Hi all,
It is my take that weight in the anchor does more to enhance ground tackle effectiveness than weight anywhere else It is also my casual observation (in no way buttressed by facts or evidence I am aware of) that increasing weight in the anchor increases effectiveness in ground tackle effectiveness not linearly, but exponentially.
So, I had a new thought on how to think about weight in the anchor. Mine is a 77-pound Spade: used ~~10 years. My previous Spade was 66 pounds (used 8 years) making for an ~~17% weight increase which would be a nice linear increase in ground tackle effectiveness, but not dramatic. My experience (and this is the really casual observation) is that the 77 pounder is more than 17% more effective: it is exponentially better. I am not sure if there is anything in the literature to validate this (or otherwise).
I went with a bigger anchor as I anchor in marginal and remote areas. That said, even if you are not going to Greenland or the fjords of Norway, 10 extra pounds on the bow in your anchor will likely make little noticeable difference in sailing performance, but might make a difference in anchoring security.
Interested in reactions to my random thoughts.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy