Customer Reviews

The Complete Book of Anchoring and Mooring

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mr. Hinz's The Complete Book of Anchoring and Mooring contains a great deal of detailed information that I didn't even know I needed to know. How much more there is to anchoring than dropping the hook and letting out some line! As well as the basic techniques, he covers heavy-weather anchoring, with some fascinating case histories, and also goes into great detail about the different types of anchor, and about bitts, winches, rope and chain rodes, and rode lockers. Mr. Hinz writes well - the book is easy to read, and he manages to convey the technicalities in accessible, layman's terms. This is a very practical, interesting, useful book for anyone who is serious about anchoring well and safely. Charles T. Low

Not bad and a good resource from a respected author; however there have been some big moves forward in anchors in recent years, particularly in the small boat / cruising yacht area that this addresses.

Anchor types such as Spade, Bulwagga, and Rocna have made the traditional plows, claws, and Danforth-types all but obsolete.

A revision that devotes a chapter to these newer designs is badly needed. In the meantime be sure to take note of what is missing.

I'm just getting started boating in the Pacific Northwest and I felt a lot more comfortable with anchoring after reading this book. Tremendous detail about the subject.

There is lots of good information in this well-written book. I've been anchoring for years and have read many books on anchoring and still I learned a lot from reading it. However, I am left wanting for some details.

For example, the entire second chapter is devoted to describing how hard boats pull on anchors and how to determine the pull for particular boats. But when I tried to follow along and do the calculations for my boat, the information I needed was not there.

This is a very good book, but I'm still searching...

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Contents

Chapter One: Introduction

Part I: The Technology of Ground Tackle

Chapter Two: Loads at Anchor
Chapter Three: Deck Gear for Anchors
Chapter Four: Anchor Windlass
Chapter Five: Anchor Rodes
Chapter Six: Anchor Options
Chapter Seven: Anchor and Rode Selection

Part II: The Art of Anchoring

Chapter Eight: Human Factors in Anchoring
Chapter Nine: Technique of Anchoring
Chapter Ten: Anchoring Tricks
Chapter Eleven: Rights and Responsibilities
Chapter Twelve: Storm Anchoring

Part III: The Mechanics of Mooring

Chapter Thirteen: Permanent Moorings
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Very thorough material regarding probably one of the MOST significant factors in boating; i.e. how to KEEP your vessel in tact and prevent unforseen disasters. Very factual & a real eye-opener of one the most critical foundational components of boating. I never realized that something so meaningless as anchoring, anchors, ground tackle, chains, ropes/lines, windlasses, moorings, etc. could prove to be so vital yet disregarded by a skipper. Earl Hinz really did an excellant job pooling information together from a lot of different sources. This is one subject that any skipper should become enthusiastic about even though it sounds glamorless and boring.

Why? Because you might be anchored next to me! Seriously, no other book describes the fundamentals of anchoring and mooring like this book. True, it lacks info on the latest trends in anchor design. But, as this book points out, your anchor is only one piece of your ground tackle and not even the piece that is most likely to fail when storm conditions develop. Some have recommended "Happy Hooking" as it is more up-to-date. Personally, I think that's it's only attribute over this one, and it contains little you can't find by searching on the web. Eric presents the known facts on anchoring clearly and in-depth. I have not found the level of treatment he gives all aspects of anchoring and mooring anywhere else. These are the tools you need to design and use your own ground tackle.

I'll preface this by saying I haven't read any of the other (newer) books on this topic to be able to compare them. Yes, there are new anchor designs since this was written. And there are some new types of anchor line and other pieces of equipment. But the information in this book is still highly relevant and it is very worth its place in the limited space of a cruising boat.

We cruised the Sea of Cortez and points south full-time from 2002 to 2007, and our previous experience had been totally on small sailboats that we hauled out on a trailer after a couple hours of sailing. We did little research on anchoring before we went, but we did have this book aboard. It was a good thing we did . . . we encountered numerous thunderstorms with gusts exceeding 50 knots, several Tropical Storms and 5 times were within 50 miles of the eye of a hurricane. One time the eye of the hurricane passed directly overhead, with 84 knot sustained winds. We were in good anchorages for all, but it is the information in this book that kept our boat (aka "our home") off the rocks when some nearby were lost.

The big lesson we learned from Hinz was to think of anchoring as a SYSTEM, not as individual parts. He is wonderful at explaining how it all has to work together and how having a weak part (or in some cases, a part that is too rigid to have any give) can lead to disaster. Better yet, he explains how to create a system that works.

Some of the brands and styles of hardware may have changed since this was first written. But the principles are still sound and have stood the test of time.

As a side note, I wrote several articles and even gave a few seminars on hurricane preparation, based on our experiences. I always heartily recommended this book and loaned our copy out many, many times as bad weather approached . . . or after it had passed and friends realized their systems had some weak links.

Earl Hinz is the expert on anchoring and mooring. For many years, this was the final word on making sure your boat stayed put. It's a bit on the technical side but includes loads of useful information on the traditional equipment. Nevertheless, in recent years, huge advances have been made in anchor design and in ancillary equipment. For a very readable and up-to-date resource, try "Happy Hooking. The art of anchoring." by Alex and Daria Blackwell. They cover all the new gear, techniques, and procedures, as well as a very amusing chapter on anchoring etiquette. It's available at the Lats & Atts online store (seafaring.com)as well as direct from [...]

Insurance companies should offer discounts for people who have read this! If you have a boat with an anchor, this is the textbook to have for the important art and skill of anchoring. This covers it all, from how an anchor works, the different kinds, and where each should be used, to what and how to do the different types of anchor sets. Also covers anchor rodes, line, how long they should be, how heavy and anchor for your boat, why you would choose one type of line vs another, and more. An excellent resource.

Definitive book on the subject. Read it to learn what you didn't know you needed to know.
Also good reference to have on board in case you get into a dicey situation.