Happy Birthday Bling

Bling bling

For my birthday Tom surprised me with a new anchor.....sort of.  I say sort of because a cruising friend accidentally told me this summer when it arrived in Trinidad and we were KC.  "Your new anchor is here."  Ooops.

Wrapped up like a proper birthday present

I was THRILLED.  It is a known fact that most women like bling.  A gift of bling gets a big thumbs up.....and maybe more.....ehm.  Boat bling is two thumbs up with certain boat chicks (SISO =sailing in sail out).

New anchor chain

So this fall when we returned to Trinidad we collected our new anchor chain and my birthday bling.
Our previous anchor chain was very rusty.  The trip of the Esiquibo River sealed it's fate.  There are no facilities in the Caribbean capable of re-galvanization.  Actually, cruisers used to get it done in Venezuela but those days are gone (for now) as it is not safe to cruise there currently.  *We hope that changes in the near future as stories of cruising days gone past there sound wonderful and we look forward to the day when we can safely cruise there.

Shiny

The choice of anchor is like asking Ford or Chevy, Republican or Democrat, Bud or Coors, salty or sweet?  Ask this in company of a group of cruisers and you are sure to get a wide variety of answers, discussion, and potential raised voices and maybe a fight if it's a long happy hour.  The truth of the answer is that there is NO perfect anchor.  NONE!  Anchors are designed for specific bottoms (anchoring floor).  Modern anchors are designed as best they can be for as many different bottoms as possible.  However, it just isn't possible to design one for ALL bottoms.  So you buy the best solution for the type of bottom you will be anchoring in most.

Old (left) New (right)

Our previous anchor - a CQR was THE anchor in it's day.  It is a good anchor.  However, technology has come a long way.  The new anchor is a Rocna 20 - 42 some pounds.  It is THE anchor of the day......according to many.  It has many kewl features.   From the Rocna web site - "The roll-bar ensures that the anchor always arrives at the ideal angle for penetration, and the setting skids guide the fluke tip which acts as a sharp chisel cutting into the seabed. With a third of the anchor’s weight on its fluke tip, an instant reliable set is ensured with every use.  Of all anchor types, a concave fluke gives the greatest resistance, and through clever design Rocna provides the largest fluke area possible. In very soft seabeds, this provides the holding power to secure your boat. On hard or weedy sea floors, Rocna’s chisel tip ensures that it cuts through and bites deep."
Well there ya go!

We decided to go with 175 ft of  5/16 G4 (high test)  galvanized chain.  We prefer all chain for our primary anchor rode.  However, we ditched our old chain last year in Carriacou - giving it to Lumba Dive to use on a dive buoy.  After that, we used our 75ft of chain and 150 ft of nylon line (5/8).  It worked just fine.  That given, for purposes of sleeping through the night, ALL chain is much preferred by me - so I don't freak out AND for Tom so I don't wake him up when I am freaking out.

It fits

We are pretty excited to use this new set up this coming season.  I posted a pic of the new birthday bling on FB.  Many,  many of our cruising friends left comments saying that we are going to LOVE the Rocna.  One cruiser warned Tom to hang on when anchoring the first time.  "It really bites so hang on".  I hope so.

UPDATE -
We are currently in Grenada in our second anchorage.  LOVE the new chain and my birthday anchor bling.  The Xmas winds have arrived aka it has been blowing and yet, we are set.  Woo hoo.

New anchor and chain in action

PS - if you are a cruiser, sailor, boater and you have a different anchoring configuration, good for you.  I post this only from our experience standpoint.  Chevy, Ford, Democrat, Republican, Bud, Coors, salty or sweet......I don't care.  It's all good.