Too close at anchorage

[MichaelB1969]

Originally Posted by jimisbell

I think more would be accomplished if BOTH sides would stop blaming the other for idiots and just accept that there are ALWAYS idiots in both groups.

For me it's simple math. In SF Bay, the ratio of sailboats to power boats is probably 200:1, so the likelihood of a sailboat versus power boat anchoring close to me is an order of magnitude higher.

Makes me think they know something I don't.

[Bay Pelican]

When we started out for the Eastern Caribbean many years ago we dreamed of isolated anchorages. The world unfortunately is different, being alone in an anchorage in many of the islands makes you a target. Thus the boaters tend to stick together and the anchoring problems begin.

We avoided most anchoring problems by almost always anchoring at the back of the pack. Many of the worst anchoring offenders tend to go close to shore and thus we are not bothered by them. Little further dinghy ride but to us (especially my wife) it is worth it.

[Simi 60]

Sitting in one of our favourite spots now, shows as land on the charts but we have a few feet under the keel at low.
Nearest boat is 2 miles away.
Civilisation is 3 miles away
Capital city cbd is 20 miles away.

My absolute favourite spot is a coral lagoon about 70 miles out.
Spent a couple of months there one year, no radio, no TV, just me the booby birds, turtles and crayfish.
I only went a little bit cray cray (-;

[Crazymonkey]

Woke up Sunday morning at our anchorage out with these clowns about 20 feet from our boat in their 20 feet deck boat eating chips, with plenty of water all around us. I just dont get it sometimes...I debated walking around the aft and fly bridge naked to see if I could get them to move...by the time I decided too...they took off.

[High Wire]

Last December we anchored across from Ft Myers City Marina in about 6ft of water. Not thirty seconds after shutting down the engine a guy in a ratty old dinghy charges up all a flutter and yell at me that I’m anchored on top of his anchor line, a sailboat at least 200 ft away. I asked him if he was tuna fishing which did not compute. The angle was not even close. I bit my tongue. Last in first out. I moved another 100 yards away. Reminder to self, buy a laser range finder.

[FlyWright]

Originally Posted by High Wire

Reminder to self, buy a laser range finder.

If you've got radar, you're all set. 1NM=6076.1 ft, 1/8 NM=759 ft.

[Yankee1]

I agree with the previous post, Avoid confrontations at all cost. Just recently we started the engine pulled the anchor and reset 100 yards away. I think that it was obvious to the infiltrator! Out on block Island we had a large sport fishing boat drag down on us. He told the harbor master that he couldn’t move the boat because he never ran it at night. We just get out of the way and let them be. CT has more nuts any anywhere else, LOL. But PS “Say Hello To My Little Friend!

[Wxx3]

Humans are a social animal.
For the most part they want to be around other people. You may not, but then we are not talking about you.
Also, insecurity with anchoring, makes the attraction greater. Meaning, I'm not sure what I'm doing or if this is a good spot, but if I'm near that other boat, I should be OK (because presumably they know what they are doing).

[stubones99]

Get one of those high powered Karaoke machines and bring it on deck for a karaoke sing-off... With the right singer, you might clear an anchorage.

[Nomad Willy]

Stubones99,
YOU GOT IT!

[Nomad Willy]

Originally Posted by Wxx3

Humans are a social animal.
For the most part they want to be around other people. You may not, but then we are not talking about you.
Also, insecurity with anchoring, makes the attraction greater. Meaning, I'm not sure what I'm doing or if this is a good spot, but if I'm near that other boat, I should be OK (because presumably they know what they are doing).

“Insecurity with anchoring”
I think this explains why anchoring has such a heavy draw on TF. And all this time I thought it was about anchors.

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Originally Posted by Nomad Willy

“Insecurity with anchoring”
I think this explains why anchoring has such a heavy draw on TF. And all this time I thought it was about anchors.

[Sabre602]

Originally Posted by Nomad Willy

...And all this time I thought it was about anchors.

So, you think those guys with really HUGE anchors are...erm...compensating for something?

[Tom.B]

There was one time we were on a friend’s small boat. As we approached Bear Island near Swansboro, NC to spend a day on the beach, we saw a group of about 10 boats beached and setting up for their day too. I thought it would be nice to give them space and have some privacy ourselves. I asked if we could go over to a unoccupied spot... “over there”... and pointed about 300 yards to the right. The wife of the other couple said, “There’s a reason people aren’t over there. You want to always go where the people are.”

She was right. After we beached and got off the boat to wander around, I walked down to where I wanted to park. The water was inches deep, and when the tide changed, was high and dry.

So to get back on point, people will often anchor near you because you have proven it to be deep and safe. Yea, there is such a thing as too close and this is likely a good example. I just thought this may sometimes be why, even in large anchorages, you may find someone capitalizing on your success.

Just something to think about.

[Nomad Willy]

Originally Posted by Sabre602

So, you think those guys with really HUGE anchors are...erm...compensating for something?

Not calling anyone weak in the knees or head but it’s a matter of caution. People of the sun sign Capricorn may have larger anchors.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Tom.B

. I asked if we could go over to a unoccupied spot... “over there”... and pointed about 300 yards to the right. The wife of the other couple said, “There’s a reason people aren’t over there. You want to always go where the people are.”

She was right. After we beached and got off the boat to wander around, I walked down to where I wanted to park. The water was inches deep, and when the tide changed, was high and dry.

So to get back on point, people will often anchor near you because you have proven it to be deep and safe. Yea, there is such a thing as too close and this is likely a good example. I just thought this may sometimes be why, even in large anchorages, you may find someone capitalizing on your success.

Just something to think about.

There's these marvelous things called charts that show depths on them, well worth looking at before making decisions.

We used to have a 35ft catamaran and we always anchored shallow and snuck into areas to deliberately get away from the sheeple.
.
Dumb herd animals being what they are would still try and get near us, the results being mostly amusing but one time being a total disaster.

Some spots had coral reef out of the water at low tide and only a few feet in spots at high barring entry to all without knowledge.
Several times over the years when there we saw boats try and come in and at least one come to a grinding halt.

Another time at another spot a boat anchored near us at night, we didnt notice and that night we were woken by panicked screams as the boat dried and eventually lay over and filled up on the next tide.
Luckily for them they had the volunteer coast guard nearby with pumps to help.

If only they'd checked the charts, or sounder.

[jimisbell]

In Belize we were sailing down the reef. and came to a small island called Rendezvous Key. Sounds so inviting. There was a small lagoon with a reef across the entrance with about a 20 foot wide entrance that was 6 feet deep. We had charts and I placed my daughter on the bow using hand signals to get in. We did and had a beautiful shallow anchorage in warm water. We were sitting in the cockpit enjoying dinner when my daughter said, "Dad, we are like cheese in a mouse trap!" I asked what she was talking about and followed to where she was pointing as she said,"over there". In the distance, about 1/2 mile away there was a sailboat, obviously larger then the Freedom 40 that we were in, heading toward the reef. But they were not heading toward the opening!!! No radio sound out of them. As we watched they hit the reef twice as they tried to get into the lagoon. You could tell when they hit because the tall mast would switch back and forth as the boat heeled. They finally gave up and sailed on. No Rendezvous for them I guess.. Such a shame, if they had used either charts or radio they could have shared our beautiful anchorage. I ALWAYS have charts, and I DONT mean electronic charts, batteries go dead. I hope they didnt damage the bottom of their rental boat. I am sure it was a rental, an owner would have had charts,

[MurrayM]

Owners of shoal draft trawlers with box keel protected propellers probably have funny stories about people trying to anchor close to them.

[BandB]

Wifey B: We don't anchor a lot and when we do it's not close to others. One thing we've found is so many want to anchor in shallow areas so we just find a little deeper water where we still have room to swing.

[jimisbell]

Originally Posted by MurrayM

Owners of shoal draft trawlers with box keel protected propellers probably have funny stories about people trying to anchor close to them.

My 36 foot center cockpit Gulfstar sailboat had a 3'3" keel and I woud almost pull it ashore on soft bottoms. and that fooled some people seeing a sailboat that close to shore. I am expecting the 2'10" draft of the Mainship 34 will be causing some people to run aground also. I can almost go flats fishing with the MS-34.