Hey Larry,

...It's my "Big Bertha", the equivalent of a Luke Storm Anchor, but at half the weight... I can't imagine dealing with the recommended size Luke - 75 lbs for my boat - on my foredeck... Especially if my tender is stowed on deck at the time...

The big advantage to the Northill is its ability to deal with a difficult bottom, penetrate heavy grass or kelp, or similar... But the exposed fluke common to all fisherman-style anchors is its big liability, and I wouldn't want to leave the boat unattended while lying to a Northill if there were any possibility the boat might swing with the tide, or wind... The anchor will stay buried/set if that happens, but the risk of the rode hooking the upright fluke is just too great to leave the boat unattended, IMHO... But, chances are pretty good whenever I'm inclinded to drag it out, I'm not inclined to be leaving the boat, anyway... (grin)

It's a fantastic anchor, no question, but when it comes to choosing a single all-purpose anchor, nothing equals the Manson/Rocna style, in my experience...

best regards,

Jon