You anchoring type guys (I plan never to anchor) are right on with your experiences. That is what counts.
But what got me was the assumptions I always had made about the anchors that LOOKED like they were designed to always right themselves abd dig in. I have a Brit CQR and a nice USNavy danforth - both are now "out of style".
Dry sand seems like an excellent test medium, tho there is nothing like the real thing of course, but to see anchor after anchor pull along on their SIDES is frightening. A fair test pull might be more upward? Seems like we could go round and round on this.
The first entry on the SSCA discussion board on anchors/anchoring is a guy who says he's had trouble with his BigMax setting if it lands on its side!
Testing is testing. Can't recall why right now but Practical Sailor's anchor test was also rather unconvincing to me. I think they pulled up on land with anchors buried in a slough.
One anchor not tested, designed by a cruiser, is the Buegel anchor which if dragged looks like a good bet it would turn and dig in. It has a bow that looks like it would not allow it to be dragged without the plow-style point digging in. Some have said it doesn't have enough weight for the 'plow' point to dig. Seems like it's made only in stainless but it's lightness does make it a choice for the A/Cs. Any opinions on this one?
Remember one inventor at the boat show years ago who was showing off an anchor that was essentially a ball shaped mace of long sharp spikes. May have had something there.
Anything said about anchoring has to be taken with a grain of sand.
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