What length all-chain rode to cruise reasonably worry free from Maine to Key West?
This is one of the most common questions we get, so pardon us if we sound like a broken record. Let me begin by saying, in the spirit of full-disclosure, that we’re not big fans of all-chain rodes. Like many neophytes, when we began long-distance cruising many years ago, we began with all-chain rodes because that was what “real cruisers” were supposed to do. And, to be fair, anchoring ropes of the period weren’t very good, windlass gypsies only handled chain, and re-galvanizing was cheap and easy to find. Now, rope/chain gypsies are common, ropes are stronger than chain and regalvanizing chain has become an ecological fantasy. Then let me burst the other bubble in your question. Many so-called anchoring “gurus” have perpetuated the fallacious rules-of-thumb about chain length being somehow related to the size of the boat. Over the years I have had people quote me out of books that one boat length of chain is the proper amount while others have arrived with complicated formulas involvin
