The biggest, best anchor you can handle is very cheap insurance; and taking the time to set it right is necessary to get that insurance in force. My back-up anchor is a Fortress FX-11, which is a size up from what their catalog suggests for a boat the size and displacement of a Mac 26M. (My main anchor is a Raya Tempest, sized to hold a 33-foot boat of twice the displacement in 60-knot winds ... now that's overkill!)
Once I've chosen my spot, I will bring the boat to a stop, then lower the hook. I use a trip-line with a float on the back of the anchor, to keep track of its position and to haul it up when I'm ready to move on. I let the wind push me backwards and let out about a 4:1 scope, then put a little tension on the rode (by hand) - this is to start its set. I pay it out, under tension, to 7:1 scope, then I cleat it off ... and wait a couple of minutes, then put my hand on the rode to feel if it's dragging. Assuming it isn't, I go back to the helm and back the engine, at idle ... go forward and check if it's dragging ... back to the helm, add a little power, check for dragging again ... then I pull it at half-speed for a minute or so, ease back to idle for half a minute or so, and finally shut down the engine. It's set for the night.
Last time I did this, the Raya Tempest dug so deep that I was swinging on the end of the buried chain of the rode! I had a rough time dragging the anchor out by the trip-line, and it came up with 20 pounds of thick Chesapeake mud on the chain and the anchor fluke.