Deltas are great!

[EscapeArtist]

I''ve read long threads in the past about everyone''s favorite or most hated anchor. Sorry for boring everyone with mine.

We just spent the weekend at anchor in Eastern Long Island, trying to get away from the world for a couple of days.

The winds are shifty in New England these days, what with Erin and Gabrielle spinning off the coast. Those shifting winds generated four complete 180 degree swings around our Delta anchor. Two swings happened in the middle of the night.

As far as we could tell, the anchor reset itself perfectly every time. Unlike the similar CQR, the Delta doesn''t have a pivoting device, so it must reset itself when the boat swings around it.

The bottom? Hard sand, we think. The chart says "stk" but the anchor came up clean as a whistle.

[davejean]

I agree Deltas are by far my favorite anchor.We used the 35lb on our last boat,a Gulfstar,and are now using a 45# on our present boat a heavy steel pilothouse ketch.On both boats we have always anchored with all chain rode(High Test chain)

[EtherCat]

I was out for 4 months on a 22'' MacGregor with a 10lb Dansforth and a 14lb Delta... the only time the Delta didnt hold was in Charleston SC off the city marina, in about 6'' of water and a bottom of very deep silt... the boat drifted about 1/4 mile before I noticed, got back to it, and got the Dansforth set... in all other conditions, the Delta held like a rock.

[gershel]

Hi, All this talk about favorite anchors really makes me laugh. I think they''re all good,it''s the anchoring techniques some of us use that''s lacking. On my last 2 boats I''ve had 35# CQR,35# Delta & 11#(?)Fortress. They all held,every time,once I learned the correct technique.I''ve sailed to Bermuda,the ICW several times & L.I. to Key West& back.Never had a problem.Try practicing hand setting, using very little power to try setting the anchor.You''ll be able to feel the anchor take hold. Let it work its way in naturally. So far it seems to work for me. Marc

[Jeff_H]

That said, in most of the objective testing that I have seen of Deltas they have not done very well. A 14 lb anchor is a big anchor for a boat the size and weight of a Mac 22 and that is probably why your Delta worked as well as it has.

Respectfully,
Jeff

[EtherCat]

~nod~ thats exactly why I got it - knowing Id be spending a lot of time at anchor, and that being my first experience with anything other than dinghy sailing, I wanted no doubt that it would hold

[Pangaea]

I know I''m a little late here,but I love talking anchors and anchoring.(I do alot of it).
Anyway, I own a 65lb fisherman, 25lb danforth, 13lb dan., 20lb.harbormaster CQR, 35lb CQR and a
33lb bruce. The bruce was the last anchor I purchased (Three years ago) and it has been my primary overnight anchor since the first time I used it.
I hear the delta is a pretty good, but I''ve never used one.
Anybody else?

Dennis L.

[kimberlite]

a lot of my friends swear by the spade anchor.
eric

[craigjohnston]

FWIW: We have a new Outbound 44 which we cruised for three months last summer around Vancouver Is., BC. We have a Spade 140 (66lb), Bulwagga 45 and a Fortress FX-85. We used the Bulwagga several times and it worked well-quick set and hold. But once we put the Spade on the roller we never wanted to change. In about 80 sets it failed to set only 1 or 2 times on the first try, and held fine in up to 30 kn of wind. Most of the ground was mud.

On previous boats we have used Danforth and CQR, and frankly, the CQR didn''t always set, although it held well when set. Not only does the Spade set quickly, it holds like a bear -- on several occasions we had to winch the chain (5/16" HT) vertical and let the boat ride to the chop for a few minutes to break it out.

The Bulwagga looks like a good anchor, but has more welds in its construction and may not be as ultimately reliable. We have not yet used the Fortress, which is huge but stows nicely in the bilge.