Right now we are anchored amidst a bunch of boats on moorings so can't have a lot of scope out. So the use of a second anchor to keep us from going bump at night when the wind shifts, is needful...
The second anchor in question is a Northill folding in stainless steel. Sadly, these are no longer made anymore, but if you ever come across one at a nautical flea market my advice is snap it up as they are one of the best anchors ever made!
While the design dates back to 1933, they came into their own during WW2 days. The Northill broke the mold as the first anchor that used clever design in place of brute weight.
The reason behind this is that the Northill folding was not actually designed for boats as such but instead were designed for the PBY flying boats where every ounce counted.
Being light at just a kiss over 12 pounds and the fact that they fold up but have holding power that matches most thirty-five pound anchors they do kind of rock. The icing on the cake, of course, is the fact that they are built of 316 stainless!
We mainly keep ours around as a kedge as being light, and it's folding action is tool-less (it just snaps open) so it is easy to deal with in a hurry and is dinghy friendly... What's not to love!
