Dear Friends and members of the growing Viking anchoring systems user’s family,
It has been too long since we last contacted you and we hope that despite the restrictions imposed by Covid that you and yours have coped with the inconvenience and have kept fit and healthy. We might guess that some of your plans to get out on the water were curtailed but hope that when the opportunity arose you were out there in the fresh air - and using our products.
Our ambitions to sail were also clipped but we have taken the opportunity to hone our products. We wanted to take this opportunity to share our experiences and hopefully encourage you to share yours.
Boomerang
Our Boomerang was released to the market about 6 months ago and has been found to be a resounding success. Many people, including those with old-style anchors, not only the most modern state-of-the-art Viking Anchor, are using the Boomerang and find the results extraordinary - considering it is such a simple (but clever) design. It is a very low-cost solution to ensure an anchor arrives at the bow roller in the correct orientation. The Boomerang contains no moving parts, it is simply one piece of galvanized high-tensile steel. The dimensions ensure it is stronger than your chain and shackles, even for a G70 chain. The Boomerang was developed by Jonathan Neeves who has generously endorsed our product and has refused financial return - he is happy to see his designs being used, increasing the safety, convenience, and comfort of the yachting fraternity - altruism at its best.
Bridle
Viking has developed a bridle arrangement also based on the concepts developed by Jonathan. We have taken Jonathan’s ideas and extended his ideas to include our own chain lock. The bridle concept is unique and again, Jonathan has encouraged us to take advantage of his work. The unique design dramatically lowers the impact of veering and pitching when at anchor and absorbs snatch loads when rode deployment is restricted by an absence of space.
You can find full details in the July 2021 issue of Yachting Monthly, and the current Multihulls special edition 16, July-August 2021. Jonathan has had published a number of articles on snubbers and many other ground tackle related articles - simply Google his name ‘Jonathan Neeves’ and ‘SAIL magazine’ or ‘Practical Sailor’ and you will uncover a list of articles on ground tackle, snubbing, and anchoring.
Chain Lock
We will soon be releasing our new heavy-duty chain lock which can be used to take the load from your windlass when at anchor.
This new chain lock is one size, heavy-duty, made of HT steel (as always with our products) having a large LFR (Low Friction Ring) made of stainless steel that can be used with two ropes together to enable you to attach it to bow cleats on both sides of the hull, and also to the bobstay to reduce pitching, this is also a development of Jonathan’s Bridle Plate; he has already endorsed the design and samples were sent for final testings and approval.
If you own a catamaran or a monohull that would benefit from a bridle, rather than a single snubber, we also can provide our interpretation of Jonathan’s Bridle Plate.
And finally, the ‘Z’ shank
Our design and ideas do not stand still and we hope that our additions to our portfolio underline our long-term desire to offer a complete anchoring solution. About one year ago we started a development based on the V1, our core product, to allow application of the base design for yachts that could not normally accept a roll bar anchor. The first fruit of our research has resulted in the ‘Z’ shank Viking. We see the design finding application on yachts with bowsprits and bobstays and on some catamarans with restrictive bow roller assemblies. The new design allows the anchor to be retrieved in an ‘upside down’ orientation so the roll bar simply does not conflict with obstructions to retrieval.
The ‘Z’ shank is now in the Beta testing phase with boaters around the world and should be available within the next 3 months. The ‘Z’ shank solution is another simple concept but it works so well we have decided to formally register it as an IP. We have done this to discourage and prevent others from copying the concept.
Our development and improvement to our portfolio of products will not stand still and in the fullness of time, we hope to be able to advise you of other ideas and improvements to our product range.
We are making small improvements to our products all the time, almost unnoticed by the end-user, such as changing the anchors' toes to be even stronger by changing to V shape connection, enlarging the boot length, adding small skeds at the heels of the fluke, and more.
As you will have noted we continue to spread the word that well-designed anchors are not about weight but are all about design and are proud to have been the first to bring to market an anchor using high tensile steel in the fluke. The use of HT steels allows us to offer a family of anchors that offer high hold and high strength in a lightweight product.
Soon, in the fullness of time, we hope to be able to advise that our anchors are produced using ‘green’ steel based on use of hydrogen as heat - rather than the current extensive use of fossil fuels. Anchors are a small part of fossil fuel usage - many small parts add up to be a large whole - and we and you can play our part to leave the world in a better place for our grandchildren, a thing that is very dear to our hearts.
At Viking, we hope you agree that we are innovative. We also react to feedback from you, our customers. If you think we can improve our products or our service - tell us. We are here to listen and learn. Knowledge and experiences are best shared.
Until the next time, we wish you fair winds and most of all, safe anchoring.
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