The Complete Anchoring Handbook: Stay Put on Any Bottom in Any Weather [Paperback]

Alain Poiraud (Author), Achim Ginsberg-Klemmt (Author), Erika Ginsberg-Klemmt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2007

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

Editorial Reviews

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.

About the Author

Alain Poiraud is an engineer and the inventor of the top-ranked spade anchor.

Achim and Erika Ginsberg-Klemmt have been world cruisers since 1992. Achim is a subsea engineer.

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: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,082,128 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An approachable and engaging guide to going on the hook, June 17, 2008

By 

Steven Roberts "microship" (Puget Sound Area, Washington) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Anchoring Handbook: Stay Put on Any Bottom in Any Weather (Paperback)

I am finding this book very useful as I prepare a 44-footer for extended cruising; with its focus on the subject, it is the first reference I reach for when making decisions about the myriad challenges of hook and rode. The writing is friendly, yet the content is deep and obviously the result of considerable on-water experience.

Another reviewer complained that it is opinionated and biased... but what anchoring discussion isn't? This is a subject fraught with peril and colored by lore, and all the authors of anchoring chapters in the major cruising books have grown accustomed to the tools that have worked best for them. As with any complex subject, you have to assimilate recommendations from multiple perspectives, filter according to your own needs, selectively toss out a few extremes, average the rest, and apply the resultant to your own situation only to tweak it over time as you continue to learn. There is no single right answer.

I don't believe any book on a subject this rich can be truly "complete," so perhaps the title is a bit ambitious... but this book does get very close to covering all the issues and thus occupies an exalted spot in my boat's limited shelf space along with Calder, Roth, and Vigor. It reflects the experiences and personal opinions of the authors, but that's fine with me... I respect their wisdom, and any endorsements are presented in the larger context of appropriate tools for different environments.

It's also a fun read, which is not an easy thing to accomplish in a book that has to grapple with scope calculation, holding grounds, chain handling, and other dry subjects. I've had a number of "aha" moments while reading this, and find it enjoyable enough to curl up with on occasion.

Recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative, October 30, 2010

By 

Joerg Schodl (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Anchoring Handbook: Stay Put on Any Bottom in Any Weather (Paperback)

I found this to be an informative book. I would disagree with the reviewer who is claiming that the authors of this book are trying to sell a particular design. His claim that the Rocna anchor is not featured as a superior anchor compared to older designs is plain false. Much of the information in this book can be found on the internet, or is at least backed up by online sources. That said, I felt the book could use some re-structuring. I would also have liked some more detailed information. Many questions on using stern anchors, and Bahamian anchoring remain unanswered.

3 of 4 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)   

This review is from: The Complete Anchoring Handbook: Stay Put on Any Bottom in Any Weather (Paperback)

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.