What makes a good anchor chum?

QI enjoyed your Expert on Board article on anchoring ( YM January 2016), and was interested by Ken Endean’s anchor chum. I wondered what it was made of, and what it weighs, as I would like something similar on my boat. Presumably it also helps reduce your swinging circle in crowded anchorages?

Doug Odgers

AKen Endean replies: My anchor chum is made from scrap lead, cast around a U-bolt (and with a plywood base so that it is kind to decks) and it weighs 15 lb (7kg). That’s fairly light, so I once added our kedge anchor as an extra weight when anchoring with a very short scope in a strong wind. A heavier item would be tricky to hitch on to the cable while kneeling in the pulpit; I am planning to make a second chum so that two can be clipped on together.

A chum doesn’t boost the holding power of the anchor, but acts as a damper to absorb energy from gusts. If lowered to just above the sea bed, it encourages the cable to drag on the bed during each lull, so that the bow is less inclined to yaw wildly in the next gust. As a bonus, it does tend to reduce the boat’s swinging circle.