Secondary Anchor

I have already talked about the configuration of my primary anchor and rode in a previous entry, but what about the back-up? The secondary anchor system serves as an extra in case the primary fails or is lost. And if the main anchor system failed as a result of overpowering wind and wave forces the secondary will have to be as strong as the first. Otherwise it will have no chance of success and by deploying it I will only be sentencing it to the same fate as the primary.


So the secondary anchor system I have in mind will be as strong as the primary, lightweight and chafe resistant. The primary components will include a stowable Rocna model 15 anchor with a 20 foot G7 1/4 inch HT chain leader shackled to 220 feet of 9/16 inch polyester (not nylon) 8 plait line with two 10 foot lengths of the same HT 1/4 inch stainless chain spliced in at the 100 foot and 200 ft marks. So…..in order, from the anchor end I will have a 20 foot chain leader, 80 feet of line, 10 feet of chain, 90 feet of line, 10 feet of chain and 50 feet of line.

I think the benefits of this design outweigh the short comings; I enumerate them below:

1. As strong as the primary.

2. With two 10 foot chain inserts wrapped in a plastic hose, bullet proof chafe resistance is assured, (if anything can in fact be assured) whether anchored in 10 or 25 feet of water.

3. If a quick disconnect is required I can unshackle at a convenient connection point, tie in a buoy and let her go. A sharp knife provides an even quicker disconnect.

4. With only 40 feet of chain and multi-plait line the whole system will be both light weight and compact. I can stow the whole rode all the way forward in the anchor locker.

5. The foredeck on the anchor roller will be home only to the primary system. The secondary Rocna stowable can live down below until needed rather than ride on the gammoning iron anchor roller next door to its big brother.

6. On the other side of the ledger I will not be able to rely on weight or cantenary for holding power so it will have to be all about the scope.

7. And there will be quite a few connection points in the line, each a weak link. So..... chain splices or seized shackles? I’m not going through the chain gypsy anyway so I may as well shackle it all together.

Looking forward to actually dropping the hook instead of dancing with the words that describe the event.