Seasoned captains may know why, but I have met many new captains that don't know the real reason why there should be chain between the anchor and the rope. First off, it is not necessary to use rope. It is possible to use all chain for your anchor rode. The rope is just much easier to handle and weighs much less. If you look, most sport boats use rope and chain, some only use rope which can prove to be a bad idea.
The reason for the chain is simple. It actually can serve two different purposes. The first is to prevent chafe. If the rope is constantly moving up and down on the anchor, it could eventually break causing you to loose the anchor. The other reason is to absorb the shock from the boat as it moves up and down in the waves. If the boat is moving up and down it is constantly pulling on the anchor. If this happens enough it will pull the anchor loose and you will loose all holding power and begin to drag.
Simple as that!
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