Three anchors played a role in three shipwrecks across two centuries: the Grafton, the Invercauld and the Alacrity. The Grafton and the Invercauld wrecked on Auckland Island in the South Pacific a few months apart in 1864. The Alacrity, a ship on which I was a crewmember, wrecked on an unnamed cay in the Bahamas in 1979. The Grafton’s anchor was attached to chain that was both too short and substandard in quality. It could not hold the Grafton during a storm, and it wrecked. The Invercauld’s anchor was lashed to the deck; the crew was in the open ocean headed for South America and not expecting to use it for weeks. Unexpectedly, near Auckland Island in the dead of night, they were unable to free the anchor in time to prevent their wreck.
The Alacrity’s anchor was ready for use. It was attached to a suitable anchor rode and chain. Unfortunately, the captain on duty, which happened to be me, failed to deploy it when the Alacrity began hitting the coral reef.
By itself, an anchor is just a lump of metal; it cannot do anything on its own. As leaders, we have to have our anchors ready to use and learn to use them at the right time. In a moment of crisis, we have to ensure that the anchor is deployed immediately, stopping movement towards disaster. Only an anchor properly fitted, ready for use and used appropriately before it’s too late, will allow us to weather the storm and hold our ship fast.
So what’s your anchor?