Between drowning and freezing there are only minor inconveniences

It’s been a rough and tough December for me. It is not the best way to get to know a new boat in winter gales. 3 times this month I dragged anchor already. Normally I only do this once a year or so.
Every time it was a rude awakening in the dark with the cold wind blowing and the sea in turmoil. I may have underestimated what the weight of the Axiom, the force of the blow and the 4′ to 5′ white capped swells would do to my ground tackle the first time. That’s when my anchor got stuck under who knows what in Cowichan Bay and since I couldn’t get free had to “slip the cable” as they
say and leave a heavy Danforth and 70′ of chain behind.
Well, the second time it was just poor luck to drop the spare plow anchor right next to a lost crab that tangled up with me and so was found again.
But this last time, oh what a force a 70 m/h gust has when it hits you broadside. Already ill founded without chain and the heavier Danforth the boat lurched, the plow anchor gave way and 2 more gusts of similar force made Axiom jump almost like a racehorse 3 steps sideways before she dragged us stern first towards the beach. Two more vessels got loose that night and one of the boats crossed my path when another gust of wind pushed it broadside almost on top of my bow. I had to let go of a lot of anchor line instantly to avoid a collision. In the dark after fending off another boat on my starboard and letting go of even more line I found a new berth far enough away from harm, but to close to the shore for my liking. At least I was well grounded again. So was the other sloop that had gotten loose. Only in the daytime and when calm I realized we had tangled up with our lines.
Now that we’re all clear and separated I can’t get my anchor up, stuck firmly and won’t budge, so that I’m afraid I lost the second one this month.
Well since no other damage has been done I should consider myself lucky. The third boat drifting off that night ended up on the beach. Even though she is in a bad way it would have been worse if instead of a sandy beach she had hit a rocky shoreline.