NKOTB - The Anchor!

NKOTB (New Kids On The Boat) ... A Weekly Series Sharing Our Thoughts and Questions as Beginner Sailors and Future Cruisers.  NKOTB or Experienced Cruiser ... Tell Us Your Thoughts!

Our first NKOTB post last week, NKOTB ... Bad Weather, received some great responses and had similar advice ... don't leave without an anchor!  We agree and wouldn't think of leaving without one.  After all, an anchor is so important for a variety of reasons.  Not only is it an important tool when stuck in bad weather, but it's also crucial in avoiding marinas and well ... anchoring!  We plan on anchoring the majority of the time, so this is a biggie! 

We've learned from other cruisers' blogs that we should get a really big anchor, one that is bigger than the suggested size for our boat.  The larger anchor will increase the odds of staying put, and that means we decrease our chances of hitting another boat (or something else) while exploring for the day.  We really don't want to be those cruisers that everybody's cursing!  Just as important ... a big anchor means a better night's sleep.  I need my sleep!  I've read about some sort of anchor alarm that goes off when the anchor starts dragging.  That sounds like something we'd really like to have so we won't be so paranoid at night and can sleep even better.  Hopefully any cruisers near us will also have a big, obnoxious anchor and an alarm!

Currently we only have one little anchor, but we plan on getting at least one more for a back-up and for the different types of anchorage bottoms.  Here in Louisiana the bottom of the lake is really muddy, and our current anchor works well ... a little too well sometimes.  It gets really hard to pull up, and then the bow is covered in wet mud!  (I see an electric windlass in our future).  It's our understanding that the Bahamas are sandy, while other areas are pretty rocky.  We don't have a whole lot of room on our 30 footer, so we'd like an anchor that works well in both sandy and rocky bottoms.  We've heard that the Rocna Anchor is a good one ... any thoughts?  The Rocna link shows the prices, and boy those stainless steel ones are a lot more expensive than the galvanized! 

I don't have the technical mind like a guy and Ken doesn't like to "blog", so I don't yet know anything about the anchor chain and such that we should have for a 30 footer.  You tell me!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!