Well,
WE have two anchors. One for the front and one for the rear. The front one is a Danforth and has approximately 75' of 1/2" Gold Stripe double braided Nylon and the rear is a Box Anchor with 85' of the same Gold Stripe line. The Gold Stripe is sold at West Marine. We have, and in many cases, use BOTH anchors due to the fact that we often anchor in a cove with no beach here in Lake Havasu AZ. And with one anchor, the boat can easily spin around, based on even the slightest wind. So, I toss out one from the front, let it seat some. Then, we toss out the rear box anchor and float forward a tad. Tighten both up and now, we're stable and the boat can't go anywhere.
Yeah, it takes about 3-4 minutes to do things this way but, having the boat stable and not able to drift, is piece of mind, especially if we're near some rocky cliffs etc. We can jump off any side or end of the boat and the thrust from jumping off, will not effect the boats position, it stays exactly where I've locked it in.
Now, as many of you may or may not have experienced, that anchor line, especially if you haver around 85' - 100' or so, can get tangled and knotted somewhat easily. I thought about a winder (reel) of some sort but, I don't want that kind of stuff hanging on the outside or inside etc. So, I reverted to my old fire department days and how we packaged our ropes for rescue etc.
What I did was sew up an open ended, Sunbrella bag. On the bottom I installed a 1/2" brass grommet. Sticking out of that grommet is the end of the rope, that has been weaved into an eye. Now, all I do is stuff that rope into the open end , and keep stuffing, until the anchor is right at the top of the bag. This way, the entire rope assembly and even the short length of chain for the Danforth, is all in that bag. It stores very, very neatly this way.
When it comes time to use and deploy either of those anchors. it's simple. I grab the eye and loop it through and around a cleat. Then, I grab the anchor and simply toss it in the direction I need so the two (or the one) will work for the application at the time. 99.99999% of the time, I don't use all the rope that's stuffed in either bag. In that case, it's simple. When the rope is tight and the boat is stable, I grab what I need and lock it down on a cleat and the bag, with the rest of the rope just sits on the deck. That rope, all 85' of it, WILL NEVER, EVER tangle or knot up due to the way it's stowed inside that bag. Yes, it takes a tad bit of time to stuff the bag but, to me, it's well worth it knowing that, the next time I need it, it will deploy without ever having a knot or tangle. Sorry for the long post but, it's how we do things to keep from getting frustrated with tangled ropes. We used to carry a 75' section of rope on each of us in the FD. If we were in a *panic* or desperate situation, we would latch on to anything stable in a building, and toss that little bag out the nearest window. NOT ONE TIME, EVER, did any of those ropes, knot or tangle when falling the 60'-70' straight down the side of a building. We would then repel down. So, it's a good system to use.
Incidentally, if you didn't notice, those BOX anchors are made right here in our town of Lake Havasu City AZ. I've been down to their shop quite a few times.
Scott
