Bag it!
For a boat less than 30 feet, a perfectly acceptable solution is to buy an anchor and rode of the right weight/spec, and coil it in a bag for storage in the cockpit locker (our Danforth lunch anchor), or below (our Bruce overnight anchor.) Anchoring is simple. Take the bag to the foredeck. _Tie the bitter end to the mast._ Flake down the estimated rode needed. On approaching the chosen anchor point, thread the anchor under the top rail of the bow pulpit, and drop it on command. Feed out the rode as the boat drifts back. Secure it to a bow cleat when the length is right. Mount a bridle or chafing gear as needed. Leaving is the same in reverse, except I sit with my feet on the bow pulpit, and haul in the anchor rode with help from the engine to move the boat. The rode is 12 feet of chain on the anchor, then enough 3 strand nylon to give a 7 to 1 scope in our intended anchoring grounds. The chain helps the anchor to set, or reset if a wind/tide shift moves the boat by keeping the pull of the rode on the anchor parallel to the bottom (supported by the 7:1 scope of the whole rode.) The nylon (150 feet for us) provides strength _and_ stretch when the boat is bouncing on the waves, or (more usual) sailing around the anchor. Its also light, easy on my hands, and lower cost than chain. We mark the nylon every ten feet so we know how much line is out at a glance. Some favor all chain because the scope can be less (5:1 versus 7:1 for instance) and chain will just run into a locker while rope should be carefully coiled. But there is definite added weight on the bow (I would not carry 120 feet of chain and the anchor to the bow.) and a capstan/winch with a beefed up electrical system is probably required. So chain tends to be more common on the larger boats. David Lady Lillie '77 h27
