Anchors Aweigh

After several months in La Paz making repairs and upgrades to the boat, we were ready for the 350 mile trip to Bahia de los Angeles for hurricane season.  A few minor items lingered on the project list, but all of the big stuff was completed.  It seemed that our scrambling for boat parts was finally over.  When one morning, out of the blue, Trisha asks “should we get a new anchor?”  It was a very good question.  Anchor technology has come a long way since our trusty Bruce Anchor was designed back in the 1970s.  The Bruce has generally done a good job for us but it has trouble setting in hard bottoms and needs a large amount of scope (length of chain attaching the boat to the anchor) in high winds.  Most importantly, performances studies have shown that the new anchor designs on the market provide far more holding power than the Bruce.  For those nights when high winds scream across the boat, an anchor upgrade would bring a higher margin of safety and peace of mind.  After some internet research and discussions with fellow cruisers, we decided to buy a Rocna Anchor.

Results of comparison testing of different anchors:
The Bruce is the second on the left and the Rocna is on the far right

The first step was selecting the size.  Our Bruce anchor weighs 20 kilograms (44 pounds) and is a bit undersized for our boat.  After studying the sizing chart on the Rocna website, we decided to go with a 33 kilogram Rocna (72 pounds).  This is a big jump in size and weight but the next time we see 60 knots of wind were going to feel real good about the decision.  Next came the purchase, with the help of Rick on Hotel California and Michael on Milagro we got a great price on the Rocna and sold one of our old anchors.  Just one problem, the new anchor was at West Marine in San Diego.  Fortunately, we found a cruiser who was making a round trip drive to San Diego.  For a nominal fee, he picked up our anchor and delivered it to us at the marina in La Paz.  Finally, several modifications had to be made on Interabang’s bow to accommodate the larger anchor.

BEFORE:  Our bow with the Bruce anchor

AFTER:  Our bow with the Rocna anchor

We love our new anchor.  After fifteen drops, we find that it sets the first try every time.  Also, once set, there is no creep in our GPS numbers after a windy night or significant changes in wind direction.  The Rocna is fabulous.

This is how happy Trisha is about the new anchor