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Old 08-07-2010, 03:21 AM   #1
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OK, why is it that you can be anchored in a huge bay, cove, area of water and a boat will come in, ready to anchor, and drop his hook within a boat length of you and your anchor? Like moths lured into the flame, it seems that if there’s a boat already at anchor it will be “attacked” by all the other boats.

And, that’s what just happened. We’re peacefully at anchor–bow anchor/125 ft of chain deep in a channel near shore about 60 feet in front of the boat and stern anchor w/ nylon rode about 140 feet behind the boat anchored in a mud bar. A few days ago a little group of three boats (under 30 feet each) rafted up about a boat length away from us. Close, but they were also off our bow by about a boat length, so it was all ok. And, for a raft-up they were very quiet.

This morning, a mid-40 foot boat came across our bow with intent to anchor between us and the little raft-up. Oh, my. David was below making coffee and I was on the foredeck varnishing the bulwarks and caprails. I called down to him “prepare to drag.” And, yep, the marauding boat caught our anchor chain and began to pull our bow sideways towards the little raft-up. I called to the fellow at the helm that he’d caught us. His boat was being swung around towards us (and our canoe tied between us and him). He called out to me “move the canoe! and do you have fenders?”

Impending doom. However, lucky for us he got “unhooked” with his boat a good 15 feet away from us and he motored away saying “So Sorry!” and “I didn’t know your anchor was there.” Makes one wonder–if our anchor isn’t right in front of our boat–where is it?

We’ve got two bow anchors out–the one to the left was now to the right of the other and we suspected they’d be tangled up shortly if the currents and tides didn't do us the favor of swinging us around. We were, this morning, pulling dangerously sideways on the stern Danforth (which doesn’t like sideways…) but decided to wait for the varnish to dry and possibly re-anchor in a couple hours if things didn't resolve on their own.

Bad timing–varnishing going on (me) and the dingy being rebuilt (David) so we can’t even row out another anchor very easily today. With three in the water, all we have left are the 105 lb Delta and the 120 lb Fisherman. Can’t see setting either one of those with the canoe.

Since the tidal motion worked us around all nice and square again and the cove cleared out--we were happy as could be, the only people in the place. Ah, solitude.

Oh those pesky moths:

It goes on. After the tide changed and the currents swung us back the other way…we seem to be “OK.” Not hunky dory, but OK. On the GPS our anchor track looks normal but in a different location than it had been. The heavy anchor chain hasn’t pulled back so we’re a little closer to shore in front of us. We figured that was good: No one would be temped to motor over our bow rode or chain with so little room between us and shore.

No such luck. A hefty power boat “Ladies Choice of San Rafael CA” decided to anchor right there. On top the Norhill. Really. Their bow is 3 feet from shore, their stern 30 feet from our bowsprit. In a line, right on top of the smaller of our two bow anchors. The one David rowed over and plunked down 3 feet from shore. Right there. The other one, the CQR is, luckily 40 to 60 feet away in a slightly different direction.

As I already said, the place is empty. Not a soul in sight. A couple empty houseboats that people come to on the weekends lie across the cove. Space, space, everywhere space. And, this fellow decides to anchor right on top of us. I went forward and talked to the fellow as he was doing it. He’d already set a stern anchor a ways off up-current from us and it would make sense for him to anchor, tucked into shore if that’s his desire, ummm... closer to the stern anchor. Nope, he says “I’m not on top your anchor.” and “don’t worry when we’re done we won’t be on top your anchor.”

Well, he’s atop the anchor and I suppose I’ve done enough complaining about it and will move on to other topics. The epoxy glue on the new dingy seat will be dry tomorrow. If David and I want to, we can pull up anchor and move somewhere else at that time. David is looking forward to spearing this fellow with our bowsprit as we pull up anchor Normally he's so good natured about things. But this has been a bit trying.

We could move now, but must say, it’s a little difficult to set an anchor without being able to row out the stern anchor if needed so we’ll have to wait until tomorrow...after another coat of varnish dries that is...
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Old 08-07-2010, 11:08 AM   #2
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This is a favorite complaint of Caribbean cruisers regarding the bareboat charterers, and everyone about the French. One friend of ours found a cute solution to somebody anchoring too close to them - he went up to the bow as the boat was setting its anchor and George said "If you don't move I'm going to p**s in your dinghy!" They moved. Now, that was probably because they were Americans. The French don't get it.

Since it happens so often in so mamy places, I wonder why this need to anchor so close to another boat - do they think that we have found the best, safest spot to anchor in the entire bay? One of the most annoying boats to do this was one named "Wired for Sound" and that is exactly what it was - they played the loudest, most amplified music out of what seemed like a half dozen speakers mounted inside and outside the boat, very late into the night. Admittedly, their anchoring technique was most succesful for them - they anchored where they thought it was the best regardless of how close they were to other boats, they then started the music, went below and waited for their neighbors to all up anchor and move!

Takes all kinds.
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Old 08-07-2010, 10:41 PM   #3
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OK, why is it that you can be anchored in a huge bay, cove, area of water and a boat will come in, ready to anchor, and drop his hook within a boat length of you and your anchor? Like moths lured into the flame, it seems that if there’s a boat already at anchor it will be “attacked” by all the other boats.

Oh the joys that come with being so popular. What did Burt say?

'That is why....all the boat in town....follow you...all around.....just like me...they long to be...close to you

La la la lalala .......

Oh - by the way - Sitting here on the eastern coast of Papua New Guinea where the jungle comes down to the sea and the crew have kindly allowed me to tap into their sat. No, we have not left Cairns yet to sail up this way - that's next month but I got a short gig to do some underwater photography for a fantastic resort here Tufi. They are perched atop a deep fjord - totally sheltered from every direction and to my surprise - rarely visited by any yachts. Doing the distance sums in my head right now on how far from the Louisiaides this place is. Figure two days sail tops.

Man I look down from the resort deck and I can just see Mico bobbing happily down there on one of Tufi's unused moorings. mmmmmmm

tufidive.com

Fair winds,

Mico

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Old 08-08-2010, 12:14 AM   #4
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Beautiful. I think we were so very lucky to have had no time schedule, no need to keep going, so when we found something so beautiful we could just enjoy it until we finally felt we wanted to go forward again. You've found that here, it seems. Wow.
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Old 08-08-2010, 12:25 AM   #5
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Mico, what a lovely spot!
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Old 08-10-2010, 12:09 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redbopeep' date='06 August 2010 - 08:15 PM View Post

OK, why is it that you can be anchored in a huge bay, cove, area of water and a boat will come in, ready to anchor, and drop his hook within a boat length of you and your anchor? Like moths lured into the flame, it seems that if there’s a boat already at anchor it will be “attacked” by all the other boats.
I think it is human nature to assume other people have local knowledge. Perhaps you don't know what you are doing, have never been here before. You come in and see a boat at anchor. You might make some assumptions:

1) There is no restriction to anchoring there. (At least the other boat hasn't been asked to move yet.)

2) There seems to be adequate depth at that point.

3) Perhaps that person selected that position for it's protection from prevailings or for it's holding.

Makes no sense, but then people seldom do.
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Old 08-10-2010, 08:28 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by Coyote' date='10 August 2010 - 03:03 AM View Post

I think it is human nature to assume other people have local knowledge. Perhaps you don't know what you are doing, have never been here before. You come in and see a boat at anchor. You might make some assumptions:

1) There is no restriction to anchoring there. (At least the other boat hasn't been asked to move yet.)

2) There seems to be adequate depth at that point.

3) Perhaps that person selected that position for it's protection from prevailings or for it's holding.

Makes no sense, but then people seldom do.
I would say that those assumptions do make sense. The less clue one has, more the sense.

Maybe a solution would be to teach the clueless ones (like me) to ask for a suggestion of a good spot to anchor.

"Hi, I have no clue about anchoring, would you mind to suggest a good point to anchor?"

I add this suggestion to the http://www.cruiserlog.com/forums/ind...howtopic=15574 thread, and reference this thread as an explanation.
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Old 08-16-2010, 07:18 PM   #8
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I've been thinking about this for a while now. It is an interesting thread to me.

I think in Red's case, many people might see a beautiful old schooner and anchor close in the hopes of being invited aboard to see.

In the general case, people can be terribly clueless (I know, I'm one of 'em) and this rudeness is not much different from someone setting down on the beach near you with a generator and a stereo and creating a mini-disco on a beautiful and peaceful beach. I highly doubt that the fact that they are being rude ever crosses their mind.

People are just funny.
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Old 08-16-2010, 08:17 PM   #9
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When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.

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I think that says it all.

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Old 08-19-2010, 04:03 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JeanneP' date='07 August 2010 - 01:02 PM View Post

This is a favorite complaint of Caribbean cruisers regarding the bareboat charterers, and everyone about the French.**One friend of ours found a cute solution to somebody anchoring too close to them - he went up to the bow as the boat was setting its anchor and George said "If you don't move I'm going to p**s in your dinghy!"** They moved.**Now, that was probably because they were Americans.**The French don't get it.

Since it happens so often in so mamy places, I wonder why this need to anchor so close to another boat - do they think that we have found the best, safest spot to anchor in the entire bay? *...

Takes all kinds.
We never talk much, because if there is no experience or seamanship, it doesn't help. Maybe it is the same as with small kids: They do not gain any ecperience from your warnings that the ovenplate can be hot. *They gain experience by doing it.

Here is what we do:

If the fellow anchor in front, we let them get settled. Then we start pulling in the own chain. Sloooowwwly. Quietly. Finally we are able to knock on their fence, shouting loud and clear a friendly HEEEELLLLOOOOOOO!!! Almost always their reaction is ** **. *Then maybe some advice helps: "I think, your anchor drags..." "Here you need looooots of chain....."* "Ten other boats tried it on that particular spot before..."

If you have two anchors out, you can play this game even to the sides.*

And if the day is nice and calm, the water is warm and your own boat is small: I put my fins on and obviously clean the bottom...** *... slooowwwly pushing the boat up font until my crew has the chance to... knock on the fence, shouting the friendly HEEEELLLLOOOOOOOOO!!!*

All that does not help in this setting: Wind picking up, heavy rain, maybe dark already. A big *boat intending to anchor up front with obviously too small gear. He drags, missing us by just e couple feet. Up astern he takes in the rope, then* 30ft of chain, then the small anchor and motors back up front. *Same spot. Same gear. Draging back same way. Meanwile we put out our fenders. We start wondering: why the same place. And we had to continue wandering: why does he try to do it the 4th time when the first 3 times were without sucess. * How long is this going on? When will he hit us or tear out our anchor? When does the learning start? We had to sit in full rain gear down below for more than an hour. Finally he gave up and the next morning we saw him anchoring wwaaaayyy out.*

Sometimes I thing Anchoring is the more adventurous part Sailing...

Uwe

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Old 08-20-2010, 02:46 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by Aquaria' date='19 August 2010 - 08:57 AM View Post

Here is what we do:

If the fellow anchor in front, we let them get settled. Then we start pulling in the own chain. Sloooowwwly. Quietly. Finally we are able to knock on their fence, shouting loud and clear a friendly HEEEELLLLOOOOOOO!!! Almost always their reaction is ** **. *Then maybe some advice helps: "I think, your anchor drags..." "Here you need looooots of chain....."* "Ten other boats tried it on that particular spot before..."

If you have two anchors out, you can play this game even to the sides.*

And if the day is nice and calm, the water is warm and your own boat is small: I put my fins on and obviously clean the bottom...** *... slooowwwly pushing the boat up font until my crew has the chance to... knock on the fence, shouting the friendly HEEEELLLLOOOOOOOOO!!!*

SY Aquaria
I just don't have it in me to do such things. On the other hand, I am well able to have hubby pull out a construction project and go at making lots of noise with generator, power saws, etc. Last week we did that--he worked on a variety of noisy projects and I worked on setting about 50 5/8" brass grommets (pound, pound, pound steel on steel on the setting die). We typically feel guilty making such noise if there are other folks near us in the anchorage, but not this particular time.
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Old 08-24-2010, 04:28 AM   #12
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David & Brenda,

I will second the thought that many think that being anchored near your boat makes them classical sailors also... No one will blame them for being drawn near a beautiful schooner! I have noticed that if the first boat in an anchorage is rundown and ugly then no one anchors near them. (Unless there are bikinis in sight on the ugly craft).

Finding anchorage solitude seems to be taken for granted by many. Apparently they have never been taught any sailing ettiquette. But when I first got involved with sailing I thought that being in a marina full of sailing yachts would foster learning from many people... Turns out that just because you own a sailboat doesn't mean you are a sailor! I learned more on this forum than from that marina (Still do!). Not that there aren't some awesome sailors there, but they are too busy trying to find a peaceful anchorage to be the tutors they were meant to be.

I was once advised that if the man of the boat will show up on deck dressed in his birthday suit as the newcomer arrives it will thwart many from anchoring close... They say that if the woman does the same it means they will anchor even closer!

In three days I will be back aboard for a week, and I plan to anchor in what I hope will be a bay of solitude. If I can pull it off I will send you some pictures!

The "other" David & Brenda
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Old 08-24-2010, 06:10 PM   #13
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Finding an anchorage for solitude is one thing but when another boat anchors in your swinging circle ( ie TOO CLOSE ) then collision &/or entanglement is likely ... usually the offenders don't even bother to ask how much scope you have out & fail also to understand that a boat on a nylon rode will have more line out than a boat using chain ... they drop anchor ahead of you then pay out their rode until their stern is almost touching your bow instead of dropping their hook off your stern then falling back ... SHEER IGNORANCE

The bottom line is that the first boat to anchor has right-of-way & that the second boat will be liable for any damages or loss ... grrrrrr

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