Adding a weight on anchor chain

[Munoz]

I anchored in the spot Boatie mentioned for a few weeks this summer (20 kg Bruce, 9 tons) and the holding was good, but I think it would be marginal over winter with just a 15kg Bruce. If you must do this I'd suggest picking the shallowest spot possible (can your boat take the ground at all?) and as much scope as you can. Also a good snubber, and getting rid of as much windage as possible will also help (remove furling headsails, windgenerator etc.....).


If your budget is really tight maybe go around the boatyards in Portimao or Faro and see if anyone has a large anchor they'll donate or sell cheap (for example I gave away a 45 lbs CQR this summer). A largish CQR might be a good option, they're a bit tricky to set, but once set they hold reasonably well, and everyone seems to be trying to get rid of theirs for the moment...


You could also ask on this forum/thread:
The Truth About Sailing On The Algarve
There are a few people based in your area that might be able to help out.







If your budget can stretch to a new anchor www.svb.de is a good option for getting anchors delivered to the Algave (I'd probably go for a Kobra or Blugel/Bracket anchor myself)


Good luck!

[Bleemus]

Go to Spain. It's a lot cheaper for marina's.

[Taipe]

It is surfing a wave backwards that jerks a chain so hard it can tear out a deck cleat or dislodge even a well set anchor. A kellet will soften this effect by providing some give as it lifts from the bottom, and will keep the angle of chain to the anchor as low as possible in the circumstance. That has to be an excellent thing.[/QUOTE]




Hear ye, hear ye ! !

...but to move forward on finding one, I have been unsuccessful finding a seller. Each time I find a supplier or a back-yard fabricator, they have gone out of business or it is a distributor who is permanently out of stock on the item. And, my last query at a chandlery shop of used items, to call me when one comes in, has gone unanswered. I did find some in a fisheries chandlery, but the smallest kellet on the shelf was too heavy at about 80 lbs. Some sailors make their own and attach it directly to a link in the chain, which is not ideal, as it increases the difficulty in deployment and defeats the option of adjusting the position on the chain after deployment.



So, I'm at the point of making one myself, using two 1/4" thick cheek plates bolted to nylon rollers located above a suspended block of cast iron.
But, would prefer to put my time to other projects. Can anyone tell me where I can purchase a kellet, preferably in the U.S. to save on shipping?

[Simi 60]

^^^^^^^Spare anchor makes a good kellet
Added bonus is you have a spare anchor.

[Bleemus]

Kellets work until your rode is bar tight i.e. the 50 knot gusts. Then they don't work. You need more scope.

[Taipe]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

^^^^^^^Spare anchor makes a good kellet
Added bonus is you have a spare anchor.

I have a spare anchor? - I did not know that.
And how do you propose to run a spare anchor up & down the chain?

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by Taipe

I have a spare anchor? - I did not know that.
And how do you propose to run a spare anchor up & down the chain?

Have seen an oversized bow shackle around the chain, with weight and rope to adjust, connected to the pin. (way oversized)

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Popeye2

A liveabord, currently in the bowl, I am planning to move to the house. Never saw two anchors there. Makes sense as you describe it. Don't have a good anchor for behind. Guess I could buy a new one. Did you come in winter or experience a blow here?

Spent a lot of time there and on the hook at Portimao summers and winters.. Alvor is very safe as theres no effect from the sea apart from tidal flow.
Last winter the Portimao breakwater suffered and the marina but nothing in Alvor to my knowledge.
I would suggest get a heavier new anchor that will fit your bow and lay out maybe 30m all chain bow W facing and your Bruce on a bridle off the stern with maybe 25m of chain.
If not planning on sailing through the winter remove main and boom, also genoa if on a furler.
If you are going to do some sailing get two buoys and some floating line so you can pick up and drop your chain like a fore and aft mooring.. the floating line connecting the two buoys.
Hope thats not clear as mud..

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Taipe

I have a spare anchor? - I did not know that.
And how do you propose to run a spare anchor up & down the chain?

Big shackle or soft shackle as mentioned but any reason why you need to?
Attach anchor to chain and then run out some more chain until the weight is where you want it

[SteveSadler]

I f it were my boat I would either set up a mooring, or set 2 anchors 180 degrees apart so in a storm your anchors don't have to reset after a wind change pulls them out. Your anchor is plenty big enough but a squall can break it out and possibly won't reset if it's skipping over the bottom at 6 kts.

[Taipe]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Big shackle or soft shackle as mentioned but any reason why you need to?
Attach anchor to chain and then run out some more chain until the weight is where you want it

That could work. However, having a bowsprit with a bobstay & whisker stays that get in the way, it's much easier and safer to have a more compact weight to fit through that open space and run it down the chain after the hook is set. But, thanks for your thoughts.

[Popeye2]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Spent a lot of time there and on the hook at Portimao summers and winters.. Alvor is very safe as theres no effect from the sea apart from tidal flow.
Last winter the Portimao breakwater suffered and the marina but nothing in Alvor to my knowledge.
I would suggest get a heavier new anchor that will fit your bow and lay out maybe 30m all chain bow W facing and your Bruce on a bridle off the stern with maybe 25m of chain.
If not planning on sailing through the winter remove main and boom, also genoa if on a furler.
If you are going to do some sailing get two buoys and some floating line so you can pick up and drop your chain like a fore and aft mooring.. the floating line connecting the two buoys.
Hope thats not clear as mud..

Brilliant!

[boatman61]

Thank you..
We try to please whenever possible..
Its the same principle we used on the trot moorings beside the channel in Holes Bay, Poole.. although that consisted of a spaced line of concrete blocks linked by large chain with smaller chain risers to pick up buoys..
Basically one approached head to tide and used your boathook to snag the floating line.. then secured your bow before moving aft to secure the stern.. boat is kept in line by flow of current.
Good luck with your labours.

[avant]

Kellets don’t increase holding power. Get a bigger anchor, or find some ‘things’ (concrete, engine blocks, etc.) to make a mooring.

A 15kg Bruce is marginal at best, even worse if it’s not a *genuine* Bruce.

Info on Kellets: https://www.petersmith.net.nz/boat-anchors/kellets.php

[SAADA]

Originally Posted by Popeye2

Financially and logistics wise a new anchor is difficult this winter. I am hoping that extra weight _ a metel weight on a rope to the chain_. Would keep the chain low and prevent the anchor from dislodging everytime the wind direction changed.

Thanks a lot for your detailed reply above.

Dear Friend. If you sail from Alvor to Portimão(+/- 5Miles) and stay in front of Ferragudo it is much safer and protected. During the winter you have winds from SW/NW and rest of the year NW.