The fundamental principle of anchoring is that the loads on your boat caused by wind and currents are transferred via your anchor chain or rope to the anchor, which resists those loads by being dragged into the soft sea bottom so that it buries itself, whereupon the design of the anchor flukes transfers the load to the seabed.

How to choose an Anchor, There are many tables available from the anchor manufacturers to help you choose the appropriate anchor for length, displacement and windage of your boat, and for the nature of bottom you are likely to encounter. Buy the largest and heaviest anchor that the boat, the anchor winch and the crew can handle. Buy the best quality, well-referenced anchor you can find! Please note that anchor choice is a very personal matter and many people have differing views. Therefore, it should be a purchase that is well researched.

1. Genuine CQR This would perhaps be considered the original modern anchor. Good holding power, and unlikely to foul with chain/rope. However, sometimes the CQR is hard to set and just bumps along over the bottom. It can also choke with weed. Some CQR ploughs are good but try before you buy a second-hand one. The length of the shank does seem important when it comes to setting the anchor and some overseas (no brands) have shorter shanks.
2. Fisherman (or Admiralty) This is the oldest style of anchor, and design is not unlike what was carried on the wooden ships that mapped and explored Australia. Stowed on deck or lashed outside pulpit, it is a good back up anchor especially for kelp. 25 Kg is maximum to man-handle, but you can handle more with lifting gear.
3. Danforth A great sand anchor, and a small one can be useful for your dinghy. Can bounce along the bottom and can be choked by weed. Can be purchased in lighter aluminium styles good for back up.
4. Grapnel Grapnel anchors are required for rock and coral reefs. Folding versions are available. Might consider adding a tripping line to pull it off a reef. Some are designed to allow the fingers to bend when being retrieved.
5. Bruce The Bruce or Ray anchor is one of the more modern designs and can work very well for good bottoms, sand mud and light gravel. May be dislodged by violent yawing. Also, can choke with weed.
6. Delta Another modern style which is an alternative to the plow but with a fixed shank. Good holding in many conditions and sharp point helps penetrate some weed etc.
7. Modern Brands- High Holding Power There are several modern brands of anchor available in Australia and other countries. Muir is partnered with the high quality Mantus Anchor design and strongly recommend them as the proven leader in smart design and high holding power. In addition, there are other anchors such as Ultra, Rocna, and Sarca, all of which claim high holding power for the size and weight of anchor. Most Boaters consider these to be excellent anchors, but generally a bit more expensive due to the intellectual property contained in the brand design.

HOW TO ANCHOR

1. Select your anchoring location noting depth, swing room, bottom conditions and tide and wind direction (noting possible wind direction or tide changes overnight).
2. Note which direction other boats are lying or if there are no other boats, assess how, you will lie depending on wind and tide.
3. Approach your chosen anchoring site with the boat orientated how you expect it to lie, which is generally bow into the wind or tide or a combination of both.
4. Once in position, try and hold the boat steady while you lower the anchor. Once the anchor is on the bottom, edge the boat backwards while laying out additional chain or rope. You can usually tell when the anchor is on the bottom as the chain/rode will go “slack”.
5. The length of chain to be let out is at least 4 times the depth of water at the anchoring site at high tide. Add extra to cover height of the bow and rise in the tide. On some boats the depth sounder measures depth under the boat’s deepest point, in which case this dimension must also be added. For rope (and rope & chain) anchor line Muir suggests 5-6 times water depth at high tide.
6. Once the anchor is down and the chain or rope laid out, back the boat off a bit and firmly tug on the anchor to “set” it. You may find that the anchor initially gives a bit, but you should ultimately feel when the anchor grabs and stops the boat going backwards.
7. Once the anchor is set, survey your position and consider the swing room against the shore and other boats or hazards. Remember, “if in doubt, let it out” because more chain is better than less!
8. Once in position and location checked, fit your snubber or bridle (or chain lock) and unload the anchor winch or windlass. One suggestion is to fit both the bridle and the chain stopper as a back up

Additional Information

There are many different snubber options but essentially the tasks of the snubber are to:

• Prevent anchoring loads from being transmitted to the anchor winch.
• Reduce jerking and clanging of the chain by transferring the load to a stretchier medium, probably stretchy rope.

For more information download John Muirs Secrets of Anchoring Systems Vol 3