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Old 15-10-2015, 02:34   #1
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My Personal Experiences With Rich Pesky Land Owners and Anchoring

On a lot of anchoring threads, I've read about the enemy. The rich, hateful land owners out to get us. I've only had 2 experiences with wealthy land owners while at anchor in the water near their houses.

1) Anchored in a very, very small river behind a sprawling mansion. Within 4 hours, some guy comes up on a kayak. Asks about the boat, where we are going, etc. Invites us to dinner in the mansion. Dinner was great. Nice people. While there, he showed me a power tri he and Dick Newick worked on that he built. Later, he gave me firewood and a car to use. I got a little uncomfortable with all his generosity and helped stack some firewood he got delivered without his knowledge. Left soon after.

2) Currently behind a different gated compound in Florida. Same story. Guy appears at my stern in a sculling boat. Like you'd race in college. Same conversation. Much interest in my boat and where I'm going. Nice guy. Offers local knowledge for supplies, places to go. Discussed two different Richard Woods boats he's built.

Honestly, I guess I'm lucky, but in my experience, the only land owners I seem to anchor next to are us. People with a passion for boats that have even built them. People with serious funds, but who are stuck working, not traveling on the boats they enjoy. So... they find it novel and interesting when someone who travels on a boat happens by their area.

Thought I would share these positive aspects of anchoring next to the rich land owner's house.
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Old 15-10-2015, 04:02   #2
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Re: My Personal Experiences With Rich Pesky Land Owners and Anchoring

We’ve had similar experiences, and, as waterfront home owners (though not super wealthy), have done the same for cruisers who anchor “in our backyard.” (Of course, where we are on the Chesapeake, we aren’t likely to have year-round “resident” boats anchored behind us.) Unfortunately, there are a few “bad” boaters and a few “bad” homeowners, and they can potentialy ruin it for everyone.
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Old 15-10-2015, 04:26   #3
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Re: My Personal Experiences With Rich Pesky Land Owners and Anchoring

Similar situation with me. Can only think of two times I've had interactions with homeowners. Both wholly positive, and both times the homeowners were sailors themselves.

One time we were getting beat up in the Chesapeake and pulled into a quiet little creek near Kilmarnock. Guy and his wife kayaked by and asked about the boat and our travels. We invited them aboard for sundowners and had a very nice conversation. They offered use of a car and to take trash ashore (we declined). We eventually said goodbye and they paddled back to the very nice home nearby. We left at dawn the next day.

Another time we were anchored in a bay in Florida for what turned out to be TS Debby in 2012. It was a quiet area with only one house anywhere nearby. After two days of 35-40 we get an email through our blog. It was the guy in the house. He'd picked up the name of the boat with his binoculars and found us online. Asked if we needed anything or he could do anything for us. We declined, we were actually doing just fine, but went over to say hello after the storm had passed. He was a really neat guy and we spent the afternoon hanging out with him.

Both of these properties were in quiet off-the-beaten track areas, but that's where we tend to go. I would not expect that kind of reception in Miami Beach. But then again, I've never been there.
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Old 15-10-2015, 04:51   #4
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Re: My Personal Experiences With Rich Pesky Land Owners and Anchoring

I like your positive upbeat stories.
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Old 15-10-2015, 05:13   #5
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Re: My Personal Experiences With Rich Pesky Land Owners and Anchoring

I guess that's really it, Waterway.

A few bad apples on either side make it difficult for the rest of us.

On the boating side, I think courtesy and keeping up a presentable boat/self go a long way toward how one is treated as you arrive in various places for stays of varying lengths.

Anything more than a season or a few months in one spot seems somewhat disrespectful to me. So, I am sure to keep things moving.

I mean if I'd wanted to sit in one spot forever, I'd have bought a house!
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Old 15-10-2015, 05:14   #6
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Re: My Personal Experiences With Rich Pesky Land Owners and Anchoring

It's always seemingly the 1% that cause trouble. and protest the loudest.
I'd be willing to bet that without much of a doubt that the ones hollering the loudest have never owned or maybe even been in a boat, in fact I'd bet they have never had anything to do with water or boating, most likely came from a landlocked area up North before they moved to Florida.
If they did have the experience, then they would have known that they don't own that water in their backyard, would have understood that from the beginning, but in their mind, no one has a right to park a camper on their street and by God they shouldn't be allowed to do it in their backyard either, the law that allows it is out dated and is being misused in their opinion, no one should infringe on their enjoyment of their land.

You see this kind of crap all the time, like the idiot that buys a house and has the airport that has been there since WWII shut down because of the noise.

I did a lot of growing up on Alligator point, a spit of land South of Tallahassee and I understood that we owned down to the high tide line, no further, and that anyone had just as much right setting up their beach chairs right in front of the house as we did.
But darned if I go to a popular beach there are people from the Motel to run you off, telling you it's a Private beach.
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Old 15-10-2015, 05:16   #7
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Re: My Personal Experiences With Rich Pesky Land Owners and Anchoring

Certainly that can happen, the ones that don't come by are possibly the ones calling the police and their legislators.

To paraphrase the great Donald: "someone's doing the calling"
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Old 15-10-2015, 05:24   #8
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Re: My Personal Experiences With Rich Pesky Land Owners and Anchoring

Quote:
Originally Posted by Waterway Guide View Post
Unfortunately, there are a few “bad” boaters and a few “bad” homeowners, and they can potentialy ruin it for everyone.
Exactly. It is always just a tiny percentage that make problems for everyone.

Reminded of that last night when I was watching the baseball playoff game in Toronto. Seventh inning, controversial calls, anyone who saw it knows what I am talking about. Fans start throwing stuff onto the field. I'm thinking to myself, "what a bunch of trailer-trash, butt-wads these Toronto fans are."

And then I realized--there are probably 45,000 people there and maybe 30-40 of them are throwing stuff onto the field. Nothing wrong with 99.9% of the Toronto fans, but the 30-40 trailer-trash, butt-wads in the crowd create a negative image that can stain everyone else.
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Old 15-10-2015, 08:15   #9
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Re: My Personal Experiences With Rich Pesky Land Owners and Anchoring

Great story, thanks. We had similar experience up a narrow slough off the ICW in Georgia. We were traveling with our dog Annie. The owner hailed us from his dock and welcomed us to bring Annie ashore to do her business. I think people living on the water do so because they like water, boats, and folks traveling on boats.
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Old 15-10-2015, 09:07   #10
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Re: My Personal Experiences With Rich Pesky Land Owners and Anchoring

We were anchored in a quiet harbor in British Columbia while readying the boat to travel south. At the head of the dinghy dock was an enormous house, obviously new. My radar was up for possible trouble or at least an attitude.

By the end of two weeks we were invited to their house for dinner and although they knew nothing of boats the husband had volunteered to crew with us on the trip south and, hearing we had never visited Hawaii they asked us to join them in Maui later that year (flying over, not sailing). I started a get together on the dock and called it "Ice Cream Sunday" inviting yacht-ies and land-ies which continues in our absence to this day.

After getting to know them we found that they were very leery of all boats, expecting them to come and never leave, foul the water and possibly steal. They were new to the area and the local gossip just covered the stories with extremely bad endings. Nobody ever gossiped about the hundreds of boats that came, were respectful and then left.

We were just so honking big their curiosity overcame their prejudices. Once they got to know us, they started talking to other boaters asking where they came from and going down to the dock to chat with new boats.

OK I know the rose colored glasses may come off some day (I hope not) but so far, 18 months into this thing and it's not so bad. Admittedly we are not in South Florida but I imagine if I was (and I have spent significant time there both on land and on a boat) I would just keep moving until I found a place that either welcomed me or just didn't care one way or the other. I alway say "Vote with your feet" now I guess it's "Vote with your boat". Spend your money elsewhere, they will feel the pinch in the long run, I don't think the short term results will ever favor people that are on the move, even with significant capital.

I have never had bad results by being any or all of the following list:

Quiet
Respectful
Friendly
Funny
Clean

Guess that's it. Sister Ann Thomas pretty much covered it all in first grade.
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Old 15-10-2015, 09:16   #11
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Re: My Personal Experiences With Rich Pesky Land Owners and Anchoring

My wife and I owned Treasure Island in Port Madison for many years. Cruisers from all over the world would tie up at our pier for weeks on end. For us it was a thrill to continue cruising vicariously through their stories.

We have found that our reception anywhere and everywhere was in direct proportion to how classic our boat was. A beautiful boat with classic lines will always be surrounded by a flotilla of skiffs and kayaks with many offers of meals, laundry and transportation.
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Old 15-10-2015, 09:36   #12
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Re: My Personal Experiences With Rich Pesky Land Owners and Anchoring

These stories have similar parallels with our travels.
Some of the nicest people we've ever met in this manner have become good personal friends.
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Old 15-10-2015, 09:48   #13
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Re: My Personal Experiences With Rich Pesky Land Owners and Anchoring

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2hullvenus View Post
On a lot of anchoring threads, I've read about the enemy. The rich, hateful land owners out to get us. I've only had 2 experiences with wealthy land owners while at anchor in the water near their houses.

1) Anchored in a very, very small river behind a sprawling mansion. Within 4 hours, some guy comes up on a kayak. Asks about the boat, where we are going, etc. Invites us to dinner in the mansion. Dinner was great. Nice people. While there, he showed me a power tri he and Dick Newick worked on that he built. Later, he gave me firewood and a car to use. I got a little uncomfortable with all his generosity and helped stack some firewood he got delivered without his knowledge. Left soon after.

2) Currently behind a different gated compound in Florida. Same story. Guy appears at my stern in a sculling boat. Like you'd race in college. Same conversation. Much interest in my boat and where I'm going. Nice guy. Offers local knowledge for supplies, places to go. Discussed two different Richard Woods boats he's built.

Honestly, I guess I'm lucky, but in my experience, the only land owners I seem to anchor next to are us. People with a passion for boats that have even built them. People with serious funds, but who are stuck working, not traveling on the boats they enjoy. So... they find it novel and interesting when someone who travels on a boat happens by their area.

Thought I would share these positive aspects of anchoring next to the rich land owner's house.
You have been lucky that anchoring was behind the people with real money not the people that have to prove they have it. I'm sure the visits were an evaluation. I guess I would scope out someone at my back door.
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Old 15-10-2015, 10:14   #14
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Re: My Personal Experiences With Rich Pesky Land Owners and Anchoring

I'm like most posters, I've never had a problem. My friend who cruises the North Channel (of Georgian Bay/Lake Huron) had someone fire a gun in the air because the resident felt he was anchored too close to his private island.

I just got back from a circumnavigation of Lake Ontario. In New York State I was lent cars to go provisioning, offered free dockage at private docks as well as use of toilets and showers.

A smile and a friendly demeanour go a long way.
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Old 15-10-2015, 10:35   #15
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Re: My Personal Experiences With Rich Pesky Land Owners and Anchoring

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Originally Posted by a64pilot View Post
...
I did a lot of growing up on Alligator point, a spit of land South of Tallahassee and I understood that we owned down to the high tide line, no further, and that anyone had just as much right setting up their beach chairs right in front of the house as we did.
But darned if I go to a popular beach there are people from the Motel to run you off, telling you it's a Private beach.
As a teenager, we would go to the beach every week when I lived in South FLA. We knew the rules about the high water mark. One weekend we went to a beach south of where we would usually go and plopped in the sand below the high tide line a distance from a very large hotel. It did not take long for security to tell us to move on. Ah, no. We are below the high tide line and not even on hotel property if we were above the line.

The guy about pooped in his pants and left.

We used to anchor off Pumpkin Key in the Keys. I guess there are a couple of houses on the island that can only be reached by boat and the place has to be worth a fortune. Plenty of boats would anchor off the island. About every hour or so, a guy would ride around the perimeter of the island checking on the boats. Always thought it was odd. Kinda wanted to swim to near shore, wave at him and say hey.

Later,
Dan
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