the rule is this Mike !! 5 times more chain than the depth of water beneath your boat !! So in 10 meters of depth you will be needing 50 meters, simple as that !! There are some who cut corners and some that don't ! Cutting corners in sailing can put you and your crew in big trouble in the fraction of a second..... never cut corners, give you and your boat and crew for that matter lots of leeway. ; - ) But don't worry about dragging happens to the best and the worst, a fact of life for people who live on water !! great post, nicely written. Look forward to your next story !! will follow now !!