Anchors

 CQR bow fitting for an L32

When my 1965 L32, "Mermaid" was imported from Copenhagen in that year to Vancouver,British Columbia, the first owner was surprised it came without an anchor fitting on the bow and had to install one off the shelf with a roller. Only later did he realise that in the near tideless Baltic one need only tie two bow warps to the shore and position the boat with a stern anchor.

For those who sail on the Atlantic or Pacific coasts this is imposible due to the large tidal ranges of many metres so that one has only the choice of tying up to a floating wharf or anchoring.

When I became the second owner in 1973 I resolved to have a proper anchor fitting made so that the anchor was always ready for immediate release and retrieval would not scar the topsides. Having always found the CQR reliable I planned to have a fitting specially made to hold it but nothing was available on the commercial market and I did not want a bowsprit to hang it from. This meant one had to be specially designed and manufactured. I found a metal working shop in Vancouver which did this type of work but it was far from the water and the only solution was to make a female cast of the bow profile and from that a male cast. To do this very simply involved using plaster-of-Paris and this could be used to give a perfect fit. I took the 25 pound anchor to the shop and between us we designed a fitting to be made of 10 mm stainless steel which could be formed to shape in a hydraulic press. Here on the Pacific coast we use chain coupled to heavy nylon rope and as I did not want to fit either a  toe-stubbing slow working hand windlass or a possibly troublesome electric one. I fell back on the old simple way of fitting a chain pawl. The design incorporated a bronze roller with a central groove through which the chain would run and would also be where the anchor would fit snugly when sailing. The pawl was simply a length of metal with a tapered end and which swung down with gravity being pivoted at the top.

This allows chain or large diameter rope to be pulled aboard but as soon as tension is released it drops down and jams the chain or rope firmly against the roller. A drop-nose pin went through the pawl so that in an instant it could be released and to prevent accidental loss overboard both the pawl and pin were attached by stainless wire to the anchor fitting. The photographs show the shield-like bow cap which is through- bolted at the forward end and through the deck.

On top of this two parallel stainless channels were welded between which the roller was fitted. The bow cap was made in such a way that it protected the hull from the tip of the anchor. At the rear end of the fitting a slot was cut into which the chain could be dropped to instantly stop it running out for any reason. When the anchor is hauled in it sits on top of the roller and the shaft which holds the pawl prevents it from ever coming loose. To weigh anchor one puts the pawl in place and as the chain and rope is pulled up it automatically jams as soon as the tension is released and the next pull can commence. The simplicity and effectiveness of a pawl cannot be overstated and as more and more anchor comes on board the pulling force needed diminishes. With suitable modification  other anchors such as the Bruce could be fitted.

"Mermaid" - Hugh Macartney,Victoria, B.C. Canada

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