All anchors are a compromise. Since some anchor types work best in certain bottoms, it is a good idea to carry anchors of different designs. At a minimum, a cruising sailboat should carry at least three anchors adequately sized to anchor the boat under most conditions.

So where does a lightweight anchor fit in the hierarchy of cruising anchors? Aluminum alloy anchors that had dominant this lightweight anchors arena until not long ago have several strikes against them. Aluminum Danforth style anchors will take longer to set and are more likely to drag; their shanks are more vulnerable in side-load situations (aluminum alloys can shear when steel will bend), and multi-part anchors like the Fortress and Spade introduce other handicaps.

While high-tensile steel used to be the king of primary anchors only, nowadays lightweight anchors still have the historic chief advantages also for cruising sailors. They are portable, and they are easier to deploy by hand from a small boat. This is useful for kedging a boat into deeper water or away from a pier or obstruction.

Today some carbon steel anchors are made of robust High Tensile steel, are better than the “old” steel anchors by most if not all of the aspects have entered the game and the rules are slowly changing.

So when it all started?

It was When Viking anchors introduced their version of light anchor made of HT carbon steel in 2018 that changed the assumption that light anchors can be made only with aluminum, nowadays, the common sailor can enjoy both worlds of having a light anchor that performs better than its heavy brothers, strong enough to hold whatever thrown at him with outstanding holding and setting parameters while being light and easy to handle by hand diminishing the need of using an electric windlass.

What made it possible is the ability to use high graded steel for the whole anchor structure and not just for the shank, the use of materials that can be found mostly in military applications combined with futuristic advanced designing methods evolved also from endless tests of what exists in the market, learning the existing anchors' drawbacks and eliminating them.

The Viking anchors are easily moved around the boat, they don’t need to be stowed on a dedicated bow roller unless you choose to, make them an appealing choice for a first, second, and third backup anchor especially on boats with only one bow roller. making them the perfect choice for single-handed sailors.

Sizing a Viking anchor varies according to its purpose and the vessel size and weight. The Viking anchor you choose should not be oversized due to its high penetration, setting, and holding capabilities keeping it “lean and mean” is the best option.

Due to their design, a Viking anchor will always set up on the boat's bow roller in the right direction.

“Made of HT steel having the ultimate design with best holding power parameters, Viking anchors are light and robust to their performance, easy to maneuver and handle, actually making them the first choice for single-handed and racing sailors, recognizing the advantage of having outstanding HT galvanized carbon steel anchor that weights almost like an aluminum anchor for the same size of a boat”.

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