Well it went like this......
I was at work Tuesday and it was a beautiful day outside so I said, "What the heck!". I went home packed a lunch and some books and went to the boat. I sailed up to Slim Island (a beautiful place about 20 miles upriver from St. Louis on the Mississippi River. The bluffs are beautiful this time of year and its a great place to anchor for awhile. The current is almost zero this time of year behind the dam so anchoring is not usually a big issue. The books I had along with me were for a Sail Class which I teach for the Power Squadron. I dropped my anchor and worked on my lesson plan and preparing material. This took about 3 hours. A nice breeze was blowing so I ate my lunch on deck and had a beer. The cool air put me to sleep and I woke up about 2 hours later when a fishing boat came by. Oh well ! It was time to head back. I started the engine and then went forward to raise the anchor. When I pulled up all the line the anchor wouldn't budge. I tugged and tugged. It didn't budge. I ran the line back to the winch and tried to pull it up. The bow of the boat was dipping down. I moved the line to the side of the boat and cranked on the winch again. It still didn't budge and the boat was heeled way over. I rigged a line to the mast and then attached the main sheet figuring 4:1 advantage would pop it loose. It didn't work either. I tied the line to the back of the boat and powered the boat forward upriver on the line. With the engine at full throttle it still wouldn't budge. Two hours later I threw in the towel. I reached down and cut the line. I went back to the harbor and tied up. I retold the story to the other boaters who snuck out of work too, and they all said, "Why didn't you tie off the line to a fender, we could have gone back to get it". The only smart thing I did was put in a way point on my GPS so that I can go back to the general area and try and retrieve it. If I do, it will be a backup. I went to our local sailing center last night and got some brand new ground tackle. The only lesson I can pass along is what I learned from others. I should have tied the line to a fender or I could have tossed the line to shore if I was worried about someone else stealing it. I was only in 17 feet of water and am a pretty good diver, but I was by my self and the Mississippi is so muddy you can't see a foot in front of your face. Bottom line it was a $68 experience for the new gear but was still a beatiful day on the water. I think it was a bargain!