Ground Tackle
An occasional issue with anchoring was we could get the anchor set, but moderate winds or waves would cause us to drag. The bow roller was unreliable and we were having a problem finding the correct size nylon rollers to replace the ones that were worn. With no documentation on the make, model or weight of the anchor, we scrapped the whole set up and started from scratch.
We first had to determine the size of the anchor based on our boat specifications. In order to do this you add the add the length in meters, the width in meters and the metric tons. Viatori is 47ft (14.3 meters) length over all, 14ft (4.2 meters) wide and 45,000lbs (20.4 metric tons). We add these together for the kilograms of the proper size anchor. 14.3+4.2+20.4=38.9 kilograms. Converting this to pounds we need a 85.7 pound anchor to securely hold Viatori in place. After removing the anchor we found a stamp on the underside that indicated 35 pounds. We chose a Lewmar anchor because it was 88 pounds, and it was cheaper than our preferred Mantus choice. We did this because we imagined having to cut the anchor free as we dealt with the new set up and cutting away $900 seemed more palatable than cutting away $2000. As we get more comfortable and experienced with the heavier anchor we will upgrade to the Mantus. We kept our old anchor to use as a stern anchor when needed to control swing.
When we first started our journey, we had to replace our chain, it was rusted and broken. We stayed with the same size chain, 5/16, but upgraded to a G4 chain. It had a better working load than standard chain and we could keep the same windlass. We made this decision based on the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) for the expected load on the chain or rode. Their data shows that a 50 foot vessel in 42 knots of wind will need chain or rode that has a minimum of 3200lb working load limit (WLL). The 5/16 G4 has a WLL of 3900lbs. Since our rule is to anchor in more than 20 knots of wind, we would only need a WLL of 1200lbs giving us more than three times the WLL needed.
The original bow roller was somewhat small, even for the 35 pound anchor. We replaced the bow roller with the Mantus BR2. A very beefy roller with several safety features that made it too good not to have on the bow of our boat. The only downside has been that the anchor we choose, Lewmar, does not work with the anchor break as the shank is too wide. This is a Lewmar issue and not a Mantus issue, but when we change to a Mantus anchor in the future, this problem will be resolved. The anchor break allows you to secure the anchor by using your foot to depress the break, sliding two stops around the shank and holding it in position until you lift up on the break, freeing the anchor. It also keeps the shank level as you deploy the anchor and away from the bow of the boat, this part works great. In addition to the Bow roller, we also picked up a single line snubber and a dual line mooring ball snubber from Mantus.
The last piece to the puzzle was our windlass. We are fortunate to have a Maxwell 1200 windlass for bringing up the anchor. The windlass has a pulling force of 1200lbs. To determine the pulling force the windlass needs to have, we add the weight of anchor plus the entire weight of all the chain/rode and generally multiply by 3. However some companies, like Maxwell, use a formula that has you multiply by 2. We carry 250ft of 5/16 G4 at 1.1 pounds a foot for a total of 275 pounds and the 88 pound anchor. 275+88=363(x2)=726 pounds of pulling force needed. Even if we use the multiple of 3, giving us 1089 pounds of pulling force needed, we are within the limits of the windlass specifications of 1200 pound of pulling force.
