The Herding Instinct

[senormechanico]

We anchored as far away as possible from the only sailboat in a lovely large bay in Barkley Sound which was protected from all directions. It was serene bliss. No wind, and absolute quiet except for birds and other wildlife.
About an hour later, in came a 70+ foot gin palace which anchored in our face. They sat on top of our anchor and proceeded to choke us with diesel exhaust from their genset which ran all night. There had to be at least a square mile of water in which to anchor, but noooo...

I went over with a potato to see if I could plug it. Nope, the pipe was too big.
Argh.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Hud3

When I first started cruising, I'd get upset when other boats anchored too close abeam or over my anchor. After a while, though, I discovered that it really didn't matter all that much. In spite of my worst fears, we were never bumped in the middle of the night, and I was always able to get my anchor up in the morning without incident. So, I learned to relax and go with the flow. Much more in tune with the spirit of cruising. And I ended up making friends with some of those closeby anchorers.

Absolutely. Rule #1 of anchorages: smile. No matter what.

Rule #2: If you just can't reconcile yourself to the way someone else has anchored near you -- up anchor and move. While smiling.

Don't break the spirit. The guy who has just thrown his anchor down over yours and is playing loud music in his cockpit may be the same guy who comes over to save you when your anchor drags in the middle of the night and you don't hear your anchor alarm.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

The guy who has just thrown his anchor down over yours and is playing loud music in his cockpit may be the same guy who comes over to save you when your anchor drags in the middle of the night and you don't hear your anchor alarm.

More likely to be the same wanker that drags down onto the boat recently launched that you spent the last 4 years building, does a couple of grands worth of damage crunching up and down the side and then pisses off into the gloom never to be seen again.

Thats what happened to me anyway.

I've never let anyone anchor near me since, not my anchor gear I am worried about, its the other idiot with his undersized anchor, light/short chain and not enough scope.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by cat man do

More likely to be the same wanker that drags down onto the boat recently launched that you spent the last 4 years building, does a couple of grands worth of damage crunching up and down the side and then pisses off into the gloom never to be seen again.

Thats what happened to me anyway.

I've never let anyone anchor near me since, not my anchor gear I am worried about, its the other idiot with his undersized anchor, light/short chain and not enough scope.

That's a bad attitude. Just up anchor, and move somewhere else, and have another cocktail.

How can you not "let" someone anchor near you? By jumping up and down and yelling? Why bother to go cruising, if you're going to end up angry and shouting? Might as well stay home.

P.S. I have always found that putting out fenders is a good thing in a crowded anchorage. Saved me from some topside damage one stormy night at anchor in Croatia. And I couldn't have blamed the Italian boat that dragged down into me, either, because I dragged myself a minute later. There but for the grace of God . . .

[Bash]

When I'm entering into a cove where I'll have to anchor close to someone else, I'll motor up to the boat already there and ask two questions: (1) Are you planning to spend the night; (2) How much rode do you have out? I also check to see whether the first boat is using a stern anchor or something like a bahama rig, et cetera. The way I learned things, the first boat makes the rules: if he's gonna swing, everybody gonna swing, and if he goes bow & stern, everybody follow suit.

My preference, if I'm the first boat, is for following boats to ask me the same questions. Either that or, in a place like Paradice Cay, stay far enough away from me that the answers become moot.

Am I wrong about this? Is there anyone in the forum who wouldn't prefer the second boat to come up and ask how much chain you've got out?

[MarkJ]

I have a distinct memory of snarling at a boat when they came into some bay we were quietly resting in.

Now we have been sailing with them, not together, just keep bumping into them for the last 10,000 miles.

Of course these folks are wonderful, nice, sincere, fun people.

The person who showed himself to be an insincere, nasty, unfun jerk was.... me.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Bash

When I'm entering into a cove where I'll have to anchor close to someone else, I'll motor up to the boat already there and ask two questions: (1) Are you planning to spend the night; (2) How much rode do you have out? I also check to see whether the first boat is using a stern anchor or something like a bahama rig, et cetera. The way I learned things, the first boat makes the rules: if he's gonna swing, everybody gonna swing, and if he goes bow & stern, everybody follow suit.

My preference, if I'm the first boat, is for following boats to ask me the same questions. Either that or, in a place like Paradice Cay, stay far enough away from me that the answers become moot.

Am I wrong about this? Is there anyone in the forum who wouldn't prefer the second boat to come up and ask how much chain you've got out?

But of course. I wish every other sailboat on the ocean was being run by a crack expert sailor, a consummate master of anchoring technique, with a 100 kg Manson or Rocna as his main bower, and who besides that is extremely courteous and considerate, who has no genset on board, and whose stereo is broken.

I follow the practice you suggest. I observe for signs of a Bahamian moor or fore and aft anchoring. I ask about scope if the skipper is about. I respect the rights of the first boat.

But I don't expect other people to do the same thing. And I don't insist on my own rights as the first boat. Life is too short, and I prefer cruising in a good mood. Lifting anchor and moving is a very, very small price to pay for preserving that good mood.

Besides that, karma has a way of punishing you for snarling at strangers, as Mark's wonderful anecdote above shows.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Besides that, karma has a way of punishing you for snarling at strangers, as Mark's wonderful anecdote above shows.

around Halloween last year we were anchored in the lee of Angel Island around mid-day and it was fairly crowded. And hot. A boat load of twenty-somethings tried to fit in between me and another boat, and the other boat's skipper was screaming his "YOU'RE TOO CLOSE" mantra.

It was pretty obvious that those kids just wanted to put out a lunch hook, so I put out fenders and invited them to raft. Five minutes later they had all stripped down to skivvies--males and females both--and went for a swim. I think they all wanted to show the "YOU'RE TOO CLOSE" skipper what he was missing by being such a jerk.

A pleasant afternoon was had by all.

[boatman61]

Lets face it.. there's close .... and there's too close, also many folk don't allow for the fact that a full keel will be controled more by the current than a fin which will respond more readily to the wind.... I watch them anchor and if in my judgement they've not laid enough chain I'll advise they lay some more as the holdings not that great... works every time and it saves their "Face" by not raising doubts about their competence...
Personally I've found small to mid size motor boats to be the worst offenders... one guy dragged onto my rode and fouled his props on it... the ******* only grabbed a knife and was going over the side to cut my line.. I soon put a stop to that...
A multitude of thanks to the 'gods' I was on board at the time...

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by Bash

When I'm entering into a cove where I'll have to anchor close to someone else, I'll motor up to the boat already there and ask two questions: (1) Are you planning to spend the night; (2) How much rode do you have out? I also check to see whether the first boat is using a stern anchor or something like a bahama rig, et cetera. The way I learned things, the first boat makes the rules: if he's gonna swing, everybody gonna swing, and if he goes bow & stern, everybody follow suit.

My preference, if I'm the first boat, is for following boats to ask me the same questions. Either that or, in a place like Paradice Cay, stay far enough away from me that the answers become moot.

Am I wrong about this? Is there anyone in the forum who wouldn't prefer the second boat to come up and ask how much chain you've got out?

I do the same. It's just common sense when the anchorage is tight.

[Christian Van H]

Originally Posted by Bash

Five minutes later they had all stripped down to skivvies--males and females both--and went for a swim. A pleasant afternoon was had by all.

Beats the hell out of the earlier story about the drunk hairy Greek guys in banana hammocks!

[Hiracer]

Originally Posted by boatman61

one guy dragged onto my rode and fouled his props on it... the ******* only grabbed a knife and was going over the side to cut my line.

That's freaking incredible.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

That's a bad attitude. Just up anchor, and move somewhere else, and have another cocktail.

And the clown pissing off into the gloom is a good attitude right?

I had just done a 90nm single handed leg to weather anchored late in the afternoon in an area specifically away from other vessels, as I new some weather was expected and this clown dropped his pick directly upwind of me.

I was asleep when he anchored, when I awoke it was later at night about an hour before the storm hit.

The wind was increasing, there was lightening, at the time as I was single handed and have no anchor winch I felt it more prudent to stay where I was and hope the idiot in front had decent ground tackle down.

For me to move would have meant him moving first as my anchor was under his vessel, and then I would have been going to a more exposed spot.

How can you not "let" someone anchor near you?

Theres near and then theres on top.
This wally was on top, there was 10 or 12 boats in THIS ENTIRE BAY (mid week)

I was the only boat in the Northern gutter when I anchored.
Everyone else hides behind the wrecks in that bay, to busy for me, to many idiots with toy anchors to many idiots having

Originally Posted by Dockhead

another cocktail.
. .

instead of checking their anchoring gear.

By jumping up and down and yelling? Why bother to go cruising, if you're going to end up angry and shouting? Might as well stay home.

I go cruising to get away from idiots.
Especially the sort of idiot who has no idea how to correctly anchor, or with decent gear.
And especially to get away from those idiots that have no respect for others space, safety or property.

This is why I anchored in that norther gutter, so as to be away from the others who may or may not have had decent anchors out.

In the morning, several were on the beach, so my initial assessment was correct, if only this "other" idiot had not anchored on top of me.

P.S. I have always found that putting out fenders is a good thing in a crowded anchorage

.

Good for you, I find it better not to anchor in crowded anchorages, just like I had in this occasion.

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by Bash

When I'm entering into a cove where I'll have to anchor close to someone else, I'll motor up to the boat already there and ask two questions: (1) Are you planning to spend the night; (2) How much rode do you have out? I also check to see whether the first boat is using a stern anchor or something like a bahama rig, et cetera. The way I learned things, the first boat makes the rules: if he's gonna swing, everybody gonna swing, and if he goes bow & stern, everybody follow suit.

My preference, if I'm the first boat, is for following boats to ask me the same questions. Either that or, in a place like Paradice Cay, stay far enough away from me that the answers become moot.

Am I wrong about this? Is there anyone in the forum who wouldn't prefer the second boat to come up and ask how much chain you've got out?

IT would be my preference and how I've been told things are done up here. I haven't had the experience yet seeing as winter anchorages aren't that crowded! Will be soon though.

[VirgosChild]

Originally Posted by klem

You can always take your dinghy, grab their anchor line and gun it. I have no personal experience with this practice but have witnessed it and it is extremely effective to just do the reanchoring for them. Granted, it isn't very nice and you won't make any friends this way.

Dont go to the Med, they anchor that close that they could put their anchor in your cockpit. I usually ask them if they dont mind putting their fenders down and then politely ask them to move and some times not so politely for certain nationalities who seem to get off on spoiling your wonderful day. One of the funniest things I have ever seen was a German boat in Greece with mum, big breasted, huge and ugly as a hat full of spiders, and dad, barrell bellied and hairy as yeti, both stark naked and waving to the new arrivals as they dropped anchor. Needless to say it did not take long for the new arrivals to get the message and move. If I did that however it would be just my luck that I would get an invite from big foot's sister
Cheers
Terry