Anchor Caution

[Oskar 26M]

My 26M has dragged my Fortress Guardian anchor a couple of times in weed so I upgraded to a 12kg Manson Supreme, which is expensive but has worked really well when on the hook overnight in quite strong winds.

During my recent rip to remote Shark Bay in Western Australia, the shallow water means that the anchorage of the main town is about 0.8 nm from the (dredged) dock area. The bottom is mostly sea-grass with patches of sand. The Western Australian Cruising book suggested caution using this anchorage because of the old mooring chains that foul the bottom.

So, I fitted the rode to the Supreme's "rock slot" so I would have a better chance of retrieving it if it fouled. First big mistake)

When we anchored there on an idyllic spring morning,I chose a patch of sand in 2.5 metres of water, let out about 16 metres of rode and made sure the anchor set by backing off the Mac. The anchor held beautifully under load but the weather was so calm it had little work to do (second big mistake). Later in the afternoon, my crew and I decided to dinghy ashore for some extra ice and a hot shower (third big mistake). We were away a couple of hours.

Meanwhile the wind freshened and shifted...

Yep, you guessed it. The Mac had drifted up over the anchor, tripped the rock slot release and the shackle then jammed in the middle of the slot. In the freshening winds, the boat had dragged the anchor about 0.5 nm and was firmly aground with its rudders stuck in the sludge bottom

I managed to get second anchor deployed and my call for assistance eventually got me a tow from the local volunteer sea rescue but they too had some problems and couldn't wait to get started once the tow-line was attached. As a result Oskar ended up with one busted rudder and the 2nd anchor had to be cut loose. (the Supreme had been retrieved easily after I got back on board - it was doing nothing).

I guess the moral of the story is: don't use a rock slot if you plan to leave your boat

[James V]

I have seen every anchor drag. Weeds is a hard set. Learn what your anchor will do.

[Rick Westlake]

So ... you lost the Guardian? A shame. They're pricey to replace here where they're made; I'd rather not inquire about the Aus$ price.

Is there any such thing as an anchor that's good for "all bottoms"? I know the Danforth-type (includes Fortress & Guardian) is good for sand and mud; the Manson, in my West Marine catalog, is recommended for "most bottom types," as is the Rocna. Delta says "all bottoms," and CQR specifically mentions "sand, rock & grass" ... but I dunno.

Even a novice (like me) can see advantage in two different types of anchor, and both of mine are "oversized" for the purpose. So far, my only problems have been caused by "trying to hurry the anchor" - especially my Fortress. But that's all in Chesapeake Bay mud, which is easy ground for setting an anchor. Wonder how I'll do in, say, the Florida Keys ... sand and coral-heads, and a stiff fine if you damage (or even touch) the seagrass....

(James, what do you use on LYNX?)

[opie]

1. Never use the rock slot again. From the Manson website, the slot looks like a drag waiting to happen. Similar to some danforths..

2. Always raise the rudders and CB or DB when you anchor for any time period. The wind could shift or your anchor could drag. Why not use the 1/4 meter shoal draft advantage of the Mac and lessen your worries? I anchor out often and always raise the boards up. It has saved my butt several times. One time when the wind shifted at anchor I went 10 meters into an oyster bed that was 1/2 meter deep. No big deal except for the cuts on my shoes and scare to the admiral. I just kedged out. No damage to the boat.


(On edit...... my first posted reply disappeared.....)

[KayakDan]

My experience with the 12kg Manson this season has been all good.Holds great in weeds and mud,but I haven't had any really high wind to test it yet. We had two Macs rafted to us,all on the Manson,and it held fine in Maine mud. The slot isn't an issue as we cut the anchor shank and removed it to clear the furler.
We had a Fortress FX-11 as our main anchor(now backup #1)and it worked great if it set well,but we dragged in grass once,and once in mud. Great lightweight design,but it requires careful attention when setting it.
The only "issue",and not one that I mind having,is getting the Manson loose. Trick is to haul the rode snug,cleat it,and move slowly forward until it tips and trips the anchor.

[Russ]

I wouldn't have cut the 2nd anchor without tying something (like a fender) to it for later retrieval.

Yea, I guess the slot isn't worth it. It sill seems like a nice anchor.

And yes, pull up the fins when not sailing.


--Russ

[bubba]

We usually put down 2 danforth anchors usually 30 or more feet apart. Yes they get twisted rode's but we have never slipped in even 40 mph breezes but we usually use muddy gumkholes in the north west.

[Don T]

Yeah I hear ya,
Danforth works great in the Columbia. Only time I got into trouble was where the wind was stout and gusty so the boat kept swinging from a downriver current pull to an upriver wind pull. Back and forth breaking it loose then resetting every few minutes. Eventually it held but when I tried to recover it, it was stuck good. I powered over it and it finally came up complete with a good sized tree, root ball, branches with even some leaves and two metal rings that looked like they came from a dolphin or a whiskey keg. Strange experience seeing that become visible as you're pulling.

I also carry a second claw anchor when I go to the San Juan Islands. Danforth doesn't always hold in gravel and seaweed.

[DaveB]

The secret to any anchor holding power is the Chain. Use a min. of 15 ft. of 1/4 to 5/16 chain and have a swivel connection.
I use 25 ft. of 1/4 proof coil and 1/2 inch line. I have a 12 lb danforth for primary and a Fortress 11 as second. I have used all types of anchors in many boats and haveing two diffrent types is the best.
A Plow or Claw works good in hard and grassy bottoms,Danforth type excelent in mud or sand.
I am going to get a claw for my area as it worked great in all bottom conditions with the longer chain in previous boats and easy to store on a bow roller for the Mac. X.
I will only have two rodes but still keep 3 anchors.
The Fortress dosn't fit in anchor locker as the shaft is to long.it also wont fit on the anchor holder on bow pulpit .I have seen many documents from Pratical Sailer, Cruiseing World , Sailing Mag. and many others on anchor testing and I disagree with there results for my area.
I sailed the Carribean for 3 years on my 35 ft. sailboat and had 5 anchors aboard. One 35 CQR and a Danforth on twin bow rollers. I changed to twin CQR as I never draged with one anchor but I also had 300 ft. of 3/8 BBB chain. most of the time I would anchor in 6 inches or less sand over coral rock and the chain acted as a anchor.
In grassy areas you don't want to destroy the Marine growth grass so shorter scope and chain is much more friendly envirement
David

My 26M has dragged my Fortress Guardian anchor a couple of times in weed so I upgraded to a 12kg Manson Supreme, which is expensive but has worked really well when on the hook overnight in quite strong winds.

During my recent rip to remote Shark Bay in Western Australia, the shallow water means that the anchorage of the main town is about 0.8 nm from the (dredged) dock area. The bottom is mostly sea-grass with patches of sand. The Western Australian Cruising book suggested caution using this anchorage because of the old mooring chains that foul the bottom.

So, I fitted the rode to the Supreme's "rock slot" so I would have a better chance of retrieving it if it fouled. First big mistake)

When we anchored there on an idyllic spring morning,I chose a patch of sand in 2.5 metres of water, let out about 16 metres of rode and made sure the anchor set by backing off the Mac. The anchor held beautifully under load but the weather was so calm it had little work to do (second big mistake). Later in the afternoon, my crew and I decided to dinghy ashore for some extra ice and a hot shower (third big mistake). We were away a couple of hours.

Meanwhile the wind freshened and shifted...

Yep, you guessed it. The Mac had drifted up over the anchor, tripped the rock slot release and the shackle then jammed in the middle of the slot. In the freshening winds, the boat had dragged the anchor about 0.5 nm and was firmly aground with its rudders stuck in the sludge bottom

I managed to get second anchor deployed and my call for assistance eventually got me a tow from the local volunteer sea rescue but they too had some problems and couldn't wait to get started once the tow-line was attached. As a result Oskar ended up with one busted rudder and the 2nd anchor had to be cut loose. (the Supreme had been retrieved easily after I got back on board - it was doing nothing).

I guess the moral of the story is: don't use a rock slot if you plan to leave your boat

[Nautek]

Does anyone use a Bulwagga anchor??

If so how do you find it??

It gets a pretty good writeup in an article I have read

Allan

[Russ]

I powered over it and it finally came up complete with a good sized tree, root ball, branches with even some leaves and two metal rings that looked like they came from a dolphin or a whiskey keg. Strange experience seeing that become visible as you're pulling.

Very true.

This year my son was unable to pull our anchor up and called for help. I went up there and this thing was stuck good. I thought, "Oh no, I snagged a rock or something." Eventually it came loose, but was heavy. When a big tree came up to the surface it was startling.

--Russ

[Russ]

Does anyone use a Bulwagga anchor??

If so how do you find it??

It gets a pretty good writeup in an article I have read

Allan

I've heard good things about them. Pricey though and hard to stow.

--Russ

[Oskar 26M]

Some postscripts:

I had about 16 metres of rode out, (about 8 x the depth) of which 8 metres was fairly heavy (5/16" I think) chain, the rest is 'silver' 3 strand rope. I think the D shackle I used to attach to the rode to the anchor might have been too small. Although it seemed loose enough it jammed in the slot about 2/3 of the way from the end of the shank. It was easily dislodged, but required pulling at just the right angle. Had the shackle not jammed, or had I not used the rock slot, I'm confident the Manson would have held, but as it was the anchor was simply dragged sideways after the wind shifted. I have since been told that a bow shackle might have been better than a D shackle because it would have been a looser fit in the slot and might have relocated to the end of the shank as it bumped along the bottom when the boat drifted, allowing the anchor to reset .

I carry three anchors: the Manson Supreme; a Delta; and the Fortress Guardian. When on board, I also use two independent anchor alarms because, as I mentioned earlier, the Guardian has dragged a couple of times before: once on a weedy bottom, and once when its fluke were fouled by an old lobster line. I like the Guardian because it is so light and still use it occasionally for short term lunch stops, but would never trust it if I was not on board to monitor the situation. I have also used the Delta quite extensively and it has never dragged. Likewise, the Manson has held well in strong winds, and I have previously left the boat unattended without any problem. But I had always connected the rode to the end of the shank .... until the day of my mishap!

The anchor we had to cut free during the retrieval was the Delta. I had used the dinghy to lay it upwind on the boat, and it set and held solidly, so solidly that it completely stopped the tow. With hindsight, I might have been able to kedge the boat off using the Delta and/or the Manson, but it was late in the day, the wind was getting very strong and help had arrived...

We were lucky enough to retrieve the Delta anchor using our dinghy a couple of days later once the wind had died down. OziExporer had recorded a GPS track of the incident so we were able to pinpoint the anchor's location to within a few metres. My partner spotted the rode within minute of starting our search

[K9Kampers]

Does anyone use a Bulwagga anchor??

If so how do you find it??

It gets a pretty good writeup in an article I have read

Allan

I've heard good things about them. Pricey though and hard to stow.

--Russ

Here's a pic of a Bulwagga on an :

[Jim Bunnell]

Does anyone use a Bulwagga anchor??

I've been very happy with mine for the past six seasons. Never dragged, and always set first try. Several owners stow them in a PVC pipe on the bow. You can see it in these pictures; the anchor just stores by dropping down into the pipe with the chain doubled up through the top also.



Jim