What bottoms are preferred for anchoring?

• A. Rocky bottoms
• B. Gravel only
• C. Sandy or muddy bottoms (avoid rocky bottoms)
• D. Hard sand

Answer: (C)

Anchoring works best when the anchor can bury and bite into the bottom. Sandy or muddy bottoms allow the flukes to dig in and the anchor to embed more fully as the boat settles, which creates strong resistance and reduces the chance of dragging. In rocky bottoms, the anchor can’t set properly and may snag or rest on rock instead of grabbing earth, making holding unreliable and retrieval difficult. Gravel is variable and often won’t hold as well as soft sand or mud, and hard sand doesn’t provide as consistent a bite as softer sand or mud. So, sandy or muddy bottoms give the most reliable holding power for anchoring.