When I first got interesting in sailing I read all the old guys, Hal Roth, Lynn and Larry Pardy, and others. They were using the CQR and heavy chain. Hal Roth said he never anchored overnight with less than 5 to 1, and if it was breezy he went out to 7 to 1. When I anchored anywhere up in Georgia Straight the tides were at least ten feet of change so I often anchored in no less than 25 feet. In the tropics the tide changed only a couple of feet so you could anchor with a lot less chain, but I still hardly had less than 120 feet of chain out in 15 feet. I believe you sleep better knowing you have a good anchor, lots of heavy chain, and plenty of scope.

That is a lot of effort you put in doing this testing, thank you Steve , it helps a lot to get real world anchor data!!!

A perfect demonstration why having long snubber or lots of nylon in the rode is needed to minimise the dynamic forces.

This was awesome! Being able to see such a static example and map the measurements is very interesting. Thanks for doing this.

Another fantastic and useful video. Thank you Steve!

Steve, Fabulous work, great data and very influential. Many thanks for doing this. Robert, Devon, UK.

Super interesting! A great extension of this test would be to show how deeper depths require less scope. But maybe you don’t want to climb 50 feet up into a tree :)

Upgraded my danforth to a Mantus lately and your videos were the #1 factor in helping me decide. Thank you for your amazing work!

I am absolutely impressed! I just love this practical approach.

Super usable information! Thanks!

Great stuff. Thank you!

GREAT video. I learned some more today.

I have heard that the US Navy actually uses chain to hold its ships in place and that the anchor (which is heavy) is just used to pull the chain out. Of curse there chain is very large +2”ish. I tend to anchor in shallow water ( 8’-12’) and always add the distance from the bow roller to the water to the depth. Just my way of doing things.

Great work. Thank you

My approach is very simple: chain you have in your boat doesn‘t help but chain on the bottom of the sea does. So if space allows I always put out generous 5:1 till 17m depth, that’s what my total 85m chain length supports, from then on I shackle in a 18kg anchor weight after about 40m which keeps the angle on the anchor shank lower and I feel safe till 1:3 till around 27m of depth. The anchor weight in the middle of the chain also provides additional damping due to enlarging the catany of the chain. Have a cat and my bridle contains rubber dampers to further enlarge damping and also less stress on the attachment points of the bridle. The gypsy of my lofrans windlass doesn‘t support rope and there is none available for 10mm DIN chain that would support rope so that’s the best I can do.

On my 35 ft sailboat I have all chain (3/8") with a 45 lb CQR. I use 3:1 scope if in a protected anchorage. Have drug a little once in a mud bottom covered with "newspaper seaweed". I always set an anchor alarm. If I get blasted with very strong winds I would let additional scope out. (SE Alaska).

Brilliant, thanks.

Someone could show me scientific numbers on a chart from MIT and it would not mean as much to me as some guy on a ladder in a tree with a come-a-long and a level Thank you so much ! I would like to spend some of the most valuable thing on earth with you Time Hope that doesn't sound creepy

Love it!

Great stuff. One god reason for using using rope rode is that it simulates what happens in a strong blow when the chain straightens out. A while ago i sent a email to Spade and asked: "How does holding power and anchor weight/(size) scale ?" they answered "Actually holding power is between 1.5 and 1.7" . Slightly off topic, but maybe an ide to future investigations. Fair winds! ;)

Great visual.

Would have been fun to see how things changed with a kellet

Interesting to see a sentinel use. I've never seen it in practice

We have a 25' Albin trawler. I know all chain is superior to rope, but we can't carry chain. I guess if we plan to anchor in 15' of water, we could carry 50' of chain and the rest rope might be a good compromise. We also don't have a windlass so maybe that's not a good idea. LOL

Hi Steve, your various tests and experiments are so interesting and valuable. Big thanks from Sweden and keep going if you have the time, means and motivation. Your video's are so appreciated. I know that this video was at a fixed scope 3.5 but I wanted to ask if this experiment gave you any insights to the general rule of thumb regarding scope: 15 m plus 2 times the depth? Also please test 15 kg anchors. A popular size here.

Very interesting

I got a distinct smell of hospital a&e departments watching this

Height = 30 ft. Chain length = 105 ft. Chain weight = 1.6 lbs. per foot (in air) 2.38 kg/m ~11mm chain?

I’m curious about the angle at anchor comparing kellet to chain because the math gets complex. In another comment you responded that your chain weights much more than the anchor even but the load is spread and so would a kellet point load in the middle be as effective to achieve the same rode angle with much less weight than the chain total weight. A kellet yes is generally impractical but it would be an overall less expensive and less heavy rode on the boat and I have only 3/4” rode with a 45lb mantus on an 11,000lb Tartan 34c. I like the stretch I have too and usually anchor in 5-7ft depths (4ft draft w low tidal range in Barnegat Bay, NJ) but let’s say I travel somewhere and I want to have my rode handle a tight anchorage or deeper water with heavy wind a kellet is something I would consider. If you anchor between a buch of chain rode boats in a tight anchorage like you see happen in the Mediterranean and you have rode you need a way to get catenary effect to make the system work. I would really want to know if you need that much weight or because of point load effect in the middle of the line if that leverage requires less weight. Plus you can maybe cheat some boyancy weight to your favor in a kellet by using one made of lead and letting it out more than half the rode length say 2/3rds would also help a kellet cheat since in the chain that weight has a bigger vertical component which hangs on the vessel and closer to the anchor it would Maybe help the angle a little more.

Great statistics. Thank you. I am a Great Lakes sailor anchoring in anywhere between 10 and 30 feet with mud or sand with a mostly rope rode and on low wind events. I have considered, if needed, to put an heavy mushroom anchor on a snatch block and a control line back to boat and letting the block/anchor go down the anchor rode to act like the weight of an all chair rode, 0r to increase the catenary, to allow less scope with the effect of a chain rode. Your thoughts?

Steve - is there any way you can correlate wind speed to the pulling force you have listed for each 100 lb data point? That would be great info Thanks, Ron

What a good anchor to take if your 4 wheel driving on a beach,hope you have some advice.good video if you got a boat.from down under.

I personally like the “short rode” tests cause for lake anchorage 5:1, 7:1, or 10:1 is unrealistic for my type of boating and my boat size. Keeping say 500 to 1000 feet of rode on a 22 ft powerboat isn’t going to happen. typically on lakes (around me at least) allowing for that much sway with other boats around is practically impossible too. For the record I’m in the SW of the US and lake depths range from 20-100+ feet.

Hi, a very interesting and spectacular test! I'm a physicist and sailor/cruiser. I was also very interested in the theory (and practice) of anchors/anchoring. I wrote a little catenary program that calculates the exact shape (plus angles, forces and displacements) of the scope (either all chain, or mixed chain/rope, even a kellet can be added) for a given ancoring situation (wind speed, depth, scope etc.). I can send you the program if you wish, or I can run some calculations for the situation of your test and we can compare the results. Let me know if this would be interesting for you. Best, Denes

Ever test the Aluminum spade anchor? Do you have a method for people to ask you questions on anchors?

Have you thought about doing a mixed test, say 50-75ft chain and the rest rope? It seems to be the go to recommended option for trailer sailers

Missed out testing the Knox anchor!

Wow, this is a serious way to establishing what you already have told before. May I ask why assuming a rode of rope (nylon) and not chain is preferable in your tests? Wouldn’t most serious sailors use chain for the first 100 meters? Or is it because I’m living at 63°N that chain is the only way to go?

I wonder how much the tree gave way in this test as it wasn't anchored on the other side at the attachment point, so I'm sure it moved in relation to the force applied and has an effect on the readings. Maybe next time a building or a tree on a hill, and attach to the base of the tree where it won't move, instead of near the top of the tree to do the test...very interesting.

I can't use all chain so I use 6' of 1/2" chain on the end of my rode. It works well for me. But it's totally different than your test. Any plans on combining a length of chain to rode? I sleep very well swinging on my 17lb Mantus with my set up. MacGregor 26D (around 3000 lb)

Please test chain, three strand and chain for chaif. A length of chain to the anchor, three strand for shock in the water and attached to the boat with chain to avoid chaif.

All your video opening make me headache....its must be great vids tips

I'm seeing discrepancies between your real world test at only 3.5-1 compared to this article with a 6-1 ratio and their model is showing WAY more angle to the catenary. I've also been researching kellet or sentinel weights for adding during tropical storms or hurricanes. From your data does it appear true that a kellet, say, 20-30' from the anchor would aid in keeping the anchor buried? www.petersmith.net.nz/boat-anchors/kellets.php

A triple b chain ? Wtf ?