Anchor
Types of Anchor
The Weight Anchor
The holding power of this anchor is based on its high own weight.
Stock or Admiralty Anchor
Holds well on stony and clay grounds and is considered the best all-round anchor. Can hold 7 to 10 times its own weight, but it is relatively heavy and unwieldy.
Patent or Lightweight Anchor
This anchor type digs itself into the ground and can therefore generate the same holding power as a weight anchor with much less weight.
Danforth Anchor
Easy to stow and has three times the holding power of a stock anchor. However, it does not hold as well on heavily weeded or stony ground.
Folding Grapnel
Due to its small footprint when the arms are folded against the shaft, this small anchor is suitable for dinghies and tenders. However, at least one arm always sticks up and may get tangled in the anchor line.
Anchor Chain and Anchor Line
The longer the line or chain, the better the anchor sets. When anchoring, the following lengths should be observed:
| Chain | At least 4 times the water depth |
| Line with chain leader | At least 6 times the water depth The advantages of this method are that the chain protects against chafing on rocky ground, that the chain's own weight pulls the anchor shaft down, and that the friction on the ground improves the anchor's hold. |
| Line | At least 10 times The line should always be shackled to the anchor and not fastened with an anchor bend, so that the breaking strength of the line is not reduced. |
The Anchorage
A good anchorage should meet the following criteria:
- An anchorage should never have a shore to leeward, as there is a risk of stranding if the anchor does not hold (the boat lies on a lee shore).
- It should be sheltered from wind and weather.
- Good holding ground.
- Sufficient distance to other boats so that no danger arises in case of a current or wind shift.
- Commercial shipping and right-of-way vessels must not be obstructed.
- Anchoring is forbidden in front of harbour entrances, landing stages, in fairways and narrow passages, and under bridges.
Anchoring
Approach the anchorage slowly head to wind, lower the anchor as the boat is stopped, then pay out the line as the boat drifts back. Once the desired scope is reached, snub the line and check the bearings of two fixed objects to confirm that the anchor is holding.