Dave, I have always wondered, too, where people get these ground anchors. I think what they are talking about is a spiral, like a dog anchor, rather than an auger. I know a sailor out west told me they sail at a very windy lake, and they all use what he referred to as "sand anchors" or "sand screws" or something like that, and they are at least 3 feet long. But I can't find anything like that.

I did a Google search, and here are a couple of the web sites I came up with:

www.spyra-base.com (They have a "hurricane anchor" that looks pretty interesting, and strong.

www.shadeusa.com/beach_umbrella_holders.htm (Although originally designed for supporting umbrellas, they look like they would work for most anything you are trying to anchor down.)

www.doityourself.com (Do a search on the site for "double helix anchors.")

Hope this is helpful. We should get some, too, to secure all the boats in our yard during hurricane season. Problem is that we have very rocky soil, and I don't know whether any of those things would be able to penetrate it without mechanical assistance. That Spyra-base one looks the most likely.