Cutting and running could also be used to gain a time advantage when using the tide to escape, but involved the loss of an anchor; in a long engagement, where this could happen more than once, a ship could run out of anchors, leaving it helpless before the tide, or have to sacrifice its cannon to jury-rig a replacement.
A ship might also employ "cutting and running" as a tactic to gain an early advantage when using the currents to make a swift escape, but this approach came with the drawback of losing an anchor; in a prolonged battle, where such incidents could occur multiple times, a vessel might find itself without anchors, leaving it vulnerable to the tide, or be forced to sacrifice one of its cannons to improvise a repair.