Anchor Types

Traditional Anchors

For hundreds of years ships used what is known as an Admiralty or Fisherman anchor. The holding power is relatively poor and the anchor rode can foul on the fluke protruding from the bed. These anchors are relatively large and unwieldy to stow when not in use.

Around the mid 19th century the stockless anchor was developed and is still the main type of anchor used by merchant ships today. This anchor still has quite a low holding power. It’s easy to stow in a hawse pipe.

These types of anchor are rarely used by smaller craft.

Modern Anchors

Modern anchors have been developed over the last 100 years . I have listed the main types and their characteristics. These are the types of anchor used on recreational boats.

The Danforth or sand anchor.

This type of anchor was developed in 1939 and is very widely used. The large flukes give it a lot of holding power for its weight. It is considered best in sand, gravel and mud. These type of anchors are not recommended for rocky, clay or grassy bottoms. Many boats carry these anchors as a second anchor or for use as a kedge.

The plough anchor

The original plough anchor was the CQR (secure) and was for many years the anchor of choice for cruising yachts. They perform well in a variety of conditions with good holding power. Generally they reset well. They can have difficulty penetrating weedy bottoms and don’t hold well in soft mud.

The Claw Anchor

Popularised by the original Bruce anchor these anchors have a strong following in cruising circles. They hold well in most types of bottom except soft mud and reset well. Whilst the holding power is good it’s generally considered slightly less than a plough anchor.

In recent years several new anchor designs have come on to the market which aim to overcome the shortfalls of the anchors currently available.

The Bugel anchor and variations

These anchors have a flat pointed blade to penetrate the bottom and a roll bar to ensure the anchor turns the right way up as it is set. It is a simple cheap design with good overall performance.

The Spade anchor

This anchor is similar to the plough anchor in appearance. However the blade is convex giving greater holding power. The shaped tip and weight distribution of the anchor aid immediate digging in and bottom penetration. The more complex design of this anchor makes it relatively expensive.

Choosing an anchor

Opinions on which anchors are the best are many and varied. Tests have been carried out by manufacturers and independent testers with mixed results. Generally all modern anchors hold well in a consistent sandy bottom with a straight pull. Unfortunately the sea bed is not consistent and it is obviously difficult to assess first hand. Also surface conditions can change so for boats anchoring overnight or being left unattended it is important that the anchor resets if the direction pull on the anchor changes appreciably.

High holding power is easy to achieve. The Danforth demonstrates this with its large flukes. Most of the modern types have sacrificed holding power to some extent to overcome the other problems of penetrating a variety of seabed types and being able to reset when the direction of pull increases.

The type and number of anchors you choose to carry will depend on location and the type anchoring. A variety of anchors to suit all conditions is required for a world cruise. A cheap light weight anchor would be suitable for occasional anchoring for lunch.

My choice would be to try one of the newer anchors like the Spade or Bugel for the main anchor with a claw or plow anchor as a second anchor. I would also buy a quality brand as there are many cheap, poorly constructed anchors available.

Please comment with any anchor experiences or recommendations.