Post 50 Sportfisherman

The anchor shown in these photos is a Rocna 40 (88 lb). It originally had a 60 pound danforth that worked fairly well, but did pull out on me several times in windy conditions. It was also unreliable in high current areas of the Bahamas when in sand. So far I have tested the Rocna once, dropping it and 30 feet of chain in a pile and letting the boat drift to simulate the worst method of setting an anchor. As soon as the line straightened out, the anchor set instantly! I can't wait to try it out in the Bahamas, maybe I can sleep through the night now. When going south through the Florida Intracoastal Waterway this past week, I saw a 45' trawler from Maine with a Rocna on the bow behind me. After contacting him on the radio, he told me that his 50 kg Rocna changed his life and that anchoring has become a much simpler and pleasant experience, I was glad to hear it. He said it was actually a bit of work to get the Rocna out of a hard set in mud, and suggested backing up on a very short scope to pull it out. The anchor has turned quite a few heads at marinas. It certainly is much larger and unusual looking than the danforth was. The comments ranged from "Wow that's cool" to "What the heck is that huge thing on your bow". I think it turned out quite nicely. The mounting was done at Huckins Yachts in Jacksonville, Florida. We mounted a V shaped teak block to center the anchor as it sets into the pulpit, along with a white plastic curved piece to help the hoop set securely against the bottom front edge. I hope my photos will help other sportfisherman owners make an informed decision. — Ted Strauel, USA