Noisy Neighbours

[mottseng]

This is a what would you do situation. We cruise up in the southern Georgian Bay area and this past weekend anchored in a nice little bay called Hockey Stick. We had guests on board for the weekend and it was a great place to anchor with plenty of shelter and calm waters to swim. Across from us were 7-9 power cruiser rafted up together tied stern ashore. For most of the day and early evening they were playing music much too loud however for the most part we put up with it hoping they would turn if off by say 11 pm. Well the loud music got much louder and continued until 2:30 am. When other boaters blasted horns or shouted at them the music got louder.

So here comes the "what would you do"? The next day being Saturday and expecting the same as the previous night I wanted to go and have a talk with them but was vitoed by my crew. After much discussion we ended up pulling anchor and leaving.

Can anything be done in this situation?

[NaClyDog]

Can anything be done? Not unless the neighbours decide to all of a sudden be good responsible citizens (not likely based on your description).


That said, I think you need to speak with them to at least inform them what they did / are doing is not okay. Our waterways are a shared resource and everyone needs to learn respect for thy neighbours (and the environment!).


The passive aggressive part of me would have been hull knocking their boats to try and speak with them very early the next day (I'm an early bird) but that's likely not a great idea unless you plan to leave soon after.

[mottseng]

Originally Posted by NaClyDog

Can anything be done? Not unless the neighbours decide to all of a sudden be good responsible citizens (not likely based on your description).


That said, I think you need to speak with them to at least inform them what they did / are doing is not okay. Our waterways are a shared resource and everyone needs to learn respect for thy neighbours (and the environment!).


The passive aggressive part of me would have been hull knocking their boats to try and speak with them very early the next day (I'm an early bird) but that's likely not a great idea unless you plan to leave soon after.

The idea of speaking to them was to ascertain if they were going to party again on the Saturday which would help in my decision to leave or not.

[boatman61]

The thing is most Mud people which most power boaters are, do not realise sound carries much further over water.. no buildings, trees and shrubbery to muffle or deflect it.
Often times I can hear conversations 100yds away nearly as clearly as if they were in my cockpit while I was down below.. sometimes very amusing..
In this case however methinks short of every other boat in the anchorage dinghying across with you in numbers you'd be wasting your breath.. your outnumbered and likely just going to get a lot of abuse and told to go swivel..
Best move further away or to another anchorage..
Alternatively get some plastic bags and swim over after dark and bag as many props as you can.. then stay put for the show.

[GILow]

I don't know what I would do, but it is kinda funny because of something that happened to me two nights ago.

I was out sailing, just after sunset. Three or four knots of wind, drifting along at 0.8 knots, when I started to hear some music. I looked around, trying to find the source, and eventually spotted a sailing boat, about a mile away, with a steaming light showing but no other lights. They were just drifting. Their steaming light was utter rubbish and was almost invisible, I would never have known they were there but for the loud music.

So there was an upside, of sorts.

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by mottseng

T When other boaters blasted horns or shouted at them the music got louder.

Talking to them would get you nowhere. It took me a very, very long time to finally learn that, when informing a person they are being inconsiderate or rude, the reaction is NEVER how you played out the scenario in your head.

People tend to react poorly when it is pointed out that they behavior is lacking situational awareness and they are being inconsiderate of other people.

[mottseng]

Originally Posted by Shrew

Talking to them would get you nowhere. It took me a very, very long time to finally learn that, when informing a person they are being inconsiderate or rude, the reaction is NEVER how you played out the scenario in your head.

People tend to react poorly when it is pointed out that they behavior is lacking situational awareness and they are being inconsiderate of other people.

HAHA, SHREW I totally agree! I believe talking to them would not have gone the way I expected. We did end up at a very nice anchorage for the Saturday night. I was wondering if there are any laws governing this type of situation like there are laws in the city. When you anchor and turn the engine off you become a residence so I was wondering if the same residential rules applly. I plan on calling the OPP (local police) and asking them.

[mottseng]

Just got off the phone with the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) who stated that there is a noise by-law that applies in this situation and the next time this occurs to call them.

Great information!!!!

Would have been great to see the police boat enter the anchorage with lights ablaze.

[NaClyDog]

I can guess what the OPP will tell you.


Here is where you stand from a provincial point of view;


https://www.ontario.ca/page/noise-our-environment


Unless what took place happened in a municipality with a noise by-law, I believe you are out of luck.

[Shrew]

Noise ordinance enforcement really only applies to life on land. You're not going to get someone down to the dock and out on boat at midnight for a noise complaint. marine patrol only mobilizes at night for actual emergencies.

[mottseng]

Originally Posted by Shrew

Noise ordinance enforcement really only applies to life on land. You're not going to get someone down to the dock and out on boat at midnight for a noise complaint. marine patrol only mobilizes at night for actual emergencies.

I would agree with you however the OPP said to call them the next time it happens. I hope it never happens again.

[grantmc]

Loud music, parties, people having a fun time is certainly very irritating.
And what about gen sets, charging batteries and water makers running?
In a beautiful place, with just the sounds of nature, people run their motors for an hour or so. And for some reason these folks always seem to be the types that get up really early. At 6 am the last thing I want to hear is the loud purr of a Yanmar 3GM.
Oh and did anyone mention Jet Skis?
There are just so many things to be annoyed and upset about.

Just remember it could be the one week a year away from work that those guys get to go out and party hard. They've spent big on their boat toys and are just wanting to enjoy the great outdoors like everyone else, just in a slightly different way.

But what Boatie said, accept it, don't confront them, nothing will be gained by complaining and up anchor.

[introverted]

I would have gone over to join them to drink all their rum and steal their ladies. I have a different attitude in a Marina. But, out in an anchorage, I think its all fair. I've learned what to expect in certain areas. Not everyone is looking to fall asleep at 10pm and people use their boats to escape the life on land. That might mean some rowdy nights. I've learned to accept it.

[Mike OReilly]

How frustrating... I'm not sure what I would have done. On the one hand I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they really didn't understand how disruptive they were being to everyone else in the anchorage. In that light, a friendly discussion might be useful.

But odds are they are just jerks who don't give a damn about anyone else. In this case there's nothing you can do short of getting the police involved, and I agree this is going to be unlikely to happen.

As Grant says though, it's not just noisy music. Running the big diesel, gensets, or now more likely the ubiquitous gas generators, can be equally annoying.

These are just some of the reasons I much prefer remote anchorages. I rarely share an anchorage with anyone.

[mottseng]

So in general I agree with most of you that yes, people have the right to party and enjoy thier boating experience however, when it goes past the point of acceptability like my case 2:30 in the morning it becomes unreasonable.

I wanted to go over and talk to them and ascertain if Saturday was going to be a repeat and if so great I will move. I wasn't going to demand that they shut it down at a certain hour. Based on the fact that when someone did complain at 2:00 am and they got louder any demands or requests would not have gone well.

I do like the bag suggestion or plugging up the raw water intakes or something similar!!