Combat anchoring

Hello again,

Made my way north today, to Daytona, which equates to about 49 miles. And I have rediscovered the joy of anchoring along the ICW. Happily, the anchorage had plenty of room, and current and wind were in perfect harmony. I dropped the Rocna and paid out chain and line. So far, so good. I cleated the line and returned to the cockpit. I put the engine in reverse and backed down at about half throttle. And the boat started to move aft, towards the bridge abutment, as if there was no anchor down at all. Moving quickly, I returned to the forecheck and started pulling up the anchor, which seemed much heavier than usual. As it broke the surface it was evident what the problem was. The anchor had gotten stuck on a rusty old crab trap and was unable to bite into the bottom. This would require some effort, but in the meantime the bridge abutment was coming up fast. So I secured the chain and left the anchor, the trap, and a large amount of putrid mud hanging off the bow, and hustled back to the engine controls. After getting the boat to a safer spot, I put it in neutral, went forward and cleaned up the whole sorry mess. Then, I reanchored successfully. But, I knew the tide would change. But there was plenty of room to swing, and the weather was stable. Then, 3 other boats came and anchored near me. So, I dragged out another anchor, shackled it to another rode,  and ran it out in the dinghy. Now, White Seal, is resting comfortably,  while the other boats swing wildly about, as current and wind oppose each other. But now, the dinghy is bumping the side of the hull and driving me nuts, so I will haul it out of the water for the night. Boy, am I having fun, or what?

Best to all, Charlie