New to anchoring - appreciate advice/opinions

[four winds]

NevisDog,

To be clear, the unattended boats aren't upgrading generally.

Off the cruisers who I notice the upgrade, seems an oversized Bruce is most common. Seeing this a few times, and an oversized Delta couple of times. Also it seems adding a boat of chain is common. Sometimes added to the chain already present.

In another Anchorage in recent months I manage to convince a couple of new boat owners to upgrade. Boats purchased to live on not sail. I preached new gen and all chain. They chose some chain and oversize older style. But at least they stopped dragging about every time a storm came through..

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Fortress

As far as I know, among the new generation anchors only Anchor Right (Excel) and Manson (Supreme) are made of a verifiable high strength steel and have any certifications.

FWIW, I think the high-strength SuperMax steel is certified...

-Chris

[Spade Anchor]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

FWIW, I think the high-strength SuperMax steel is certified...

-Chris

Spade Anchor is certified. Cert # 41614/AO BV.

[Fortress]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

FWIW, I think the high-strength SuperMax steel is certified...

-Chris

Originally Posted by Spade Anchor

Spade Anchor is certified. Cert # 41614/AO BV.

My apologies for any exclusions.

[zboss]

Originally Posted by Fortress

During the Chesapeake Bay soft mud testing, and with the boating media present, we buried the 21 lb (10 kg) Fortress FX-37 into the mud 13 feet (4 meters), as per the winch operator's calculations.

We were directly above the FX-37 at a 1:1 scope and were trying to break it free aboard the 81 foot research vessel, but we ended up snapping the wire rope at 3,500 lbs (1,600 kg) of load and we lost the anchor.

The thought that this anchor would have broken free had we only pulled from a 180° direction is a bit comical.

I love our fortress anchors but have always been skeptical of this particular test. How do you know the anchor was not stuck under a log or a piece of granite or concrete. Maybe an old tank? Did someone dive down and check it out?

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

I should note that I still use a 43 year old heathkit depth sounder also. It still works just fine. I even have the manual to rebuild it should the need arise. Try that with the latest B&G or raymarine. Mind you it uses those new fangle digital vacuum tubes for the display.

I've got one of the old spinning orange light fish finder sounders with the transducer stuck in clay on the hull inside! Mine works fine too! I have a lead line too... should I be admitting this?

[Fortress]

Originally Posted by zboss

I love our fortress anchors but have always been skeptical of this particular test. How do you know the anchor was not stuck under a log or a piece of granite or concrete. Maybe an old tank? Did someone dive down and check it out?

Zboss,

Thank you for your kind words about our product. It is certainly possibly that the anchor was stuck on something rigid, and unfortunately the water was far too murky for a diver. Here is the pull test when this occurred:




The 21 lb (10 kg) Fortress FX-37 tension spiked similarly during several of the other 10 minute / 100 foot pull tests, so this was not a one time occurrence.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Don, we know that in the Channel Island area it is common practice to anchor bow and stern,... been there and done that to fit in.

But we've anchored in many similar coves elsewhere, coves with lots of boats sharing the area, and nowhere else across the Pacific have we found such a practice. The conditions in the CI are not unique at all, so I'm left wondering how and why the practice has developed there?

Anyone know?

Jim

Not to flog a dead horse, but it is a good question to which I am sure the main reason is to allow more folks to pack in, but I forgot to mention that in the local situation, which may be more unique to CI, I am not sure, we do get conflicting tidal currents, swells and wind directions. So one might prefer to keep the bow oriented to the swell in spite of what tidal currents or night breezes may do. However on top of that I did experience something in one anchorage a while back that I could only explain as a tidal current, but it affected my boat and the boat next to me in opposite ways. We were anchored bow-on to the prevailing swell but in the morning, which was calm, both our stern lines were taught and the boats were being pushed away from each other as well. In other words I could only imagine that the tidal current was filling the cove but since it was allowed to exit out at one end in shallow water, this allowed the current to fan out right between our two boats. I am not sure, but in any case it just added more unpredictability to any swinging if we had been on single hooks.
Just the other day I was anchored in what is a cove well-protected from prevailing west and northwest swells and winds. There were 5 of us on two hooks facing NW. But in the wee hours a land breeze from the mainland came in from the NE so now I was broadside to the wind and its chop making my old-school boat rock quite a bit. I got up and moved the stern line to the bow, the boat pivoted, rocking stopped, and I still had plenty of room between me and the boat anchored near me.
Many years ago I actually bent the shank on a small Danforth when I was anchored bow and stern to the oncoming south swell on the exposed southern coast of Santa Cruz island, but in the wee hours a longshore tidal current came along hitting me broadside. I had no idea there was such a current or that it could be that strong. That got my attention. Those kinds of experiences argue for new gen anchors... and setting a single hook!

And to be sure there are people who do set only one hook around here and if they are knowledgable they will do it out of range of those in closer on two and be cheerful about it. And of course there are anchorages big enough to accommodate many boats on single hooks too. But in the smaller anchorages, occasionally there are some who get there first and drop one hook in the middle of a good cove and let out an extreme amount of rode, thus monopolizing a large share of the available space. That can raise a few hackles. I will admit to having a hackle or two raised.