On 2007-11-02 16:52:35 -0400, thudbranch said:

FYI-
While cruising about 10 years ago in mexico, I had a fellow cruiser /
scuba diver tell me he was always finding Fortress anchors on the
bottom with broken shanks -- that they held fine. However the shank is
brittle when pulled sideways or twisted and breaks. He would not use
one for that reason. He had no vested interest in any anchor brand at
all.

That *is* a problem with that style of anchor. Even if they don't
break, bending the shank can make the anchor less useful.

Primary problem for me is how easily I've tripped ours out by a wind
shift wrapping the rode around the bar. The modern designs avoid that
frailty.

Another problem is when they get set deeply in the Chesapeake mud. Any
time we got hit by solid wind, much less a squall, it could take a very
long time to get it out in the morning.

--
Jere Lull
Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/