"SAIL LOCO" wrote in message
...
The Fortress has a much higher area to weight which means that it can
"sail"
like a kite in a strong current. I experimented without no or little chain
and
found that I couldn't even get it to the bottom in a current with no chain.


I guess this is another way the myth started.

Not a myth - I actually spent a few afternoons with a friend playing with a
Fortress FX16 (10 pounds) while anchored in a one knot (maybe more? I forget!)
current. The Fortress, without a chain, would hover about 5 feet below the
surface. Six feet of chain was enough to take it down, but I ended up using 8
or 10 feet with it.

My friend is a liveaboard who spends a majority of his time at anchor. Some
years ago he was befriended by an engineer from one of the major anchor
companies and they gave him various prototype anchors for evaluation, plus a lot
of inside info. Cruising with him was a bit of an eye-opener!

One thing research had shown was that the anchor chain would inhibit setting in
thick and sticky mud. Further experiments using wire instead of chain as a
leader worked initially, but the wire would be severely weakened by dragging
through mud - not ideal! However, this same concept showed that the shank
should be as thin as possible and even beveled to slice through mud. Summarily,
the stock (the bar at the bottom of a Danforth) inhibits digging into mud, and
serves no useful purpose. Unfortunately, it just doesn't "look right" to go
without a stock. I cut about 6 inches off of mine, to make it easier to handle
and set.

It is a bit of a myth that chain is absolutely needed on a rode. The primary
use is abrasion resistance, the secondary is to reduce the amount of scope
needed. Neither of these is particularly important when anchoring for lunch
on a mud bottom. For heavy weather its nice to have some serious chain on the
bottom isolate the anchor from some of the motion, but again, not a major
concern for a lunch hook. Earl Hinz recommends an amount of leader equal in
weight to the anchor, and advises using the "full weight equivilant" with
aluminum anchors. However, this is for a primary, or a "working" anchor, for a
lunch hook this is not needed. (Hinz gives no reason for his choice, other than
it seems reasonable.)


Who uses any anchor WITHOUT a
chain?

Actually, I'll bet a majority of those anchoring for a short time use no chain.

S/V Express 30 "Ringmaster"
"No shirt, no skirt, full service"