Ches Bay Anchor Test
- Thread starter Warren Milberg
- Start date
My Manson does that also
I have learned to just drop the anchor and it sets and holds just fine.
Mud, Mud, Mud ............................
I don't think there's an anchor out there that won't give a reasonable showing in soft mud and sand. Even a Utah anchor gives a passable performance in deep mud.
Once you get away from the soft mud and sand, a light weight anchor is not what you want at the end of your rode at 03:00 when you're facing a 20 KT wind and it decides to shift.
...................... where's the versatility ?
I don't think there's an anchor out there that won't give a reasonable showing in soft mud and sand. Even a Utah anchor gives a passable performance in deep mud.
Once you get away from the soft mud and sand, a light weight anchor is not what you want at the end of your rode at 03:00 when you're facing a 20 KT wind and it decides to shift.
The technical stuff is way beyond me. What struck me is that the independent researcher is making a video for Fortress. That makes him no longer independent. Fortress may have the best anchor. What I don't get is why they refer to the host as independent when he's clearly not.
Hi Ralph,
Actually, some of the anchors did not perform well in this soft mud, in fact, two of them did not set and develop a minimal resistance of 300 lbs in 3 out of 5 tries.
If anchor weight is the key issue, then we manufacture larger sizes up to almost 70 lbs, and a well-buried Fortress, with its two massive precision-machined flukes, is typically much more difficult to break free from common sea bottoms vs single, narrow fluke anchor types.
Hi Kermit, point well taken. Chuck did an outstanding job in reporting on the testing and results, and he certainly did not show any partiality towards Fortress during the process, which I am certain would be confirmed by all of the boating writers who were aboard.
Brian
Would be interesting to see testing and evaluation using a plow type series connected to a fortress mud hook at the terminal end of single rode system for usage when emergency anchoring in storm, heavy surge etc. conditions when in mixed bottoms, etc.
Boat-->rode-->plow-->short rode-->fortress w/ its flukes @ 45°.
Ive set up this way for anchoring in the Caribb. ... all ready to go if needed but never 'used in anger'. Comments?
Boat-->rode-->plow-->short rode-->fortress w/ its flukes @ 45°.
Ive set up this way for anchoring in the Caribb. ... all ready to go if needed but never 'used in anger'. Comments?
In Tomales Bay I set up bow and stern Danforths. I do this because we can get south or north winds up here with little or no warning. Never have slipped but bow anchor only found us swinging in 20k winds the following morning! Now you know why I double anchor. Happy Holidays! Chief
Chief, what happens if there's a 180º wind shift and now you've got waves slapping the stern? Sometimes, this is not a big deal, more inconvenient than anything, sometimes this is bad, backing up into cockpit drains or worse. I'm guessing.
Just wondered your experience for a bow and stern Danforth setup...
Brian: Never had a real problem with stern waves and wind as my stern anchor was always about 100' of rode/chain/13lb Danforth well set in only about 10'> of water. Happy Holidays, Chief
In my experience with this the stern is typically facing land so when it is blowing off shore there isn't enough fetch for the wind waves to build up too much.
Yes Rich, good point ,and I tend to lie behind a sheltering cliff and that inhibits high winds from both directions since block one way, force a rise the other. As you probably know, Tomales, Point Reyes, Bodega blows like stink! If you have any friends down there complaining about no wind, just send'em my way! Going to try to get down your way maybe next summer. Happy Holidays, Chief
Article states 30 deg off axis and the anchor recovered easily. We regularly anchor in areas with 180 degree shift and our Rocna stays put.
Actually, I can't recall that happening for any of the anchors. Most of them never developed much resistance in this soft mud and were relatively easy to pull out. We did lose an FX 37, which the writer mentioned, when we were trying to pull it out while directly above it and pulling at a 1:1 scope. The cable snapped at about 3500 pounds.