Hi John,
I've had the same 25lb CQR for a couple of decades now, and use 35 metres
of 6mm calibrated chain (with manual S/L anchorman winch) with no problems
apart from occasionally having to have a couple of attempts
to get it to set on very weedy bottoms. My kedge is a rarely used
25lb CQR lookalike with a little chain and lots of rope.
If I were to start from scratch I would have a CQR plus a different
style, but I have no preferences over whether it would be Danforth,
Bruce, fortress, or whatever, and the bower would be determined by the
cruising area - I would just want something different if the conditions
didn't suit the bower.
In your case I would use the Bruce for a while to see how comforable you are
with it, and take it from there. The Bruce won't fit in a locker easily,
but it does hang over the bow nicely - I would also look at other boats
in the area and find what they use. For example, if nobody has a Bruce,
and most boats have Danforths or Fishermens, I would guess that the local
anchorages are very bare and rocky, in which case Bruce, CQR and their
ilk are non-starters.
Alisdair
I've had the same 25lb CQR for a couple of decades now, and use 35 metres
of 6mm calibrated chain (with manual S/L anchorman winch) with no problems
apart from occasionally having to have a couple of attempts
to get it to set on very weedy bottoms. My kedge is a rarely used
25lb CQR lookalike with a little chain and lots of rope.
If I were to start from scratch I would have a CQR plus a different
style, but I have no preferences over whether it would be Danforth,
Bruce, fortress, or whatever, and the bower would be determined by the
cruising area - I would just want something different if the conditions
didn't suit the bower.
In your case I would use the Bruce for a while to see how comforable you are
with it, and take it from there. The Bruce won't fit in a locker easily,
but it does hang over the bow nicely - I would also look at other boats
in the area and find what they use. For example, if nobody has a Bruce,
and most boats have Danforths or Fishermens, I would guess that the local
anchorages are very bare and rocky, in which case Bruce, CQR and their
ilk are non-starters.
Alisdair