I apologize if I did not get the topic changed correctly.
As I sit aground after a squall in West Neck Harbor, Shelter Island, NY with 5 other grounded sailboats, the question is what is the right anchor?
Tow boat US is standing by waiting for the tide to rise.
The squall turned the boats about 180 degrees so the anchors had to reset.
The bottom is mud.
We were in 13’ of water with a 33 pound Rocna Vulcan anchor, 90’ of 5/16 chain and 15’ of 5/8” 3 strand nylon.
Our Cruising Club had been at dinner, a 10 minute dinghy ride away. On our way back from dinner we did not experience any particular wind until we were several hundred yards from the boats. It was obvious then that the boats were in trouble.
The Tow Boat captain said he does not usually see this unless there is a hurricane.
What do you think is the right primary anchor for a Cruising Nonsuch 33?
Sorry to hear all that Ward. Sounds like your current problem its as much about the bottom conditions you were dealing with as it is about any insufficiency in your ground tackle. The primary anchor on our 30U is a 33 lb. Bruce so your anchor might be a bit small but I would think with any kind of good bottom it would be adequate in most situations. Hope you get your situation sorted out with minimum fuss and expense.
I used a 20 kg Sarca Excel,
Equivalent to Rocha/Manson
Remainder of your gear is appropriate
Do you use a nylon snubber?
Very important
Mine was 20’
Mark Fagelman
You may want to check out the SV Panope series of anchor tests on YouTube. It is the most extensive independent testing I have seen and much is revealed. This video in particular will interest you. It shows about what probably happened to your Rocna. https://youtu.be/WL9JL9AK6ss
After watching them all .... Warning: it is a real rabbit hole ... I chose a Mantus 35 for my 30U.
Paul,
Do you have photos of how your Mantus sits in your anchor roller? I recall trying it out and having the anchor’s roll bar get in the way. The anchor would only come partially on board. I have a 33# genuine Bruce now which seems to hold well in Chesapeake mud but I doubt I’ve been in conditions that have given it a real test. If I upgrade I was thinking of trying a Spade. Did well in Panope’s tests and does not have a roll bar to interfere.
I’ll take a couple today. I think the spade is great and so does the tester and it will fit well on your roller. My choice was driven by the Mantus' status as fastest setter. I anchor in places often where you need to nail your spot. If you need to drag your anchor fifty yards before it sets you won’t be in the place you wanted. The faster it sets the more accurately you can place yourself among the other boats.
I can live with a small compromise for that.
You need the nylon snubber to stretch and get rid of the shock loading that you would get with all chain. That shock loading will pull any anchor out of the bottom.
MF
Sorry to hear about your trouble. Especially since those are exactly the same components that I have on my 33. My 33 lb. Rocna Vulcan has been excellent in mud and sandy bottoms, and reset in the one time we had anything close to a wind shift you described.
A couple of thoughts: I assume the 5/8" line was your snubber, so doing a little math I come up with a little over 5:1 scope (13’ water + 6’ to the bow roller)- sound right? So maybe more scope would have helped, if it was possible in the anchorage with other boats. Also, was there enough room to swing, pull out, then reset before going aground?
My experience with dragging the Vulcan was on a muddy bottom with a lot of grass. We were head to wind as a thunderstorm approached, put down about 6-7:1:scope of chain rode + snubber, and backed down to set. By then the wind was up and we were moving along but not stopping. I was concerned about the shoreline coming up behind us but then the anchor set and did not budge in the >30 kt wind.
I really like the Vulcan. It sits on the roller very well and has set very well for us.That said I might get the next size larger if I were buying today. FWIW, I usually use our Danforth or Fortress with the mostly rope rode in the nasty mud around here because of the amount the chain rode tries to bring aboard. It is easier to wash off the rope than the chain.
I hope you got off with no further difficulty and are having an enjoyable cruise.
Ward, I have a 36 and have been very happy with my bower anchor and rode setup. I use a 44 lb spade, 200 feet of 3/8 chain with 100 ft of 5/8 3 strand nylon coupled to a Lewmar V3 windlass., I use 2, 30’ 1/2" nylon brait snubbers attached with a soft shackle, adjusted to the situation. It all fits well on the roller and is easy to deploy and retrieve. SO FAR has always worked without incident. I also have ready to deploy a 37lb danforth mounted at the bow with 100’ of 3/8 chain and 5/8 nylon rode as a secondary which I use in very soupy mud. I have heard of others dragging at Shelter Island as well. Hope all is well with your boat.
