Anchors Reset Tests

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When a sailor hooks his beloved boat to good, old Mother Earth, he hopes his anchor will stay put—for lunch, for a good night’s sleep, to ride out a storm or to keep the boat safe while unattended.

If done well, the anchor system should give him the cherished peace-of-mind.

However, there’s one threat that nags at him, especially when he’s not aboard.

It occurs when the wind or current sharply changes direction, a not uncommon phenomenon. That means that the well-set anchor must somehow re-align itself to the new heading. Two questions present themselves:

1. Does the anchor, without losing much of its grip, simply swivel in the mud or sand and steady up?
2. Or does the anchor pull free, flipping on its back or roll up on edge, and then re-set itself?

Seeking answers to these questions produced some dramatic results for this latest report in Practical Sailor’s continuing series on the in-the-water performance of about two dozens makes and types of anchors. Rather than one big test aimed at finding the perfect, all-purpose anchor, Practical Sailor has approached this subject carefully.

Three years of work thus far has produced these published reports:

• The first test to see which of 11 different anchors set best in sand. The top three, in order, were the Bulwagga, Spade and Bruce.
• The second test to review which of 15 had the best holding power in sand. Top-ranked were the Spade, Bulwagga and CQR.
• The final review to see which of 17 anchors set and hold best in mud. Tops for setting was the Delta with six anchors tied for second; for holding power, the rank was the Barnacle, CQR and Bulwagga.

For more advice and information on anchoring and details on these tests, purchase the ebook Anchoring in Sand and Mud from Practical Sailor.

Darrell Nicholson
Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him at darrellnicholson.com.