Anchors in South Australia.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Oh-oh Matt,

Now you've done it! We swear by our 28 k Manson Supreme!

Cheers, mate,

Ann

It has done quite well for us, but to be honest, I reckon that a similar sized rocna, Mantus or spade would do as well. They are all so much better than their predecessors that the minor differences between the marques is of little consequence.

Jim

[GILow]

Well, THAT was a lesson and a half!

Lesson number 1. Don't visit the club half an hour before the Wednesday evening races. It is pandemonium, and spontaneous discussions with crew milling around the docks earns you filthy looks from stressed out skippers.

Lesson number 2. We have very, very few cats at our club. No idea why, but I only found two cats that were remotely around the 38 foot mark, one was probably closer to 42 and the other felt more like 36. A couple of 10 meter variants and I know there is a BIG Lagoon somewhere, but he was out today.

Lesson number 3. Cats use much smaller anchors than monos, at least in our club they do. Seriously, they look really small compared to what is on the monos. And the comparison is simple when most of the club use the same type of anchor made by the same company (just a few miles from my house, I drive past them on my way to work each morning).

So, based on what I saw at the club today, nobody is using anchors of the size recommended by Industrial Springs. The multihulls are using smaller anchors than recommended and the mono guys are using anchors larger than the recommended size. At least this means MonkeyMe should be ok with either size if everyone at the club is not completely insane.

After a Wednesday afternoon pre race club visit... I'm not too sure about.

Here are some photos of Marsh Stockless anchors sitting on bows. I know some of you love that sort of thing.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

It has done quite well for us, but to be honest, I reckon that a similar sized rocna, Mantus or spade would do as well. They are all so much better than their predecessors that the minor differences between the marques is of little consequence.

Jim

Oh you two are just TRYING to start something aren't you.

MonkeyMe is new, he doesn't need to see the dark side of CF.

[Simonsays]

Originally Posted by GILow

MonkeyMe is new, he doesn't need to see the dark side of CF.

but a lasting relationship is build on honesty!

thanks for the pictures

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Simonsays

thanks for the pictures

Next week....

Davits!

[Spade Anchor]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

At the moment I am in South Australia. I am always intrigued by the the local choice of anchors. Cruising boats ideally need an anchor that will cope with a wide variety of substrates, but local boats can afford to pick anchors that work for the specific conditions that they encounter.
Anchor choice is also heavily influenced by cost and availability.

The area has a reputation for weedy anchorages. My limited diving (and I do mean limited there are lots of White Pointer Sharks in these waters) gave me the impression of only moderately thick weed in places and lots of cute seals (see photo where they were brushing the camera with their whiskers)

A large percentage of boats had a specialist weed anchor. About 60% of boats had a Marsh stockless anchor (see photo) 10% a fisherman anchor. 20% were Rocna or Manson Supreme only a tiny number of CQR's, plows and Delta anchors (amazing) 0 Bruce anchors ( equally amazing) and only 1 Sarca anchor (surprising given their Australian manufacturing base) 0 Spade anchors ( not surprising given their poor distribution and high cost in Australia)

This is spot on. We have been trying for some time to find a reputable dealer in Australia. If you know of any Marinas with great reputations we would love to hear from them. Or if there is any entrepreneurs out there that recognize that this is a rare untapped market contact me as well. Once a authorized dealer is established that will cut the overall cost of a Spade Anchor in Australia by at least 30%.

[Painted Skies]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Oh-oh Matt,

Now you've done it! We swear by our 28 k Manson Supreme!

Cheers, mate,

Ann

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

It has done quite well for us, but to be honest, I reckon that a similar sized rocna, Mantus or spade would do as well. They are all so much better than their predecessors that the minor differences between the marques is of little consequence.

Jim

Jim and Ann - great to hear you are back in Tassie for the summer... wish PS was heading there...

We have been cruising in South Australia - out of North Haven near Adelaide - for the past four years, using a Manson Supreme anchor as our primary, and a Lewmar claw (Bruce knock-off) as secondary. The Manson Supreme worked great from the Chesapeake Bay to Panama, all the way across the Pacific, down the east coast of Australia, Port Phillip Bay, Western Port Bay, Gippsland Lakes, and Tasmania. But, sadly, it doesn't work well here in South Australia - for the reasons already stated in the previous posts (weed, grass, limestone), unless you are willing to only anchor in sandy patches - and even then you will probably drag anchor when the wind picks up. We end up chasing land protection when the wind arrives, and use moorings when it can't be avoided.

Everyone here swears by their Marsh Stockless anchors, and 70% of the sailboats (yachts, as the Aussies call them) in our marina have them. We have resisted purchasing a Marsh Stockless because it is really only useful to us while in SA (and we keep thinking we are leaving), besides the fact that the $700+ (for recommended 35-kg) is needed elsewhere (...who thought this was cheap?). In addition, our bow roller would need to be modified to accommodate it. Keep in mind when purchasing a Stockless that anchors are not Industrial Springs' primary business, we understand they only make a batch of a certain size occasionally - so the size you want may not be immediately available.

A world-cruising boat that came through a couple years ago and subsequently headed across the Great Australian Bight to Fremantle reported excellent performance in SA's Gulf St. Vincent and Spencer Gulf anchorages with their newly-purchased Manson Boss. This is the experience of only one boat, but perhaps other SA cruisers can offer more data on how well this new generation anchor performs in these waters...

Let me end this post by saying that South Australia is one of the hidden gems of Australian cruising... shhhhh... don't tell anyone!

[GordMay]

Painted Skies:
Is this you, or just a remarkable coincidence?
The Blue View - In Search of the Perfect Anchor | Just a Little Further

[Painted Skies]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Painted Skies:
Is this you, or just a remarkable coincidence?
The Blue View - In Search of the Perfect Anchor | Just a Little Further

That blog entry was made by David and Marcie on 'Nine of Cups' - they are the folks I referred to in my previous post who purchased a Manson Boss as an alternative to the locally-sourced Marsh Stockless before crossing the Bight. Based on their review, the Lynns seemed pretty pleased with the Manson performance, but obviously it was only used a handful of times in South Australian waters. I'm hoping some local South Australia sailors can offer their own perspectives of how the Boss performs in these weedy bottom conditions; if it really works, it would be a preferred alternative for us.

Should also mention that Manson anchors are reasonably priced here in Australia - since they are made in NZ. Most boat chandlery items in Australia go for a premium due to import duties, GST taxes and the high cost of shipping to the Southern Hemisphere.

Cheers, Katherine

[JPA Cate]

Hey, Katherine,

Hope all's well with you, Lael, and the boat!

Ann (& Jim)