The Complete Anchoring Handbook

Overview

A modern, authoritative anchoring guide for sailors and powerboaters

A boat swinging safely at anchor can mark the relaxing conclusion to a great day of boating or the successful completion of an essential emergency measure, while failure to anchor properly can be frustrating, inconvenient, or downright dangerous. The Complete Anchoring Handbook is your path to mastering this indispensable seamanship skill.

Based on original engineering analysis--and with contributions from such international anchoring experts as Alain Fraysse and Chuck Hawley--The Complete Anchoring Handbook emphasizes the proven best gear and methods for anchoring safely in any situation with any boat, sail or power. Here’s everything you need to know, from the basics to the most advanced techniques. Poiraud and company describe:

• The physical forces acting on a boat, its ground tackle, and the sea bottom
• Why the new generation of roll-stable anchors (including the Spade, Rocna, Manson Supreme, and others) is proving superior to traditional favorites
• How to select and size anchors and ground-tackle components
• How to connect those components without introducing weak points in your ground-tackle system

Table of contents

Foreword by Jimmy Cornell
Introduction by Erika Ginsberg-Klemmt

Chapter 1: Seabed Characteristics
Types of Seafloors

Chapter 2: The Forces on an Anchor
Wind Forces
Wave Forces
Current Forces

Chapter 3: Anchor Selection
Anchor Anatomy
Traditional Anchor Choices
Roll-Stable New Generation Anchors
What to Look for in an Anchor
How Anchors Set
How an Anchor Holds
Selecting Your Anchor

Chapter 4: Anchor Rode
The Best Anchor Rode Is a Combination of Chain and Nylon
What Kind of Chain?
What Kind of Line?
Sizing the Chain and Rope
Determining Your Primary and Secondary Rode Lengths
Anchor Rode Connections
Anchor Rode Interval Marking
Anchor Gear Maintenance
A Practical Summary for Selecting Ground Tackle

Chapter 5: Deck Equipment and Layout
Bow Rollers
Bow Platforms and Bowsprits
Securing an Anchor and Ground Tackle on Deck
Anchor Rode Stowage
Windlasses
Sizing Your Windlass
Windlass Installation
Windlass Maintenance

Chapter 6: Anchoring Techniques
Selecting an Anchorage
Communication Between Helm and Foredeck
Anchoring Under Power
Anchoring Under Sail
Anchoring Multihulls
Anchoring Tenders and Small Craft
The Importance of Scope
Making Sure the Anchor Holds
Anchoring Etiquette and Customs
Anchor Retrieval

Chapter 7: Advanced Anchoring Techniques
Anchoring with a Stern Anchor (Med Mooring)
Lateral Anchors
Anchoring with Two Anchors
Special Anchoring Techniques
When Things Go Wrong
Heavy-Weather Anchoring

Chapter 8: Moorings
Mooring Blocks
Other Types of Permanent Anchors or Moorings

Appendix 1: A Theoretical Study in Rode Behavior by Alain Fraysse
Appendix 2: Unconventional Rode Solutions
Conversion Table
Manufacturers and Distributors
About the Authors
Index

Biographical note

Alain Poiraud is an engineer and the inventor of the top-ranked spade anchor.
Achim and Erika Ginsberg-Klemmt have
been world cruisers since 1992. Achim is a subsea engineer.

Back cover copy

A modern, authoritative anchoring guide for sailors and powerboaters
A boat swinging safely at anchor can mark the relaxing conclusion to a great day of boating or the successful completion of an essential emergency measure, while failure to anchor properly can be frustrating, inconvenient, or downright dangerous. The Complete Anchoring Handbook is your path to mastering this indispensable seamanship skill.
Based on original engineering analysis--and with contributions from such international anchoring experts as Alain Fraysse and Chuck Hawley--The Complete Anchoring Handbook emphasizes the proven best gear and methods for anchoring safely in any situation with any boat, sail or power. Here’s everything you need to know, from the basics to the most advanced techniques. Poiraud and company describe:

The physical forces acting on a boat, its ground tackle, and the sea bottom
Why the new generation of roll-stable anchors (including the Spade, Rocna, Manson Supreme, and others) is proving superior to traditional favorites
How to select and size anchors and ground-tackle components
How to connect those components without introducing weak points in your ground-tackle system

Alain Poiraud is an engineer and the inventor of the award-winning Spade anchor, as well as the Sword. He has participated in the Tour de France sailing races and cruised for decades in a self-designed ketch. His experiences in the weedy-bottomed Mediterranean led him to reengineer anchoring on a sound empirical basis.
Achim and Erika Ginsberg-Klemmt have cruised all over the world since 1992 and lectured widely on their "technomadic" lifestyle. Achim has worked as an engineer for underwater geophysical sonar systems and seafloor mapping, and continues to develop imaging software for L3 Communications. Erika teaches writing at the Ringling College of Art and Design.