TECHNICAL IS YOUR ANCHOR CHAIN UP TO THE JOB?
The equipment used to anchor our boats is constantly developing as new materials and designs appear, equipment is adapted from other technologies or existing items are improved. Old ideas are constantly questioned by rigorous testing and field experience.
Secure anchoring isn’t just about the anchor itself, however. The whole rode that connects the anchor to the boat, made up of a number of different parts, is arguably at least as important, if not more so, than the specifics of the anchor. If you get your ground tackle set up correctly, with an understanding of its abilities and limitations, you can be confident that the much-maligned ‘weakest link’, is not going to let you down in challenging conditions.
First, some clarification, what is meant by a rode? A rode (more archaically called ‘cable’) is whatever comprises the connection between the anchor shank and the fixed point at the other end on the boat. It is customary to refer to an all-chain rode or a mixed rode, meaning chain plus rope, but realistically the term also includes any component used to join any part of it together.
SHACKLE OR SWIVEL?
Many people will argue that there is no need for a swivel at all. In many cases where there is no problem with the chain twisting, this is true and my own adage is to fit one if you find you need it but not otherwise. My choice is to fit
