Since this has turned into an all-around discussion on
anchors(not just stern anchoring), I''ll throw in a few cents worth. A 35 lb
CQR with all chain
rode never let us down in Florida, the Bahamas, Caicos, and the Dominican Republic. For big blows, such as the one hurricane Ivan just pummeled us with in the Florida panhandle, I give kudos to the
Fortress. I anchored my Nic 32(13,000 lbs) with a
Fortress 23. With 165 ft of chain out, I also placed the 35 lb
CQR 40 ft from the
Fortress as a sentinel/in-line
anchor. After the blow(gusts of 126 here) I was one of the very few still at
anchor(only 3 of us out of about 30 in our anchorage). Unfortunately a 20,000 lb ketch dragged down on me and stayed on me for the duration of the storm. That''s 33,000 lbs of boat that hung on the Fortess &
CQR for the storm. The shank on the
Fortress was bent about 35 degrees, probably from the wind shift. I must admit though the FX 23 is harder to set when there is a lot of current, as it is so light it tends to "sail down". It is much easier to handle when setting by
dinghy for kedging or Bahamian moor than most others. My stern
anchor for emergency deployment is a Barnacle. It is slightly easier to handle by hand than the
CQR, and takes up a little less space on the stern. It is a good all-around bottom
anchor, if there is such a thing. I don''t place as much faith in it as the other two, but for my appilcation it seems alright. I have a roll of Ankarolina for it that greatly reduces the room needed for
rode, but have yet to come up with a suitable arrangement for permanent mounting. As for all anchoring(or in playing Euchre), my motto is "go big or stay home".
Jim
Linear Mode
