Thanks again, guys for your help
I realy appreciate the time you guys have taken in making some explicit, well-considered suggestions. Ross - I had found the "figure 8 links" at McMaster-Carr, but concluded that they wouldn't fit my chain gipsy. The 5/16 G4 I chose is not any smaller than the 5/16" BBB, just stronger, and is what Lewmar/Simpson-Lawrence recommends for my type 172 gipsy. RAD & Fred - This is the link I started with (I have some), but for which I wanted to find something with the same size/shape that wouldn't represent a 1-ton link in a 2-ton chain. Fred's comments on what G4 would be like to hammer raise an interesting point, though. Gord - This looks good, but in shape is like the "Figure 8 Link" at McMaster-Carr, and I don't think it'll pass the gipsy test. It does, however, lead me to think of other possibilities. I started looking for a way to buy 2 1-shot pails (or 100ft sections) and then join them permanently. I was looking at an alternative to buying a 3-shot half-drum (actually 275 ft) and either peddling the additional 75ft or using it for a 25ft extension to my mixed rode's 15ft of chain plus a 50ft section for tandem anchoring with the Fortress ahead of the Delta. (No more than the 200ft to be stowed in the bow chain-locker.) I think I'm coming to the conclusion that unless I want to carry all 200ft in a continuous section (with the weight penalty, and the risk-of-loss if I have to slip cable or abandon a fouled anchor), I'm best served by using a couple of 100ft lengths and holding at 100ft with a snubber while fastening the second 100ft to its bitter end and then continuing in cases when needing more than the 100ft of chain. The "Figure 8" type lifting links that are listed as reusable look like an attractive alternative to Beth Leonard's suggestion of 1/2" SS Wichard QuickLinks. She used only 75ft of chain around the world, backed-up with a Nylon rode she QuickLinked to it when needed, and said most of the time she was on all-chain with the 75ft. I could keep the mixed rode and one 100ft section in the bow locker, and stow the second 100ft elsewhere for better balance in sailing. With QuickLinks or the "Figure 8 Links" I could use mixed-rode + 100ft of chain, or 200ft of chain (or even mixed rode + 200ft of chain, unless I needed a second anchor). The big QuickLinks might be easier to handle on the bow, however, and you've put my mind at ease re mixed SS+galvanized corrosion issues in an earlier thread. I now have to decide if I want the security of knowing I can handle my intended maximum anchoring depth (40ft with 10ft tides) without connecting sections; or rather do I want the redundancy of two shots usable by themselves most of the time (plus my mixed rode backup). The economics and ballast-shifting ability of 2 sections seems very practical, while the single 2-shot solution offers a real security blanket that has manageable weight, but requires me to have other solutions for back-up stored elsewhere and higher risk of lo$$. My current interests are limited to the Gulf of Maine, and I wonder what your thoughts on these two choices would be based on your experiences in these waters? (This season I'm most interested in Casco Bay, but would like to plan for Penobscott, and eventually for Nova Scotia and - some day - Newfoundland/St Pierre/Michelon.) I'm not asking for anyone to make my decision for me, but I'd like to have a broader experience base than my own to draw upon in doing so. Can I further impose on your good natures for more free consulting? (I can offer you a beer if you ever come to Newburyport <g>.)
