A couple of years ago I crewed on a Tornado doing the NE 100. The first day started with light air, and as we headed for the passage out of the sound we found ourselves in heavy current (the reason we went for that passage) but with little steerage due to the light winds. We thought we needed to pass a large buoy to port, but found we could make little way to that side - the current was sweeping us into the buoy faster than we could sail to the side of it. We ended up bonking it with just our port rudder with no damage, but it easily could have been worse if we hadn't managed the little bit of way we did. It was a big buoy and the current was fast. In hindsight we realized we didn't need to pass it on the port side, and we could have just pointed down with the current and enjoyed the ride. We didn't think we had time to consult the chart, but we really did. Lesson is to be more familiar (study charts ahead of time, etc.) with where you're going.

Being in situations with current I think reinforces the notion of carrying an anchor. This is heresy to some folks, but if you find yourself in a strong current taking you against your desired direction or into an obstruction, tossing an anchor out to at least hold you in place while you figure things out or get a tow would seem like a good idea. If you're making a passage, or even racing, setting the anchor and waiting for the tide to change or wind to come back is a good way to go. I believe it is allowed in racing, but you can't kedge yourself along.