T&T: anchors

[Rudy and Jill]

Recently there was a thread discussing anchors, and the discussion about the experiences with the plow anchor caught my eye.
 
Several posters noted that their plow anchor seemed to drudge through the bottom when the wind picked up, with the design being blamed; we suspect that this conclusion deserves alittle more thought.

If you guys/gals will allow us to postulate an alternative- We do not think the design is to blame. We suspect that the size of the anchor was at fault, with the anchor in use being too small for the conditions; either for the wind force at the time, the bottom conditions, or both.

This conclusion is drawn from the following reasons:

>From what we read in the posts, the anchors set so the design appears to be appropriate, or it would not have set.

The amount of scope, also seems to have been appropriate, since the anchor did not get pulled out or tripped.

If any anchor is being pulled through the bottom, without tripping or being pulled out, it would strongly suggest that the size of the anchor was inadequate.

Our belief is that any time that the wind exceeds 30 knots, the bottom is softer than packed sand, or the exposure to fetch exceeds 1/4 mile, the size of the anchor (and amount of scope) needs to be increased over that which is found suggested in the various "anchor size vs boat size" charts; sometimes up to two sizes.

We cannot help but think that this may have been the reasons that these plow anchors dragged, not the design itself.

Curiosity sits in the back of our minds, and we are looking forward to other opinions.

Rudy and Jill
Briney Bug, Port St Joe, Fl