A hard learned hint for when you run aground (I did say "when," not "if"). While you never throw an
anchor, you can often get enough depth to allow kedging off by simply running the
rode through the bow roller, then walking the
anchor to the stern of the boat and dropping is aft of the boat. If you have a 30 foot boat and the water is 6 feet deep (and it won't be much deeper if you are aground), you will now have a 4:1 scope or so, and that will often give you enough holding power to spin the boat and get off the bar. Be sure to lead the
rode outboard of your lifelines, sheets and other obstructions.