Replacement anchor for Bavaria 30

[livefats]

My Bavaria 30 has the standard (I guess) Lewmar Delta 10 kg / 22lb anchor.
For someone who anchors a lot (as we do!) this does not seem sufficient, so I'm looking to upgrade, keeping the Delta as a kedge.

I was thinking about Rocna 15, but heard they swung a lot when dropping / weighing and threaten to damage the gelcoat.

Or perhaps the Plastimo Kobra 2 14? Would that fit better on the bow roller?

Does anyone have any experience with decent anchors that fit on the foredeck of the Bav 30? Any advice gratefully received.

[livefats]

Thinking further: perhaps simply buy a larger Delta - the 14 fits the "pound per foot" metric and it should fit perfect on the roller. Then, if I drag, I can only blame Skipper incompetence!

[Keiron]

Just noticed this one and thought I'd add my 2p worth.

We have a new Cruiser 40 with a 16kg Delta, which I have thought from time to time is a little light.  That said we have been anchored in sand with 25kts winds blowing without dragging at all.  We spent the afternoon watching other boats struggling to anchor or stay put and deduced this was down to poor anchoring technique as much as anything else.

We have noticed several schools of anchoring over the past 3 years in Croatia.  There is the one we use which is the drop 2x water depth once zero speed and allow the anchor to drop to the seabed and dig in, then pay out a further water depth while the boat drifts back (I use my foot on the chain to tell if it is digging or dragging).  When the anchor holds put out a further water depth to a total of 4x WD then reverse hard to check she is holding.  Open wine and relax.

Then there is the "German" approach which appears to be throw the anchor and a random length of chain while reversing rapidly and the lob it and hope method which doesn't seem to involve any setting or reversing at all.  We have swum over our anchor to check it and seen another vessels anchor simply sitting on the surface not dug in at all!!  The mind truly boggles sometimes.

If we decide to do a round the Med trip in future then we will probably upgrade to a bigger anchor plus chain and an angel but right now I am confident that a properly set 16kg Delta will hold our boat in anything up to a 40kt blow.

Keiron

[Robert Spikins]

I Replaced the useless CQR on my Bavaria Ocean 38 a few years ago. Got a SPADE anchor it held me in 45 kts Katabatic winds and a 2 kts current in the Fareos this year and didn't budge an inch. Always digs in first time. We sleep so well at night now. It's the only anchor for me as a main and I have a fortress for a stern/ back up anchor

[Ethel]

I would second Robert's suggestion of the SPADE.  The one which came with our Bav 350 has not failed us once over 4 years of anchoring in sand, mud and gravel, often when others nearby were dragging.

It is light enough to pull up without the windlass yet always appears to set, and reset when the tide changes.

One proviso: the alloy has badly corroded or worn where the shaft connects to the blade. This may be a result of electrolysis between different metals or damage caused by the seabed or loading (?)   Anyway the boat came with an unused replacement, so I will swap over when I judge its safe life is over.

Has anyone had this experience with the SPADE ?



 

[Robert Spikins]

Ethel
There is no sign of any electrolysis on the shank still good as new. This is the only anchor to enjoy a good nighst rest and always resets when the tide turns.

[livefats]

Thanks, Robert / Ethel for the suggestion of the SPADE anchor - I'd not heard of this make before, but looking on the interweb they seem well regarded by those who have used them.

In the event I bought a Fortress anchor - light and, like the Spade, easy to dismantle for stowage. But this season we have been pleasantly surprised by how well the Delta 10kg has held, and as it's a good fit on the bows roller, this will probably remain our bower anchor, with the Fortress as a backup in case of a blow. I might be tempted however to buy a Spade as a third anchor anyways: we've always been overanchored on our past boats!