As keeping your boat securely connected to the bottom is really important for the safety and well being of all distance cruisers, an ongoing discussion of issues about gear and technique can be very helpful. Ground tackle has been dramatically improving over the past few years, and as a result techniques for deploying that tackle have been modified.

This is a great place for members to share their experience with newer anchors and related gear, tricky anchorages, and tips for effective technique.

And if you have a great story to tell, please share it. We all know that anchoring is a spectator sport, and we all love a good story.

Vice Commodore, OCC 

Hi Dick,

With equal respect, I have to disagree with your comments. Has the galvanising never been abraded from your steel anchor and chain? The answer must be yes, if you've used them at all. Show me a boat with a rust-free anchor, and I'll show you a boat that doesn't get anchored very much. And what have you done about it? The answer must be to have done some maintenance. So what's new? We all know that boats need maintenance. My cast iron keels will need painting in the future, but at the moment they're not so bad that I can't live with them.

In the case of this kettlebell, I think that it may be powder coating rather than soft paint, as it seems quite thick. If it were to wear off in places, I should think nothing of applying a dab of Hammerite, or other rust remover or treatment. Really, I don't think that you're in a position to comment on this particular device without having held it in your hand, and I can't understand why you've made an issue of this.

Certainly, when my sailing season begins in April or May, I'll report back.