Anchors and Anchoring

Article by Jerry Culik

Handling an anchor on any boat can be challenging, and I learned the hard way that standing up on the bow of a small, round-bottomed sailboat can quickly result in a swim. I borrowed an idea used on the Matt Layden “Paradox” cruiser—a section of PVC tubing epoxied into the bow for the anchor fairlead—for my own recycled-Sunfish cruiser. Now a small mushroom anchor, sufficient for the very shallow waters of the Chesapeake Bay securely hangs from the bow, cleated off in the cockpit, and ready to be deployed in an instant.

My other trailer-sailers are all candidates for anchor-handling upgrades. If a boat is equipped with a bow pulpit, then stowing a fluke-type Danforth anchor right on the pulpit is a simple and low-cost option. Many small boats have added a pair of brackets clamped right to the rail; and Schaefer’s stainless-steel Rail Mount Anchor Hanger Brackets are still available from Defender for $81. Another neat approach – a rail mount bracket from WIndline ($85 at Fisheries Supply) – also securely clamps onto the anchor shank.

I fabricated a simpler “frugal sailor” bracket using some stainless steel bar stock and a couple of U-bolts that I use to secure a low-cost Hooker (aka “Danforth”) anchor and a length of chain up on the bow pulpit of my WWPotter 15. I padded it with some silicone rubber tubing slipped over the stainless, and it’s easy to bungie or lash the anchor down to the rail. Because getting up on the bow of the Potter is a bit “iffy,” this anchor is my “second anchor,” and it’s mainly used when I beach the boat to take a break. And since Potters always need extra weight up front, hanging it from the pulpit seemed like a reasonable two-fer.