Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

Chapter 8: Anchors Aweigh! Making Your Boat Stay Put
Mushrooms are inexpensive, under $20 for an eight-pounder, and PVC-coated models
protect against rust. They’re also good for inflatable boats because they have no sharp
edges like fluke anchors.
Grapnel Anchors
Grapnels are useful when the bottom is too rocky for conventional anchors to grab. The
prongs or hooks sink into a crevasse and hold on. They don’t work at all in mud or sand,
but for hard bottom they’re great.
The grapnel is a handy extra anchor to put on shore during a lunch stop. It can also help
you retrieve the fishing rod Junior dropped overboard, because it’s light enough for
throwing. Grapnel anchors cost $25 and up.
Stronger Is Better
117
The grapnel or grappling
anchor is capable of holding
onto rocks where standard
anchors drag. It’s also useful
for retrieving objects lost
overboard.
Why is it better to have a stronger anchor, since your boat isn’t going to pull all that hard
on the line? There are two reasons:
◆ If you ever get caught in a really severe storm, the surges of your boat might well
exceed the rated holding power of the weaker anchor as the boat rises and falls on
tall waves. The forces can actually bend the flukes, leaving your rig at the mercy of
the weather.
◆ If the anchor gets stuck on a rock and you try to use the motor to pull it free, the
cheaper model will quickly turn into a twisted piece of junk that can never again be
used as an anchor, while the high-tensile model will bring whatever it’s latched onto
up to the surface with it.
The following table is an approximate guide to the holding power needed for the working
anchor, the standard everyday anchor suggested for various boats, according to the
American Boat and Yacht Council. (The holding power of an anchor is a measure, in