Anchor Etiquette

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

This post about generalities...
(Ann Cates post, excellent)

The days are gone where anchoring is easy with huge bays and few boats.
Days have gone where the first boat is anchor Nazi.
Days are gone where you can lay out 7:1 or whatever you want.

Now we need to be cognisant of other boats.
Now we need to share the space.

I was in a port so small, in a far flung country, ordered to anchor in only 1 tiny inner harbour baylett we could only do it by anchoring fore and act. Except for one dickhead who refused and took up the space of 6 boats.

I wondered if his intransigence would be reflected at sea and it was only days before we found out in a convoy up the Gulf of Aden through (real) pirate waters.
Yep. Jerk in the anchorage, jerk at sea.

My rules:
Anchor as others.
Keep scope practical
When others arrive go below. Don't stand on deck watching.
Give any anchoring boat 30 minutes to set and check their position. Normally if they have anchored too close they will realise and move in that 30 minutes.
If I can help by dropping a bit more chain, or pulling some up I will to help a new commer.
If a boat's hull is over my anchor that's fine. (As long as its under their boat or boat swing, not their chain on top of my anchor).

After 30 minutes and they are too close I will dinghy over and welcome them to the anchorage and talk about what's it like onshore. After a while they always mention their position. I don't need to bring it up. They invariably mention it. Then I can casually ask what they think. They have then always moved or fixed it. No agro, no hassle. No nasty looks.



We are all in this game together. Not first, not last, but TOGETHER

And why did we pick this bay to anchor? Because a little slice of paradise. Paradise so rare we need to share.


Mark

Nice method, nice attitude, nice post

[Sandero]

Excellent Mark... share... be cooperative... do unto others as you would have them do to you.

[WindwardPrinces]

I like Mark's philosophy. I think that addresses most situations.

This situation, however, doesn't really seem all that grey.

While there are two conflicting rules, "Local custom in a crowded anchorage" vs. "We were there first", the local custom takes priority. If you're there first, you do get the first choice of spot, but you don't get the option of changing the established anchoring custom of a crowded anchorage. You certainly can anchor further out, and hope nobody needs the space, but if someone pulls in beside you, the courteous thing is to observe the local custom.

You can can try and communicate "my husband is sick, so we need more space" logic, but you are relying on your neighbor's good graces, and who is to say that someone else won't come in behind them? If you don't communicate at all, how is the other boat supposed to know that you're just not showing a lack of awareness? Doesn't everyone in the anchorage want more breeze?

This seems the equivalent of putting your items on the seat beside you in a metro car or a cinema. If there aren't many people around, it's OK and nobody cares, but as the metro car fills up it gradually becomes less OK.

I like threads like this, though. I'd rather hear other people's opinions here than in the middle of the night in a crowded anchorage.

[Mike OReilly]

Geez Mark. Keep posting like this and you're going to ruin your well-developed online reputation as a grumpy hot-head Auzzie.

BTW, I totally agree

[donradcliffe]

The best solution would have been to tell the arriving boat that your husband was ill, and could they take a line ashore for you?

[WindwardPrinces]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

The best solution would have been to tell the arriving boat that your husband was ill, and could they take a line ashore for you?

Wow. That's a great solution.

[Canibul]

Sure beats my big red biohazard!, Radiation warning! High Voltage! and quarantine! signs held to the lifelines with yellow crime scene tape....

[autumnbreeze27]

we had a guy come in and anchor on top of us recently.
we came in to an anchorage and dropped our hook off another boats stern when the wind was out of the north.
a guy came in a day later when the wind was light out of the east, enough to turn the boats but not enough to drag all the chain in line with the anchor off the bow.
guy drops his gear between us and the other boat before a big norther was supposed to blow.
I told him he was on my gear, and that the guy in front of him is single handing with a manual windlass, so he could be putting us both in a bad place when the wind comes up. he gave me attitude and said he was fine where he was.
the wind came up and we swung back to the north, but he was slightly off to one side so i hoped he was clear of my gear, but when we pulled the hook a few days later we dragged him over to us and had to fend him off.
luckily he was able to drag his gear clear of ours without any major brain damage.

i took pictures of his boat in case he hit us in the night and then fled. not sure why the other boat took pictures of you, except to maybe post on FB to all their friends that they were pissed at you.

my two take aways from the experience was to try killing them with kindness next time, maybe invite them over for a drink first before asking them to move; and to rig a buoy to my anchor so when I tell somebody my anchor is over there they won't argue with me about it

[Canibul]

you guys are all so nice!! I'm now feeling guilty that some of my early thoughts on this issue involved a midnite dive, pliers, and a newly loosed anchor shackle.

[Liam Wald]

May be off subject...
But what I really hate is being the only boat in a HUGE anchorage and then another boat sails in and anchors right next to me.
Also poor anchoring etiquette IMHO.

[autumnbreeze27]

Originally Posted by Liam Wald

May be off subject...
But what I really hate is being the only boat in a HUGE anchorage and then another boat sails in and anchors right next to me.
Also poor anchoring etiquette IMHO.

What I hate even more is when you see somebody in the best/most protected spot (in a small anchorage), so you anchor near them but with some extra room to give people their privacy... and then some a-hole comes in and anchors in between you!

That's when I really miss my black powder cannon.

[Cheechako]

You were there first, they need to anticipate where you might move with their anchoring style.
However, if everyone else is anchored with a tie to shore, Then I say, your etiquette may not be the best. But you say you anchored out toward the end... so... I guess it depends on what that means.....how far away etc... if I were entering the anchorage, and saw you out there on a single hook, I would know why you anchored out there and not anchor next to you.... respecting your choice

[JPA Cate]

Mark J. Great post. Beautiful applied psychology. Good on ya! It is a much better approach than what I suggested because it really validates them and allows them to do the right thing. And it's friendly.

Ann

[WindwardPrinces]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Mark J. Great post. Beautiful applied psychology. Good on ya! It is a much better approach than what I suggested because it really validates them and allows them to do the right thing. And it's friendly.

Ann

His post also helps avoid the problem in the first place.

[CurtisM]

I'm the husband. Kinda thinking I picked up strep. We'll see.

On the anchoring, we've seen this A2 there quite a few times as it seems a favorite of their's too. Does seem to me they have a habit of squeezing in closer to others than everyone else in the harbour. Last May someone on another boat got in a yelling match with A2. It got really ugly too. The other boat was there first and A2 came in and squeezed in between two closely, tied off, cats even though there was plenty of room to the west. One could almost jump from deck to deck once A2 was in there. I've even had to yield to them in the channel when they were motoring and we were on a starboard tack. I think they just believe they own this area or something.

On this one, when I woke up, it was almost dark. The winds were forecast to be below 10 so I figured all would be fine. We did get really close during the night once. I guess that's why they moved. I explained to my wife to feel free to say something next time and just be friendly about it. But, expect them to yell back as they did with the other guy.

Heck, we dropped anchor in Deadman's Bay the other day and ended closer than I had planned to another boat. I saw one of them look my way and called out I was going to rehook. He said no problem cause they were going to leave in an hour. Really cool.

This incident with A2 is the first problem we've ever had. Disappointing to say the least.

Now we're over in Key Bay (Sprat Bay) and have the entire place to ourselves. Still feel like ****, but what ya gonna do?

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