Anchoring for a hurricane is never an easy task. As Hurricane Sally was approaching the Gulf States, Monroe Watley was frantically working to get his boat prepared in Pensacola, Florida. The boat was on a lift, and expecting massive swells, he wanted to get it off the lift and safely back onto shore for safety.

But before he could get the boat off the lift, the power went out. With the water rapidly rising, he deployed his Fortress FX-11 from the middle cleat on the starboard side, which was facing the wind. Then he said a prayer and hoped that the boat would still be there when the storm subsided.

The next morning, Monroe came back to check on his boat, and to his surprise, it was the only boat left in the harbor and it was there without a scratch and hadn’t moved an inch. We don’t take full credit for this, as the guards on the lift had to have helped a great deal, but the fact that his boat was the only boat that held in place gives some credit to the holding power of the Fortress he used.

Monroe’s email to us read:

That Anchor held my boat in place on the lift during Hurricane Sally.

Best Damn Anchor on the Planet!!!!

You guys build a great product!!

Fortress Anchors in Other Hurricanes

Hearing stories like this is what makes us truly passionate about our product. Thousands of marine professionals and everyday people put their boats, their livelihoods, and above all, their safety in our hands and we take that very seriously. That’s why we put 100% of our focus on building the world’s best anchors.

Over the years, we’ve had many stories of Fortress Anchors holding boats in place through some of the worst storms in history, including this FX-37, which held the 42′ yacht Gypsy Spirit in place through Hurricane Andrew.

Anchoring for a Hurricane: Free Resources

If you’re a new boater, you should definitely read Surviving a Storm at Anchor, by Tom Neale, which Fortress provides as a free resource at: https://fortressanchors.com/SSA.pdf

 

If you have a similar story, we’d love to hear about it! Send it to us, along with any relevant pictures, to info@fortressanchors.com. And, as always, please do not hesitate to reach out with questions!