As anyone who has made Southern California their home port knows, anchoring is not a well practiced art. I'm not sure why...there are great anchorages (not highly protected "gunkholes" like the ones we know from back east, but still, nice anchorages) all around the islands that are the local cruising grounds. Most folks just plan their cruises around the available mooring to rent. But not us Gypsy Wind-ers...

Anyway, when we bought our boat, the primary anchor already aboard was an ancient 35# CQR with a hole drilled through the stock (perhaps for a storage pin arangement, but I never found that aboard GW), some puny amount of chain, and a decent 5/8 inch Dacron rode of about 250 feet. And, no windlass. Our boat was home based in Long Island Sound until we bought it, so these anchor arrangements were probably ok.

Because we are in So. California, with rocky, windy anchorages, we have made lots of changes to this aspect of Gypsy Wind. First, we have a very strong, manual windlass. I like the manual part, even though its more work than an electric one, because it will ALWAYS work. Period.

It handles our new primary anchor rode of 300' of 5/16 high tensile chain, and until this weekend, was tethered to a 45# Bruce as the primary hook, with the CQR riding shotgun to be used off the second bow roller, if necessary. I never liked the fact that the CQR plow, continues to plow, and under certain bottom conditions, actually makes a furrow, and the boat continues, albeit slowly, to move through the anchorage!

After years of observing the Southern California SCUBA dive charter boats anchoring several times each day, on different dive sites, many times in unprotected conditions over rocky and kelp-covered areas, or on soft sand, I bought a new Manson 45#, the type with the "roll bar." Its what the dive boats use, and the darn things work GREAT (yes, I have dived down to see them set)! So, a Manson is now is the primary anchor on Gypsy Wind, the Bruce is now shotgun, and a large Danforth style is at the stern. We have a folding storm anchor, and another Danforth-style anchor, stowed away for emergencies. I am not sure if we'll carry the CQR with us on this trip, or if we'll try to sell it and use the funds for other purposes. But I am now happy with our anchors.

Oh, and the roll bar on the bow anchor roller looks like a boat nose ring to my daughter who said she thought Gypsy Wind looked like she got a new piercing...