SV Panta Rhei Retirement Trip

We've been using our 66 pound (30 kg) Bruce anchor since SV Panta Rhei was new. It has worked well, but not well enough. On our trip to alaska and at times of special hazard we have needed two anchors in series and even then our hearts beat at an increased rate as the wind roared and the boat jerked on the anchor first one direction, then the other. Of course this always happens at night which is a special form of insecurity that is not recommended for the timid (or old). As it turns out, we are not the only cruisers afflicted by this form of insecurity. If the anchor doesn't hold, you can lose your boat. We have all seen it happen to others. So most of our friends have been increasing their anchor size and frequently switching to a newer anchor design. The bruce anchor has the special advantage that it sets (i.e. digs into the bottom) very quickly. This means that if the direction of the wind changes so to pull the anchor in a different direction, it will reset quickly if upset. The dark side of the bruce is that it drags in sand and this is where the newer anchor designs shine. But these new designs don't fit on the bow since the bow was purpose designed to hold a bruce. So our solution was a BIGGER bruce. A 40 kg anchor is available but we thought a 50 kg anchor would fit. That is almost twice the size of our old anchor. We do have a reputation for overkill. Twice as much security sounded better than half again as much security. So that is what we bought. The picture shows that it fits and also shows that it is the biggest bruce anchor that would fit. Good on us.