Anchor chain broke Lost my anchor!

A few weeks ago I lost my anchor on the way to Guadeloupe. Ended up in Prince Rupert Bay Dominica at sunset with no mooring bouys or maria options available to me.....

[@andyjamesable]

I refitted a recently bought boat over the last 14 months in Langkawi .. I was also confronted with a chain decision. My boat had 80 metres of chain but half of it was badly rusted.. I looked very carefully at adding 40 new metres using a chain connector. In the end I felt I didn’t want to trust my boat, or indeed my safety, to what looked like a pretty flimsy fitting .. .. I bit the bullet and forked out for 80 new metres. .. I also love your comments on what us ‘three score years and tenners ’ can still do .. like you, I just throw money at getting someone else to do what my younger self would have done without a thought .. thanks for the video, always good to hear from you.

[@sempertalis1230]

Thanks for sharing. These are the things where the seasoned sailor is giving the much needed advice to the novice .

[@stephenconway4976]

wonderful storytelling and a lifetime of knowledge. Really appreciate this opportunity to learn. Thanks Michael.

[@tomreid3244]

Enjoyed your anchoring story. Yes the chain coming in over the bow roller without the anchor must have been quite the surprise 😂 Sailing Fair Isle last week had an excellent anchoring aid. Basically a wi fi anchor buoy. So the anchor alarm is set both on your phone as usual with swing but the anchor buoy one sits right over the anchor so you can tell if it’s dragging if moves more than a metre. I got it on my list. Thanks again Michael keep them coming

[@SailingWindGypsy]

We are in the first stages of replacing our anchor and possibly our chain. Thank you for sharing your experience so we do not make the same error. Throwing money at our mistakes is a stage of life we are looking at but haven't fully accepted yet. Diving 6 meters for a lost anchor might make us accept it as well. Fair winds and following seas to you.

[@montanadan2524]

Your chain didn't break, you just added a fail point.

[@jehuhand8176]

Happened to me. Luckily I had a trip line attached to the head of the anchor. Also I always keep a very strong magnet on a line to find things like lost anchors

[@pkrockit]

Besides the obvious lesson learned, there’s another one in this video: stow your backup or kedge anchor where you can get at it quickly … not the bottom of a locker/lazarette. 🧐

[@AndrewMoizer]

I'm glad you got things sorted, and this is a good reminder to check your gear and equipment. I haven't had the good fortune to do much cruising for a long time now, but I always had a backup anchor ready to go.

[@wazalee4872]

you should have ask the younger guy if he would dive for the anchor for you? i would have and paid him for his time.

[@blackwell68]

A continuous length of chain is best, but if you feel the need to buy a connector link. Buy from reputable manufacturer with published specs, such as Crosby.

[@blackwell68]

If looking for a new anchor. SV Panope does excellent unbiased testing.

[@juicebox853]

Why not pay someone to recover your anchor?

[@warrenthorp]

Excellent video. Great lessons. Thank you.

[@sartorst3376]

A friend and I stepped onto his boat which was in a hoist about a meter and a half above the water and bam! The boat and everything free fell into the water as the wind and current and the momentum of the fall speed use away from the dock we realized the key was still on the dock 😢 Guess what the cause was ?

[@grantchannel7187]

That sounded super stressful - thanks for sharing !

[@factanonverba6169]

Never a dull moment.

[@Sailsonly1]

When sailing in the Bahamas we always attached a float to our anchor, two fold advantage it marked exactly where my anchor was located and could be employed as a light tripline if needed. To me it was always More important it let others know exactly where my anchor was. If we ever had an incident we could always return to the precise location to retrieve. Deploying the float and retrieving was not that difficult once you are accustomed to it. Cheers

[@CraigOverend]

I remember watching sailing Catalpa where they used a chain link for years with no problems. They even had their boat dragged into by a large commercial vessel while on anchor and that broke their cleats, windlass and stantions, but the chain with the link held. It's certainly better to not risk it if you can.

[@kevgermany]

Lucky, good to see you survived.