"DSK" wrote in message ...

It may be that with twin props, it's easier for you to veer out a second rode than for
other
tpyes of boats. Or if you are already determined to splash the dinghy.


There's some truth to that - and the large bow makes it a lot easier. But the real
breakthrough in my thinking was realizing that the angles didn't have to be perfect, and
for all its faults, the Fortress sets very, very easy - usually within a foot or so of
where it lands. I've only rowed it out in the "constrained" situation, where I couldn't
get the big boat where I want it - actually, I could have walked it out, since we were
trying to position in the middle of a very small creek.



The problem I have with the "one large anchor" approach is that you have to then use a
primary that's not just one level oversized, but two or three.

No, it just has to be the right size & type, with the right rode. It shouldn't be an
issue.

Maybe if you're going to carry 3 or 4 anchors anyway, you might as well carry smaller
ones and
use 'em two at a time? That sort of makes sense, especially in a multi.


Yes, on a Cat you don't want two "primary" anchors. I always wonder about boats with two
identical CQR's on the bow - what's the point?



Ah so, I thought you meant that you set a 2nd anchor most of the time. A Delta is like a
plow,
right? We have a 35# CQR (with the hinged shank) which we use most of the time
anchoring, and
it holds a 10 ton tugboat just fine. The night we anchored in the middle of Willoughby
Bay
(soft mud) in Norfolk in 40 knot winds it held just fine... on the second try, after I
got the
rags & old shoes & other trash cleared from it....


Yes, but how did you know that it wouldn't foul the second time? My 35# Delta has the
same rating as a 45# CQR, but in 40 knots I feel better with the Fortress sharing the
load.



Also, I'm convinced that two anchors offers much more security than one large,
especially
when the two are different styles. I've never dragged an inch with two anchors, nor
have
I heard of any such problem except in extreme conditions. And when the "big one"
comes,
I'll be pulling out a third.

My hurricane ground tackle is to be large (60 or 70#) Bruce with a bundle of of
cinderblock on
the chain.

Wouldn't you also set other anchors at different angles? A liveaboard friend likes to
point to a little Danforth stern anchor and say "That's the one that held us for the
'Storm of the Century' "


....

That's a good point, but hauling two sets is more difficult and time consuming. PLus, if
you're dragging, the amount of time spent raising & clearing the second anchor could be
10
seconds longer than the amount of time it takes to hit the bricks. And that's the one
time the
rodes will be twisted etc etc. I just don't like the idea, guess that makes me a
cantankerous
old fogey.


You're missing one point - the second is usually added after we've determined that maybe
the first isn't quite enough. If we drag with both (its never happened) I think I would
change anchorages.

If I've set two anchors and then someone tries to anchor too close, then I get a bit
testy.


heh heh that's when I pull out the 'lectric guitar.

For a while have a young kid helped, Bu Amelia's getting too big to play the crying baby.
Mollie the Water Dog, was bred to be a fog horn.


Have you read 'Coarse Cruising' by Michael Green? One of the funniest sailing books ever
written (in fact it gets my vote for definitely the funniest) and he has a dozen or so
hilarious anchoring stories.


British? Canal cruising? Yes - very funny Fortunately I couldn't find it in my basement
library just now, or I'd waste the day re-reading it!

Cheers!

-jeff

Fresh Breezes- Doug King