228 seamanship secrets
Lightweight anchors are great in soft er bottoms, such as soft sand, mud,
and clay. Th eir design is not made for hard bottoms, such as grass, kelp, rock,
or coral. Th ey tend to sail (fl oat or skip) across such bottoms instead of digging
in and holding. Soft er bottoms allow the forklike fl ukes to bury with ease.
Fortress. Newer, lighter-alloy anchors include the aluminum Fortress anchor,
which allows you to adjust the fl uke-to-shank angle. With ordinary tools, you can
increase the angle for more powerful holding power. For instance, in soft mud,
adjust the fl ukes up to 45 degrees from the shank for deeper penetration.
Plow and Claw Anchors
For the primary anchor... we recommend the CQR plow. Our second
choice... is the Bruce.
—Technical Committee of the Cruising Club of America,
from Desirable & Undesirable Characteristics of Offshore
Yachts
Use a plow-or claw-type anchor in hard bottoms or heavy weather conditions.
Th ese anchors have no stock (stabilizing bar) near the fl ukes. Because of this, you
will oft en hear them referred to as “stockless” anchors. When they drag, they will
roll back onto their fl ukes and reset into the seabed. Th e CQR (plow) and Bruce
(claw) are the most common anchors used by cruising vessels worldwide. Both
have good reputations as working anchors.
Bruce anchor.Bruce. The Bruce’s one-piece construction gives it great strength. The
fl uke looks like a large fork with three blunt prongs and resets itself quickly
if it breaks out of the bottom. Use the
Bruce anchor in firmer mud or sand
bottoms where the Danforth might have
diffi culty digging in.
CQR (plow) anchor.CQR. Unlike the Bruce, the CQR has a hinge between the shank and crown. It
has a single, pointed, plow-shaped fl uke. Long a favorite of long-distance cruisers,
the CQR handles harder bottoms like hard-packed sand or mud with ease.