.Independent
gear test
Yachting Life magazine
UK
.Why
anchors drag- Royal Navy Tests
What
people say...
about Kiwi Anchor Riders / Anchor Buddy anchor weights
There are lots of 'anchoring experts'
and they
all have their opinions about the effectiveness of
anchor weights.
Why not read some independent
gear tests
as
well as these letters from boat owners
who
are out there
cruising and using
an anchor weight and
make up your own mind about having extra peace of mind
at anchor.
"The Anchor Buddy anchor weights are the most
useful marine product for boating safety to come on
the market since I started boating"
Des
Townson, Townson Yacht Designer, New Zealand
"When
Jude and I set off in our 54ft Eade designed and
built Chico yacht "Soulmate" on what
turned out to be our four and a half years'
circumnavigation, we found we were unable to get
insurance because four crew were required and
there was only going to be the two of us. Having
insurance was not a concern for us when we were
sailing. We wanted to have the insurance for when we
were at anchor and when we left our boat for onshore
activity.
I had heard of the Anchor Buddy
anchor weight and had heard it was quite good. So we
took along a 30lb (13.6kg) Anchor Buddy and an all
chain anchor system.
'Quite good' is a total understatement. It is
totally amazing in all conditions and at all times;
light winds or heavy weather and so easy to put on
and off after you understand how to do it.
" I have swum
in clear water of 15 to 40ft to watch it
working. On one occasion in 60-80ft of clear water,
I watched the anchor and the Anchor Buddy working
together when other yachts were sailing around out
of control. In wind conditions you would think it
not possible to anchor, "Soulmate" stayed
safely anchored while all other boats finally had to
leave.
The advantages it gave to
our comfort on board and the reduction in our swing
circle were so good that we would use it all the
time whether we needed it or not and we would never
leave the boat without setting the Anchor Buddy.
Keith
Eade, designer and owner/builder for 25 years of
Keith Eade Boats, Steadecraft Ltd and Chico Yachts,
plus sailor of over 130,000 sea miles.
"The
Anchor Buddy is the best anchor aid I've come across
for many years and I would not be without one in
Scottish waters..."'
Yachting
Life gear test
"By
far the best anchor weight I have come across is the
new high-tech version of this age old device called
the Anchor Buddy...cleverly designed to quickly slip
and lock into place, this little beauty can be slid
straight onto the chain or rode in seconds...In my
book, any device that increases the seaworthiness and
safety of a vessel should be readily accepted by the
boating fraternity"
Terry
Buddell in an article titled "A friend in the
dark" written for Trade A Boat Australia
"My
wife and I are the proud owners of a Whiting 45 yacht
called "Meridian Passage".
Over the past 18 months, we have sailed the Northland
Coast of New Zealand quite extensively,
circumnavigating the North Island, as well as
thoroughly exploring the Marlborough Sounds, Tasman
Bay and the D'Urville Island areas. We purchased an
all chain model Anchor Buddy at the Auckland Boat
Show. On first using this amazing device, I was very
reluctant to give credit to any significant change in
the holding power or behaviour of our yacht at anchor.
But after many months and extensive use of this anchor
weight in all sorts of conditions, I can no longer
deny the marked change in our boats performance at
anchor. I list the most notable observations;
1) In choppy conditions, without the Anchor Buddy, the
boat see-saws quite noticeably. With the Anchor Buddy
on, the boat is very steady and when observing the
motion, I would liken it to a shock absorber in a car,
where as the boat will rise with chop, then settle and
steady very quickly, giving the impression of a calmer
sea than one would normally experience in this type of
sea condition.
2) The holding power of our anchor in strong winds and
limited area to swing, with Anchor Buddy deployed is
amazing. It has vastly increased our confidence of
anchoring in areas with limited space, and removed our
anxiety with sleepless nights worrying whether we are
going to drag etc.
3) When anchoring in foul ground which we do regularly
when scuba diving, we always let a generous amount of
chain out, deploy our Anchor Buddy and dive down the
anchor chain to check the holding power. Since
deploying the Anchor Buddy our observation in a
variety of sea conditions, is we have observed NO
WEIGHT AT ALL PULLING ON OUR DELTA ANCHOR. With the
motion of the boat having to contend with the anchor
weight and chain, we have never witnessed our Delta
anchor working.
In summary, under all conditions, we are very glad we
own an Anchor Buddy and would thoroughly recommend all
cruising boats seriously consider equipping their
vessel with what we now consider standard equipment
for the safety minded boatie."
Merv
Dobbs S/V MERIDIAN PASSAGE
"We
have no hesitation in recommending an Anchor Buddy as
a vital piece of cruising equipment. It does not
preclude proper anchoring practice but is totally
complimentary. The two main advantages are the much
greater holding power and, just as important, the
decreased arc of swing. Many nights in the
Mediterranean and Caribbean we stayed firmly at anchor
whilst others dragged. The practice of using a weight
on the anchor is an age old custom, but the Anchor
Buddy makes it so much more simplified."
Jo
and Brendon Neilson S/V MAYLING circumnavigation
1993-2001
"I
found it extremely easy to set and retrieve and in the
conditions prevailing it performed exactly as promised
with much less snatching and a significantly reduced
swinging circle. It is so much easier than setting 2
anchors and would be much more efficient with wind
shifts. I am really delighted with it..."
Dr.
John Macrae, Inverness, SCOTLAND
"I
dived down to see the Anchor Buddy working. The angle
change of the rode induced by the Buddy was
significant - I estimated it to be between 20 and 30
degrees. The weight was serving as a spring, absorbing
the weight of the boat in the gusts and leaving the
critical section of the rode leading to the anchor
unmoved. I took the Buddy off and dived back down to
see the difference. The length of rode on the
bottom was some three metres less, but more
importantly, the movement of the rode was more
pronounced, as was the movement across the bottom as
the boat swung - just the things that are likely to
pop an anchor in questionable holding. I WAS SOLD!"
Independent
gear test by Editor of Boating World magazine
"It
was 60 knots in Minerva Reef. These Farr design boats
really sail around at anchor. The Anchor Buddy made
the yacht feel like we were anchored in a calm harbour,
compared with other boats anchored there at the same
time."
"I
find it is extremely effective in poor holding
anchorages and also in reducing the snubbing when
swell is a problem"
Wayne
Jenkins, Ferro-cement Hartley South Seas 38 owner
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