Second day into the trip and we've got gales reported all over the country. We head out in the morning. Coast Guard Dave is back at work and personally warning us of bad weather and my friend Neil has joined us for a day. We can't make the passage to Rochester as planned. Instead we have a morning of sailing in 25 knots of wind. We tried to put in a reef but failed. So instead we sailed around the relatively sheltered river estuary with a reefed head sail. We broke a plastic block on the roller reefing and at 12 headed back into the marina. We hit ground. We kedged off. In other words I toss an anchor over the side. Bit of drama at the mooring buoy. I'm not doing the story any justice but it was a tense 1/2 hour or so battling a strong current, 30 knots of wind and a threatening lee shore. I knew we were alright though. We were on a rising tide and as long as the anchor held we would float off the soft mud. Even this proved difficult though, as the anchor got tangled in a buoy's anchor chain when we pulled it up. We had to abandon our ground tackle with a float attached to it and beat a hasty retreat back into the Marina. The next day we retrieved the anchor, which was left to fend for itself out in the gale. There must be an easier way to get to know a boat.