Spare Fortress FX 11 use?

[Travelling Westerly]

I've got a spare Fortress FX 11 knocking around, never used! I wondered if I could use it as a spare in case my primary got lost/snagged and had to be temporarily jettisoned?
The thing is the boat is 40ft and the FX 11 model is for max boat size of 10m. Am I wasting my time with it and should just flog it and upgrade to the next size FX 16?
A slightly different angle from the usual should I go bigger thread on anchors

 

[Iliade]

The issue will be retrieval rather than holding. There is next to no chance it will break unless there is a storm, but it will dig in excessively.

 

[RJJ]

Good kedge.

We have a full size Fortress (fx23 in our case) as our kedge, so that it does indeed double as a full secondary/spare. But a size or two down would work absolutely fine if used judiciously. What you propose works if you assume (say) good holding and max 20 knots. There are more scientific assessments of how a 40 foot boat in moderate winds compares to a 30 foot boat in (say, as an upper bound for routine anchoring) 30 knots, and you can refer to the Fortress user guide accordingly.

What's the probability given your usage of the boat of (1) loss or destruction of the main anchor, assuming the tackle is sound AND (2) inclement weather such that a kedge won't suffice temporarily AND (3) you are not able to make secure mooring within the weather forecast. For most Channel sailing, I would suggest you are fine.

 

[Travelling Westerly]

The issue will be retrieval rather than holding. There is next to no chance it will break unless there is a storm, but it will dig in excessively.

I did wonder if it would set much easier and deeper under power, good to hear thanks

 

[Travelling Westerly]

Good kedge.

We have a full size Fortress (fx23 in our case) as our kedge, so that it does indeed double as a full secondary/spare. But a size or two down would work absolutely fine if used judiciously. What you propose works if you assume (say) good holding and max 20 knots. There are more scientific assessments of how a 40 foot boat in moderate winds compares to a 30 foot boat in (say, as an upper bound for routine anchoring) 30 knots, and you can refer to the Fortress user guide accordingly.

What's the probability given your usage of the boat of (1) loss or destruction of the main anchor, assuming the tackle is sound AND (2) inclement weather such that a kedge won't suffice temporarily AND (3) you are not able to make secure mooring within the weather forecast. For most Channel sailing, I would suggest you are fine.

1, loss probably no chance really as I've got dive kit on board at all times so would go get it if it got fouled. Its an 18kg Knox so doubt I'd damage it but you never know, I've cocked a few things up in the past . Soon to be full time cruising on the hook so wanted a back up for any unforseen issues.
2 & 3, don't intend anchoring in high winds but have been caught short in the past when not paying attention to the forecast.
Thanks for the advice

 

[Neeves]

As said it will set and develop as much hold as your primary - and be difficult to retreive. But being small it will be easy to deploy from a dinghy. However an FX16 is easily managed and will be closer to the size you will need to use it as a primary. Note that if your anchors are the size recommended for the specification of your yacht then no anchor works in soupy mud, almost including a Fortress, what you need is surface area and the next size up from that recommended is ideal - in your case an FX 23. You can handle an FX23 from a dinghy but it is starting to get a bit of a handful.

We are equivalent in wind age to a AWB of 45' and we carry an FX16 and a FX37, our normal anchors are 15kg steel version, Spade/Excel (except ours are all aluminium and 8kg each).

People talk of smaller anchors for kedging - we have never kedged in 40 years of sailing. We do deploy 2 anchors in a 'V' or fork and we would use the FX 16 (usually plus the Excel)

Your 18kg Knox is acceptably oversized, I'd have gone one size smaller (13kg? - we have one)- it must be impossible to damage - built like a battleship.

Jonathan

 

[Travelling Westerly]

As said it will set and develop as much hold as your primary - and be difficult to retreive. But being small it will be easy to deploy from a dinghy. However an FX16 is easily managed and will be closer to the size you will need to use it as a primary. Note that if your anchors are the size recommended for the specification of your yacht then no anchor works in soupy mud, almost including a Fortress, what you need is surface area and the next size up from that recommended is ideal - in your case an FX 23. You can handle an FX23 from a dinghy but it is starting to get a bit of a handful.

We are equivalent in wind age to a AWB of 45' and we carry an FX16 and a FX37, our normal anchors are 15kg steel version, Spade/Excel (except ours are all aluminium and 8kg each).

People talk of smaller anchors for kedging - we have never kedged in 40 years of sailing. We do deploy 2 anchors in a 'V' or fork and we would use the FX 16 (usually plus the Excel)

Your 18kg Knox is acceptably oversized, I'd have gone one size smaller (13kg? - we have one)- it must be impossible to damage - built like a battleship.

Jonathan

Thanks Jonathan, as always much appreciated advice

 

[roaringgirl]

If I were you, I'd get the correct size fortress, you never know what's going to happen to scupper your plans!

We've been using our spare for the last few weeks while we wait for a new windlass. The spare is an FX-23 with 10m of 10mm chain and 60m of rope. This configuration is light enough to be deployed and retreived by hand without much bother. The hardest part of retreival is getting the eye-thimble at the end of the rope over the bow roller.