FOB Light Weight Anchors for Sailboats

We recently ran a blog all about testing various anchors on the market. It was a very thorough test of fourteen anchors and can be reviewed on http://www.rocna.com/.

However, in the meantime, it has been pointed out to me that an anchor that is quite widely used but doesn't get much wattage are the French made FOB light weight and THP anchors. So, under the heading of balance, I thought it only fair that we review this lightweight anchor which is along similar lines to the fortress lightweight aluminium, but with the addition of some French flair.

Go to their website http://www.fob.fr/ and check out what the manufacturers have to say and then you can Google 'Anchors Group Test' and 'FOB Anchor' for additional testing data and results.

As you would expect, the results are many and varied with as many opinions as to which anchors set well, re-set and hold. Suffice to say that the weather and sea conditions on the day, and the type of bottom being anchored into, figure largely on the success of the operation.

It could also be added that the skills of the anchoring crew play a substantial part in the success or otherwise of this sometimes traumatic exercise!

The best endorsement I have come across for the FOB anchor is an article in the October 2008 issue of Practical Boat Owner. It relates a tale of woe in Greece whereby a yacht attempting to reset anchor in a crowded anchorage without lifting properly, drags over several other boats' anchor chains, lifting them out in the process, with the subsequent mess all drifting down onto the authors' vessel. His FOB held them all, in a fresh afternoon breeze until the situation could be brought under control along with severe beration leveled at the perpetrator.

The article is written by Richard Hare and headed 'Holding Fast' (not available online as yet), and I quote, '..........The FOB earned its spurs in my book, by preventing what could have been an awful disaster, and retained them for the following three years as well'.

Images reproduced courtesy FOB Anchors and article quote courtesy Richard Hare.

You can read more about anchoring techniques and adventures in my ebook 'Voyage of the Little Ship 'Tere Moana', downloadable from my website http://www.sailboat2adventure.com