Joe; Let me start by saying that I am a fan of BIG anchors and lots of chain. My current setup on my 38 is intended for long tern cruising: two anchors on the bow roller (a 44 lb Bruce and a 35 lb CQR) each with 65 feet of chain and 250 ft of nylon rode. I commonly anchor in 10 feet of water or less, which lets me anchor with essentially all chain and about an additional 10 feet of nylon let out to act as a snubber if the wind comes up. The Bruce is my main anchor and the CQR is a backup. As I get older, I really appreciate the windlass I installed to handle these anchors. As much as I like BIG anchors, they can be a real PITA to retrieve by hand.
That said, when I was day sailing and weekend cruising, as you describe, with stops for lunch or swimming and nights in local protected coves, my only anchor was the 35 CQR with 35 feet of chain and 200 feet of nylon. So your proposed arrangement should be OK for that limited purpose. If you range more widely and start to run into more adverse conditions, you should think about upgrading the ground tackle. An old USCG Master Chief once taught me that the rule of thumb is 1 pound of anchor and 1 foot of chain for each foot of boat length. That's for normal anchoring and not for a storm anchor. The charts you have seen are probably for boats anchored with 7:1 scope in up to 30 MPH winds. If you expect storm conditions - even passing thunderstorms - you might be better served to go up a size. And which anchor you chose will depend on the bottom where you are anchoring. A Danforth is great in sand, rotten in shell or soft mud. A plow or Bruce is best for mud or weeds. A Rocna or Manston costs a lot of boat bucks, but you can sleep well at night because those anchors dig in, stay, and reset if broken loose. Washington harbor is soupy mud with wind driven tides and currents that change direction at least daily. The boats with plows and lots of chain tend to stay where they are left. And every month couple of months Sea Tow is pulling some dufus with a 15 pound Danforth and 6 feet of chain off the railroad trestle, the Hwy 17 bridge, or the island in the middle of the harbor. Now all of this isn't really answering your question. I'd suggest you talk to some of the older sailors at your marina or club who are familiar with the local conditions. Ask what they use, and where there are problem anchorages. And use their input to make your final decision. Rick Brass Washington, NC -----Original Message----- From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Joseph Scott via CnC-List Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2015 9:53 PM To: CnClist Cc: Joseph Scott Subject: Stus-List Anchor Size Hello, What size anchor do I need for my 38? I want to put a plow anchor on a roller and found a 35lb one locally for $50. Found a chart on the photo album that says that would be more than enough but that chart seems to be the exception. We are in Lake Erie and our only real use would be for an afternoon of swimming and occasional overnight in a very protected bay. Thanks Joe Sent from my iPad _______________________________________________ Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com _______________________________________________ Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com
