Kedge for West Country/Brittany

[pugwash]

I have a CQR main anchor but need a kedge for my deep-keel 30-footer sailing mostly West Country (muddy up the creeks) and Brittany. . It has to be stowed in a locker, in a bag as JDS suggests, and will have about 10m of chain. What type would you advise and how heavy should it be?

 

[Mirelle]

Another CQR, along with a cheap Fisherman for use in rocks.

I disagree about stowing it in a locker; I firmly believe that the kedge should be stowed on deck, near the mast, with its bit of chain and warp carefull flaked down and securely lashed to it; should you need it you will probably need it in a hurry and you won't want to go faffing about opening lockers and getting things out of bags.

 

[ccscott49]

A danforth, or one of those new french thingies!

 

[LadyInBed]

Wouldn’t want to have to hump 10mtrs of chain up from below.
I have a Fortress as the main anchor and a heavy Danforth as 2nd anchor / kedge.
Oh! And a couple of folding grapnels (smallish with some light chain) to heave up onto a rocky shore.

 

[vyv_cox]

In very similar circumstances to yourself I have a Fortress, 10 m of chain and 55 metres Anchorplait for the kedge. The beauty of the Fortress is its very low weight and its good holding in mud.

This arrangement has enabled me to divide my anchor locker into two, with the Fortress and warp one side and the Delta and chain the other. Possibly not in the ideal location at the bow, but below decks and very quick to deploy.

 

[ToMo]

What new French thingy is that, Scotty?

 

[HaraldS]

I second the fortress. I have a Bruce main, a smaller CQR and two Fortress.
The small Fortress is very easy to handle, also from the dinghi. Lovely anchor and it holds like a devil.
But don't try to use it in a strong current (6 knots or so), it surfs and will never reach the ground...

 

[pugwash]

Fortress questions

Surfing anchors... French thingies... Sounds like setting a kedge has a side to it I never suspected!

A Fortress it is then, I'd say, with 5m of chain (not 10) and 50m of nylon plait. With a CQR in chocks there already and the chain locker full, there's simply no room in the bow though I like the good ideas suggested. It has to be a stern-locker job but at least it will be handy for the dinghy. I have some questions.

Vyv's report that the Fortress pulled out and didn't re-set when the tide changed is worrying. Was that because the flukes were choked up with mud, do you think? And Vyv, do you find the recommended size is adequate or did you go up a couple of notches?

The Fortress web-site has some test data showing the anchor to be vastly more effective than any other. It's almost too good to be true, and looking at those numbers, you'd never use any other anchor ever again. What am I missing?

Is it quick to assemble?

Thanks for your input. Much appreciated.

 

[HaraldS]

Re: Fortress questions

Don't know about the resetting, wasn't swinging around my Fortress, as I usually use it as a second anchor to keep the boat from swinging, or when tied up to land on the bow.

I have two of them, a big one FX-125, I have never used it and it is just there so I sleep better ;-)

The small one is a FX-37 and I have used it a lot. I have used it with 10m of chain and 60m of rope. I also have an electric stern anchor winch wich pure chain and a CQR on it that is heavier then the small Fortress. The CQR has let me down several times. In some case I had time and tried three times to reset the CQR on a 7 times depth chain length and I could pull it out. Probably very thin mud. The little Fortress worked on the first try and we pulled quite hard, it diodn't let go.

It is also quite easy to handle, you only need to watch out that you dont get your fingers between the flukes and the shaft when you lift it. It hurts, but you only do it once.

 

[vyv_cox]

Re: Fortress questions

In a steady pull I have no concerns about the Fortress. You have a long memory, as it must be a few months since I described our Fortress re-bedding problem! Our Fortress is the FX-16 and the boat is 10.5 metres, so the size is correct. On the occasion we dragged the cause was a wind change. We moved quite fast and it seemed that the anchor was moving too quickly to set.

This was on the Haringvliet, where the bottom is sand/mud and normally setting is not a problem. I think that when we turned the boat was able to move for twice the length of the rope warp, probably 20 metres, before meeting any resistance. It would then have started to pull the chain, but by then moving fairly briskly. By the time the anchor started to feel any pull we were probably doing between 1 and 2 knots and the flukes skidded across the surface of the bottom.

I suspect that the same anchor on all chain would not have experienced this problem, but I think the Fortress on rope has all the desirable characteristics of a kedge, so I don't intend doing anything about tit.

Since then I have anchored overnight on the Fortress with the all chain warp, but only in settled conditions. I am extremely confident in our 35 lb Delta and this is used in case of doubt. It is heavy though!.

 

[Guest]

I think they are called LETTERS! Been using them as preventers for years.

 

[ccscott49]

I saw this french invented anchor, I think its a bit like a danforth thingy, but the old grey matter deserts me, saw it in one of the mags, but I've slept since then!

 

[ToMo]

Thank you Gentlemen!

 

[hlb]

Can we not get rid of that pooch and have a proper picture.

Haydn

 

[ccscott49]

I rather like the pooch, but then again, I still dont know how to put a picture on mine!