NC11 anchor rode

[happyour]

Hi. My first post!
I have a 2017 NC11 which I acquired last August - my first boat after twenty years of occasional crewing for a friend.
I had some trouble with my 8mm galvanised anchor chain and rope rode last season as it’s approximately half chain and half rope. Where the chain joins the rope there is a broader section of spliced rope and chain which would jam on retracting it and had to be manually freed - requiring some force to do so. Could I replace the rope with chain or should I replace the existing chain and rope with a new chain to avoid a join?
Then there’s the world of anchor chain - galvanised or stainless steel? For coastal cruising on the west of Scotland should I stick with the much less expensive option of galvanised or go for the lighter, stronger option of stainless steel?
I think the Lewmar windlass is sound, although on one occasion on lowering the anchor, the whole length of chain and rope ran free at speed so maybe something is loose. Anyone else had that problem?
Thanks, Michael.

[hegrelma]

Hi Happyour - welcome to the forum.  Here is our approach:

We upgraded to the Rocna Vulcan Anchor, 15kg, amzn.to/3ue1j1x. Check out the reviews on SV Panope's YouTube channel.

This anchor rode, www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=1849781, from Defender was consistent with our gypsy specifications and a reasonable price. The 8-plait goes smoothly through our Lewmar windlass and the whole thing fits perfectly in the anchor hold. Make sure you check your gypsy code and cross reference with the Lewmar site to size the chain and line. 

I recently added a Schaefer bow cleat, amzn.to/39MDQvU, between the windlass and the bow roller to tie off the rode when anchoring.