Hi all,
Page 51 of the Winter edition (No. 217) of the DCA mag has an article about using an anchor weight instead of chain. The theory is simple: when anchoring a small boat in shallow, sheltered water a heavy weight on the anchor warp can replace chain and give the same horizontal pull and some of the same shock absorbing qualities. This avoids dragging chain over the gunwales on a small boat (which doesn't have the anchor fittings of a larger yacht) and also should be easier when sailing short handed.
The author uses this on his Westerly Nimrod, which at 18' and 475KG is surely a similar proposition to a BR/BRe. This approach resonates with me because I generally anchor only for short periods and in <10m water. Replacing chain with more warp plus a good weight should do the trick. Furthermore, having scuba dived, I have soft bags of lead in my garage that I can use so even a knock from the weight wouldn't damage the boat, so you just have the anchor to worry about.
I think I'm going to try this, but has anyone any experience of this approach?
Cheers,
Jonathan