We have replaced our galvanized Rocna anchor of 40 kg and 65 m chain with an Ultra stainless steel anchor of 35 kg and 100 m chain. Why? The Rocna has never let us down over the past 7 years ... it always settles down right away and then you're 'home free'. For us avid anchors, it's very important to be able to trust your anchor like that 😃.

But the Rocna doesn't lie well on the bow. It is not completely fixed and at certain sea conditions (high to the wind) it starts rattling. For that reason Toine made wooden blocks to put between the anchor and the bow hardware. That works fine, but it is a lot of work to put the blocks in place, so we don't do that very often. In most seas it is no problem at all.

Because of the brace of the Rocna there is no room for a fixed bowsprit for our new furling gennaker. At first we thought we could attach the gennaker to the bowsprit of the Rocna, but then it should be able to lay tight without wooden blocks. Toine has had a larger anchor roller made for the bow, but that also doesn't quite fit.

Enough reason to look for another type of anchor 😊. Toine watched various YouTube videos; there's a lot to be found on the internet about anchors and anchor behaviour 😎. Eventually he arrives at an Ultra of 35 kg. This anchor Rassy also puts on the latest models, the HR50 also has a 35 kg Ultra anchor. An Ultra can only be delivered in stainless steel. We always thought that stainless steel is heavier than galvanized, but it turns out that it is just as heavy. Of course, this also requires a stainless steel chain (otherwise it won't look good 😢)... and we only had 65 m of chain, which is a bit short for the trips we expect to make in the future. That's why we also ordered a new 100m stainless steel chain.

The Ultra anchor was delivered today and the chain will be there in about 2 weeks. The Rocna anchor and chain was sold today via Marktplaats.

The Ultra fits perfectly on our bow 😃😃 and looks very nice too. And a fixed bowsprit fits perfectly next to it. A nice touch is that the Ultra has a special swivel (the connector between anchor and chain) that ensures that the anchor always turns straight when retrieved. We also expect that it will carry less mud because of its shape and material. It feels like a good choice that we will enjoy a lot 👍. What a difference a new furling gennaker can make. While it has not even been delivered yet 😉 .

In the new chain we attach a colored marker every 5 meters so we always know how much chain is out.

Now a couple of weeks later and a lot more anchor experience with the Ultra, we can confirm that it is a top anchor. It sets easily and well, and is much easier to retrieve than the Rocna.