Blessed be mud bottoms

After being challenged by weeds at all our previous anchorages in the Bay of Quinte, it was a delight to have the anchor set on the first attempt at Witlow Point in Hay Bay—thanks to a nice muddy bottom.

In a few anchorages, we had to make two or three tries before the anchor stuck. That’s because, firstly, Bay of Quinte is known to be weedy—and this is a bad year for weeds everywhere on Lake Ontario. Secondly, our main anchor is a Fortress, a Danforth-style fluke anchor, which doesn’t have much of a reputation for setting in weeds.

The good news is that the Admiral, who’s at the helm when the Captain is on the foredeck looking after anchoring, says she’s tired of making repeated attempts to get the Fortress to stick. Thus, she’s okayed a budget for the purchase of a plow anchor before the next boating season. Plows, such as the classic CQR or the newer Bruce or Delta, are known to set well in weeds.

Here’s what a Fortress looks like:

Here’s a CQR:

Here’s a Bruce (a claw anchor that we used with much success when the Captain lived in California and owned a Flicka sailboat):

The clincher for upgrading anchors came when we entered the anchorage at Witlow Point and had the hook down—easy peasy—on the first try. "That's how it should be every time," proclaimed the Admirable.