Spade and Sword anchors

The Spade and Sword anchors are produced by Sea Tech & Fun Sàrl, a Tunisian company, after initial development by their designer Alain Poiraud. The Spade has enjoyed good performance and recognition, while the budget Sword version has been less successful.

The Spade

The Spade anchor from Tunisia, designed by Frenchman Alain Poiraud

The Spade is a good anchor which was the first new generation anchor to really lift the bar in terms of the performance improvements over the old generation. It was the first to emphasize the importance of fluke surface area rather than dead weight.

It possesses a complex design, with a fabricated triangular shank (which is hollow), which is separable from the fluke, a and bulky fluke containing a dedicated lead tip-weight insert.

While the Spade performs well, it has a number of drawbacks which caused the Rocna designer, Peter Smith, to reject it as the best anchor choice before he turned his mind to the Rocna. When the prototype Rocna was constructed, Peter made certain to avoid these issues.

• It has too much emphasis on tip-weight (50% weight-on-tip). The dedicated tip-weight that is required to achieve this is unnecessary and inefficient, since that weight on the Rocna is put into structural strength and fluke area (which equates to holding power – it is suggested you compare the blade surface areas of the two anchors, as these figures are published by both manufacturers).
• This emphasis on tip-weight is a legacy flaw from the old generation, dating from anchors as old as the CQR, which uses the same principle. The presence of the lead insert is also a maintenance problem, as the lead must be melted out and re-done whenever the anchor is re-galvanized (every 3-5 years if in regular use).
• The dedicated tip-weight also makes the toe of the fluke very bulky, which affects its setting performance in hard sand and weed/grass. The Rocna tip is much sharper with a slimmer profile. Feedback complaining of the Spade's failure to set in hard sand is quite common.
• In order to achieve the tip-weight percentage, weight is also removed from the shank. The Spade's shank is fabricated and is hollow, creating weakness issues. We have been made aware of a number of shank failures.
• The two piece construction of the Spade (the shank is demountable) is problematic and makes some users uneasy.
• The construction is overly complicated and requires expensive engineering to produce, resulting in a high price. The Rocna, while a premium high quality anchor and by no means cheap, offers better value for money.
• The shank shape is such that it does not lock home well on most rollers (it is difficult to eliminate its range of movement, meaning it can bounce around at sea). The Rocna shank profile is designed to lock home securely.

Independent testing

There is a large amount of independent testing of both the Spade and Rocna. However, the following summary comments from West Marine in the USA relating to their 2006 comparison testing best sums up the true differences.

West Marine 2006 testing Quotes complete & verbatim		Spade S80 (34.4 lb):
		“	Somewhat mixed results with three OK pulls, and three maximum pulls. Set immediately each time.	”
		Rocna 15 (32 lb):
		“	Superb, consistent performance. Held a minimum of 4,500lb and engaged immediately.	”

The Océane / Sword

The Océane anchor, precursor to the Sword and Raya

The Sword is an anchor design which has gone through three or four re-designs and re-branding exercises. It was known for some time as the Océane, then briefly as the "Rock*C", and then as the Sword, which remains the brand under which Sea Tech & Fun continue to manufacture. Meanwhile, its designer Alain Poiraud, no longer directly involved with the Spade company, developed yet another iteration, the "Raya", under a Brazilian organization called Ancora Latina.

The anchor was originally intended as a budget version of the expensive Spade. Its design does away with the complicated hollow shank and lead cavity of the Spade, attempting to use an awkward shank shape and placement to facilitate correct setting. This concept is less than successful and results in inconsistent setting behavior. Holding power if set is excellent, but attaining the set is not reliable. The fluke is concave, but the rolled plate benefits from no structural reinforcement. The Spade may safely be considered superior, as independent testing demonstrates, and the engineering design of this budget version results in reduced strength and durability.

Independent testing

There is a large amount of independent testing of both the Océane/Sword and Rocna. However, the following summary comments from West Marine in the USA relating to their 2006 comparison testing best sums up the true differences.

West Marine 2006 testing Quotes complete & verbatim		Océane 35 (38.2 lb):
		“	Highly variable results. After four disappointing results, the Océane held over 5,000lb on the last two pulls. Puzzling.	”
		Rocna 15 (32 lb):
		“	Superb, consistent performance. Held a minimum of 4,500lb and engaged immediately.	”