Hi John,
Thanks for this contribution.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Dick

This failure nearly caused a stranding on a rocky beach.

[attachment=435]IMG_1123.JPG[/attachment]

first submitted in the Rocna section where it fit as a response to a comment. Re-submitted here as it rightly belongs under the swivel section:
Hi John,
I am glad you have had such good luck with your Rocna. It, like many of the new gen anchors, are amazing at initial setting when they are clean.
The following should be read as written from someone who believes a ground tackle system, in its proper design and execution, sometimes (perhaps often) has you and your crew’s life residing in its effectiveness. There are those that say that they rarely spend the night at anchor, usually use it as a lunch hook or for fishing: to them, I would say that it is also there for emergencies, unexpected squalls and engine breakdowns, where a good system proves itself invaluable. Those of us who cruise know how important it is at least a few times each season.
I would want you (or anyone with a swivel) to consider ditching the swivel for the following reasons:
The ground tackle system is to keep your boat and crew safe and nothing in that system should compromise that goal. I believe swivels do so compromise:
1.   Attached as advertised (looking at the Ultra’s web site the installation is straight onto the anchor) introduces the possibility of the anchor getting jammed and side loads prying the jaws apart. (Google anchor swivel failures for examples.) Adding a bit of connecting chain, as Daria suggests, mitigates that issue while introducing even more shackle connections (every connection is a potential vulnerability) and the likelihood that the one favored reason for buying a swivel (clean retrieval onto a roller) would no longer work so effectively.
2.   The Ultra (and most highly advertised and hyped swivels) is made of stainless steel and ss (in my judgment) has no place in a ground tackle system that, by definition, is in and out of salt water. It is potentially too brittle and prone to crevice corrosion and there are alternatives, all better, to ss shackles, anchors, chain etc. that one sees wherever there are boats.
3.   With the possible exception of anchoring for long periods where the boat circles its anchor repeatedly CW or CCW (and I have lived this scenario a couple of times without a swivel), a swivel does not contribute to the effectiveness of one’s ground tackle. Chain twist is always relieved by an adequate snubber.
4.   The advertised strength exceeding chain does not specify whether proof coil or high tensile. Among cruisers, HT is becoming more common. I would be in its strength if the anchor end was held rigid and the pull at right angles.
5.   An anchor that comes up backward is annoying and can entail a bit of fussing, but introducing a vulnerability into one’s ground tackle system in order not to be occasionally annoyed is (again my opinion) in no way justified.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

Bill / Dick

Just to set the record straight, I am also not in favour of swivels, never have been, never will. (That stated, I cannot say they do not work.)

In our book, and in discussions we try very hard to help people make their own decisions. That way they may think things through.

We feel we should not come down negatively on a given product (with the exception of the CQR ;) ) With regards to swivels, we also do state that we are not in favour of using them, or for that matter of ss components, but the decision remains with the reader.

Dick, I feel your frustration! I am in total agreement with you that a swivel has no place in an anchor rode. Why anyone adds such a weak link into a critical system is nuts - doing it with a material that has inherent susceptibility to crevice corrosion is asking for trouble. The idea that it facilitates the anchor rolling onto the bow roller is a poor and frankly questionable excuse in my opinion. My anchor often comes up the wrong way round - a simple nudge with a boat hook is all it takes to turn it around.
I have to say it concerns me that Alex with his book on anchoring technique would not come down firmly on the side of eliminating swivels altogether. By all means keep them on a mooring - different situation entirely.

Bill Balme

Hi Alex,
As said in the last email, the anchor coming up backwards on the roller is not a big deal and certainly not worth the added vulnerability of any swivel. I suspect I know I know the swivel you are referring to and it is stainless and I believe that stainless steel should have no part in any ground tackle system, regardless of breaking strength.
When last I casually went over swivel stats, the manufacturers did not specify the tests done to determine breaking strength nor did they specify safety factors. And I suspect they were not including even a little of side loading in the figures they give out. Even chain (if memory serves), a much more regulated industry, ranges from 3-1 to 6-1 in some of their safety factors.
In any case, I suspect we are spending far too long talking about swivels. Even your 3 caveats do not really apply: it is quite easy to position an upside down anchor on the occasions when that occurs; brawn can go the bow, and the third caveat applies only to moorings, not to anchoring situations and which are quite different design challenges.
I would espouse the position that swivels have no place in any ground tackle system as they only add complexity and vulnerability and any problems they solve are minor and can be gotten around easily in other ways. Certainly in everyday anchoring life, swivels are not a problem or issue. My stance is predicated on the premise that one should be prepared at all times for things to go pear shaped and ones ground tackle system is an on-board system that needs, at all times, to be bulletproof.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

Your upside down anchor issue can be solved with the right kind of swivel. There are one or two swivels on the market (we tested one) that will force the anchor to rotate in the correct orientation as it hits the bow roller. (Note that I am not naming brands here) I may not be a proponent of using swivels, but this does work 100% of the time. The one we tested also has a breaking strength that exceeds our chain.

As to moorings, we already have a section on moorings in our book. For the next edition, I have expanded this.

Hi Alex,
I suspect we could get into dangerous territory if we attempt to discuss those (usually) marital decisions which lead to the brawny one staying at the helm. In fact, this is a pet peeve of mine as it strikes me that it is (generally) a completely unnecessary decision that could be dangerous to the least brawny crew. Brawn is usually not evenly distributed among crew so jobs where occasional use of brawn (like anchor handling) can be a safety issue should go to the brawny one. Brains are usually more evenly distributed among crew and brains, with experience, allow anyone to be helm in the usually quite undemanding task of handling helm while raising anchor.
I have never solved the anchor-hitting-the-bow-roller-upside-down problem. Your suggestion is excellent for those whose chain never leaves the wildcat. When deploying the anchor, I usually “dump” a lot of chain after the anchor gets to the bottom and we have slipped a bit away and in this dumping the chain gets separated from the wildcat. So, it can be a bit of a crapshoot where the anchor will position itself upon retrieval. Those whose deployment/retrieval techniques lead the chain to always lie in the wildcat would do better for sure, but I would still doubt it would approach 100%.
In any case, it is not nearly enough of an issue to warrant the vulnerability that a swivel brings to the table. And I doubt that swivels allow the anchor to position onto the roller 100% of the time.
And agree, swivels can have a place in mooring design in certain areas. Mooring design is, in many respects, quite a different design challenge than a ground tackle system and may/likely demands an article/book of its own.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

Hi Dick

I do agree with your sentiments and arguments. We too have anchored thousands of times, and have swung happily at anchor of weeks at a time in changing winds. Yes, the chain was twisted, but, as you correctly state, it untwisted when the anchor hung freely off the bow roller. Any twist there may have been cannot get past the gypsy/wildcat.

caveats:

Some people have complained to me that their anchor always hits the bow roller upside down. My response: remove the shackle and reattach the other way around.

For those boats where the brawny one insists on remaining at the helm and in control, and where the mate has to do the heavy work, and there is a risk of fingers getting caught righting a twisted anchor, I do recommend a swivel. In this case I recommend to look for one that actively orientates the anchor as it comes up and over the bow roller, is designed to withstand lateral loads, and has no hidden parts, where rust WILL occur.

A third caveat is on our mooring. This does not apply to every mooring. Ours is located in a hole where the water swirls around in opposite directions with the tidal flow. (Hence the reason there is a hole there.) Even with a swivel, the riser may get twisted, but the swivel does do its job and keep things right. I do have to replace the (heavy galvanised) swivel every year or so.

Hi Daria and Alex,
I read your article on swivels and believe it to be the most thorough and thoughtful examination that I remember, and I tend to read a lot about ground tackle issues.
I agree with you that swivels have not made a case for inclusion in a ground tackle system, and that goes double for those products that are stainless steel. I think modern equipment manufacturers are selling a myth that swivels are important.
What I would wish you to consider is that you collude with this commercial myth-making on the manufacturer’s part by dedicating a long article to reviews of the various swivels, their design and materials used. I would wish first for an article examining whether they serve any realistic function: whether they actually solve a problem. And examining real world reports and investigations. This has yet to be determined and the companies should be taken to task to document their claims. Only after a realistic function is determined and documented should an article such as yours be undertaken. In some way, an article of your length and breadth gives (maybe) an unintended validity to swivels having a place in an anchoring system even with your caveats.
You conclude your review with a qualified statement advising against swivels, and then undermine this stance by essentially saying (in my reading) “whatever” when you say the choice is up to the individual mariner, which, of course, it always is and need not be stated. I may be holding you to a higher standard, as professional marine journalists, to take a position that equipment needs to be justified and should not be promoted until it has done so. I may also be picking on you as I find the marine industry journalistic efforts woefully inadequate at informing the reading public: at being more than cheer leaders for products.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy