Things That Work: An Anchor Chain Guide

European builders caught on early to the anchoring needs of cruisers, but one issue with older U.S.-built sailboats is the lack of dedicated anchoring systems. Right up until the 1980s, and in some cases later, many otherwise functional and well-thought-out boats appeared with either no bow rollers or ones that were so undersized as to be useless.

This leads to problems for many sailors who snap up such older boats, often at bargain-basement prices, and are then faced with upgrading the anchoring setup or settling for a second-best solution, i.e. leaving it as is.

Often, the best solution is to have a stainless steel extension fabricated to hold one or two anchors and perhaps a tack point for an A-sail. Even then, because of the pulpit and its mounting points, it can be difficult to ensure a fair lead for the rode between the anchor roller and the deck pipe or windlass.

The owner of this veteran C&C came up with a simple but effective solution: a second roller clamped to the pushpit upright that keeps the anchor rode from contacting the upright and eases its passage to the windlass. The simple chain guide pictured here looks to be a homemade affair, and should not be difficult to replicate.

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