The Complete Anchoring Handbook: Stay Put on Any Bottom in Any Weather (Paperback)

by Alain Poiraud (Author), Achim Ginsberg-Klemmt (Author), Erika Ginsberg-Klemmt (Author)
Key Phrases: vertical windlass, horizontal windlass, anchor maneuver, American Boat, Manson Supreme, Canary Islands (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A modern, authoritative anchoring guide for sailors and powerboaters

A boat swinging safely at anchor can mark the relaxing conclusion to a great day of boating or the successful completion of an essential emergency measure, while failure to anchor properly can be frustrating, inconvenient, or downright dangerous. The Complete Anchoring Handbook is your path to mastering this indispensable seamanship skill.

Based on original engineering analysis--and with contributions from such international anchoring experts as Alain Fraysse and Chuck Hawley--The Complete Anchoring Handbook emphasizes the proven best gear and methods for anchoring safely in any situation with any boat, sail or power. Here’s everything you need to know, from the basics to the most advanced techniques. Poiraud and company describe:

• The physical forces acting on a boat, its ground tackle, and the sea bottom
• Why the new generation of roll-stable anchors (including the Spade, Rocna, Manson Supreme, and others) is proving superior to traditional favorites
• How to select and size anchors and ground-tackle components
• How to connect those components without introducing weak points in your ground-tackle system

From the Back Cover

A modern, authoritative anchoring guide for sailors and powerboaters

A boat swinging safely at anchor can mark the relaxing conclusion to a great day of boating or the successful completion of an essential emergency measure, while failure to anchor properly can be frustrating, inconvenient, or downright dangerous. The Complete Anchoring Handbook is your path to mastering this indispensable seamanship skill.

Based on original engineering analysis--and with contributions from such international anchoring experts as Alain Fraysse and Chuck Hawley--The Complete Anchoring Handbook emphasizes the proven best gear and methods for anchoring safely in any situation with any boat, sail or power. Here’s everything you need to know, from the basics to the most advanced techniques. Poiraud and company describe:

• The physical forces acting on a boat, its ground tackle, and the sea bottom
• Why the new generation of roll-stable anchors (including the Spade, Rocna, Manson Supreme, and others) is proving superior to traditional favorites
• How to select and size anchors and ground-tackle components
• How to connect those components without introducing weak points in your ground-tackle system

Alain Poiraud is an engineer and the inventor of the award-winning Spade anchor, as well as the Sword. He has participated in the Tour de France sailing races and cruised for decades in a self-designed ketch. His experiences in the weedy-bottomed Mediterranean led him to reengineer anchoring on a sound empirical basis.

Achim and Erika Ginsberg-Klemmt have cruised all over the world since 1992 and lectured widely on their "technomadic" lifestyle. Achim has worked as an engineer for underwater geophysical sonar systems and seafloor mapping, and continues to develop imaging software for L3 Communications. Erika teaches writing at the Ringling College of Art and Design.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1 edition (November 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071475087
• ISBN-13: 978-0071475082
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #484,508 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is truly complete, April 14, 2008

By	K. Kopp "salty" (south Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Rarely do authoritative books of this quality come along. Both the science and the art of anchoring are captured in a very readable way. The book contains valuable information useful to the experienced mariner but will not leave the novice behind.

To keep the information from becoming too encyclopedic, the history and lore of anchors and anchoring are carefully woven in both the text as well as the graphics.

This is a real word reference, useful for all levels of expertise.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good addition to the sailing library, March 22, 2009

By	D. Conrad (Mahwah, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This is a very useful book on a subject that one never knows completely and every boater/sailor has an interest in. It is a bit weighty and oriented more toward the European cruising conditions. For a very readable resource, try also "Happy Hooking. The art of anchoring." Alex and Daria Blackwell provide loads of up-to-date information on all the newest gear as well as summaries of independent evaluations. It's also probably the only book to deal with the often amusing and occasionally consternating subject of anchoring etiquette. [...].

5.0 out of 5 stars Anchoring Fundamentals, June 18, 2008

By	W. Rose (Puerto Andraitx, Spain) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After a couple of worrying anchoring experiences in the mediteranian sea I decided to dig into the topic of anchoring. Immediately after starting to read this book I recognized how valuable it is to really understand the mechanism of anchoring. Everybody who often relies on his ground tackle should try to optimize safety and read this book. As a physicist I was not much irritated by the formulas in this book but everybody who does not like this should just take it as a sign of seriousness and should just concentrate on the conclusions and great recommendations.