Why People Anchor on Top of Other Boats

[Katiusha]

We've had this situation a lot of times. They just did it again...

Imagine a big protected bay with pretty much the same depth everywhere. The holding is so-so in grass and small rocks with an occasional sandy patch. You can see the bottom.

There is a bunch of boats moored and anchored in the most protected corner of the bay near the jetty. In the least comfortable (no waves, but wind comes from two directions flowing around the mountain) there are two boats swinging with the wind - us and our friends. We don't mind the wind if it gives us a bit of privacy.

There is the rest of the bay that is well protected with no boats.

However since this morning we've had 3 boats come, circle the bay that still has PLENTY of good space to anchor, and drop anchors right behind our sterns.

Now meltem is blowing at 20 gusting to 30.

If you came into this bay where would YOU anchor and why?

[captainKJ]

some boaters get lonely and need to anchor by someone else to feel safe and secure.

[Katiusha]

Originally Posted by captainKJ

some boaters get lonely and need to anchor by someone else to feel safe and secure.

"Safe and secure" in a situation where the holding is not perfect and wind shifts 90 degrees anchoring right BEHIND other boats?
That's REALLY placing your trust in the skill of other boats....

[offline]

Deep in our brains Humans are still motivated to be "pack animals" and our instincts compel us to group together for safety, security and social needs.

With this in mind I'd probably end up looking for a sandy patch not too far away from the rest of the pack...

Maybe it's time we had Yosemite Sam burgees made up

[atoll]

in a bay full of bare boaters,who are notorious for dragging anchor,the novice bare boater un sure of how to anchor will anchor as close as possable to a cruising yacht.
for the following reasons;
a)they look like they know what they are doing
b)as experinced cruisers they obviously have found the only safe place to anchor
c)a cruising yacht has lots more interesting things to look at than a bare boat.
d)have never seen a canadian flag before.......
e)one of these days,they want to buy a crusing yacht so have come for a closer look....
f)cruising yachts frequently have naked nubile women on deck.......
g)captain ron...........
h)saw your cruisers forum burgee and will be over for cocktails later......
i)interested to see if it's true canadians keep raccoons as pets...........

[sailorboy1]

Boats are like fish, they need to be in schools to feel safe.

[captainKJ]

Originally Posted by Katiusha

"Safe and secure" in a situation where the holding is not perfect and wind shifts 90 degrees anchoring right BEHIND other boats?
That's REALLY placing your trust in the skill of other boats....

what I was getting at was that some people are idiots and can not be far away from other people incase they need help. Makes no since to anchor so close to someone else but the "be in a pack" mentality overrides common since at times. Who want to anchor right next to someone??? I want my peace and quiet when I go sailing

[Katiusha]

Yeah, I understand the pack mentality... we grounded on a sand bar using the same pack mentality "but that sailboat just passed through this spot!" the one time we took ICW. Started thinking with our own heads and instruments after

Another situation that we are still remembering:

Bahamas, 6 mile long beach normally exposed to the swell and winds, but watching the weather we knew that we could have 1 day safely anchored there (next cold front was 2 days away). Same holding everywhere, pure white sand, gorgeous beach, 0 boats.

We go spearfishing and come back to another boat dropping their anchor in our swinging circle... We circle around them in the dinghy explaining that with the slightest wind change they'll be on us (they had mostly rode, we had all chain), that it's not safe, that anchoring is exactly the same for the whole 6 miles around and why are they trying to anchor IN OUR SWINGING CIRCLE. They get very stressed, start yelling, and end up anchoring 200 feet away.

Common, people! If you don't feel secure anchoring by yourself, learn: drop the anchor in a safe spot, rev your engine in reverse, crank your wheel, see how your anchor holds, see how your boat swings, see what your anchor does, how it drags! Then think when you anchor.


Yet another situation yet again in Bahamas:

We found a gorgeous that was accessible with our draft (4.9') only on high tide. It was tricky as even in clear waters on some bottom you can't judge 1' difference. We don't have a forward looking sonar, so I was hanging off the swimming ladder on transom with mask and snorkel and yelling to my partner when he needed to turn or slow down. Worked perfectly!

Every time some boats would try to get into the same anchorage using the pack mentality. It was interesting watching them try it, but luckily for us noone else managed to do the same.

[atoll]

if ya don't like your neighbours,a big ghetto blaster works wonders,i find arabic music works well in europe.........but tom waites will suffice if played loud enough.....

[Maine Sail]

Happened to us not to long ago. A sailboat from MA shows up at 8:15 pm and has 30 places to anchor, and use 7:1+, yet chooses to anchor less than 60 feet from us with a CQR in eel grass. Makes two attempts and calls it good with a back down at idle speed..

At 8:25 a Sea Ray rounds the point and then makes no less than 7 attempts to anchor with their Delta, gives up and rafts up with the sail boat whom they are apparently traveling with. Winds are calm.

At 9:30 pm the "oh you can't hear it because it's a Honda" generator fires up. F'ING RUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At 10:30 with the generator still running and STILL very audible INSIDE our boat the wind finally shifts and picks up to about 12-15 knots..

I hear the generator getting quieter so poke my head above to see the whole clueless mess drifting into the shallows. Eventually the keel wedged in the mud/eel grass and they stopped but they were now over 80 yards away...perfect! I thank the designer of the CQR for moments like this...

[captainKJ]

getting ride of your pesky neighbors at anchor is easy,,,,if you are an overweight male just walk around in a very skimpy g-string,,,that beer gut hanging out usually works wonders,,,that a very loud Barry Manilow music works, "I write the songs that make the whole world sing" singinging along with that in a g-string should do the trick,,

then again they might make a ytube video out of it.

[Chief Engineer]

I play bagpipe music......works well unless they are Scottish

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Boats are like fish, they need to be in schools to feel safe.

It's not the boats that are like fish.

[offline]

Originally Posted by captainKJ

getting ride of your pesky neighbors at anchor is easy,,,,if you are an overweight male just walk around in a very skimpy g-string,,,that beer gut hanging out usually works wonders,,,that a very loud Barry Manilow music works, "I write the songs that make the whole world sing" singinging along with that in a g-string should do the trick,,

then again they might make a ytube video out of it.

Dang it captainKJ!!! Have you been anchoring around me

[Unicorn Dreams]

Maybe they want to be neighborly.

Ift hey dropped anchor behind you, then they should be at least 100' away from you at least.

Some people just have to anchor close..