since the anchor was invented. We also know of a few other stock bend failures of Sades in circumstances where any anchor would have bent.
In all the cases we know of, Spade replaced the anchor for free with no quibbling.
Up to you how much weight you want to put into this, but we don’t worry about it. Still, dig deep into this if you want.
Not Stainless
Everything I have written above only applies to SPADE anchors made from galvanized steel. We strongly recommend against buying a stainless steel SPADE for the following reasons:
- It will come as a surprise to many, but stainless steel is substantially weaker than the high quality galvanized steel used by SPADE and, yes, even a bit weaker than the SPADE made of aluminum.
- We have also received a disturbing report of setting failures with a stainless steel SPADE.
Summary
OK, clearly we love our SPADE anchor. But that’s not the point of this chapter. Rather, the takeaways for all of us, no matter what anchor we end up with, are that it must have the following four attributes, listed in order of importance:
- Reliability: An anchor that drags, once properly set, even occasionally, has no place on a voyaging boat.
- All-round setting capability: A voyaging boat needs a best bower that will set reliably in a wide variety of bottom types: hard sand, rocks, thick kelp, weeds, and on it goes.
- Resetting reliability: A cruising boat’s best bower anchor must dig right back in again after a wind shift, no matter how radical, regardless of how much crap is stuck to the fluke.
- Strength: When far from home, a bent best bower is at best a cruise ender and at worse a boat wrecker.
Comments
I’m pretty sure I will have upset some of you with this chapter, particularly with my thoughts on roll bars, and it may even cost us a few members, but before you go off angry, or tear me a new one in the comments, let me say, once again, that this is not about trying to sell you a SPADE.
It’s about highlighting what really matters in selecting a voyaging boat anchor. So if you feel that your present anchor (or a different one you plan to buy) satisfies the important criteria above, even if it has a roll bar, by all means say so in a comment. I may not agree, but you have every right to your opinion. Let’s not fall out over it.
Further Reading
- Why small anchorages can feel snug but actually be dangerous
- How to choose the right size for your anchor
- An interesting paper on anchor fluke angles over at “Practical Sailor”
- Video comparison of anchors, including SPADE, by S/V “Panope”. This is well worth the 40 minutes it takes to watch. Highly recommended.
Disclosure
I really liked and had a huge amount of respect for the late designer of the SPADE—we bought our first two directly from him and we paid the same price as anyone else.
But then, ten years ago, the North American distributor for SPADE gave us a brand new anchor to replace our battered and rusty old one.
I assure you that this did not influence what I wrote above…the price to corrupt me is way higher than that! 🙂
Finally, the fact that I always write SPADE in caps is not some devious attempt to influence you. The reason is that SPADE is an acronym, although I have to confess I no longer remember what it stands for.