European Impressions of Cruising the US

[weavis]

Like Carsten, I am a former resident of the USA for 14 years. There is good and bad to be observed.

I too will second his observations regarding hospitality to visitors. It can be at least, excellent, and at most, Outstanding. There is an inbuilt warmth from Canadians and Americans that extends to being hospitable to a large degree.

So glad the trip was worthwhile for you both.

As to your plans to swap out the yacht for a trawler in your later years, an excellent idea..

[Mike OReilly]

Thanks carstenb, really nice little overview. I’m on-again, off-again about travelling the ICW. Your piece has tipped the scales to back on-again (for now ).

[Emouchet]

Hudson County Police seems to be zealous. Funny enough, one time they boarded our Canadian flagged vessel, and then, they did not knew what paper to ask for. Driving license !!
They totally forgot to check what used to be a big thing years ago, i.e. direct discharge Y valve, since Hudson river is a no discharge area.

[boatman61]

Anchor ball is the black ball one is supposed to suspend at the front of the boat to inform others one is anchored.

[CFS Klopas]

This American is shocked to hear about bears and wolves along the ICW. MAYBE at the northern end if the Hudson.

[Tingum]

Thank you for an excellent post, I wish I was as fluent in a second language as are most Europeans!

[alaskaflyfish]

Thank you for your write up of your travels. I am a Newfoundlander who currently lives in Alaska. I did spend time traveling from Maine to Florida, and I must say that the "Southerners" in the Southeast U.S. are the kindest, most generous people I have ever met. They will go out of their way to help, even to the point of gifting you money if they think you need it. Yankees seem rude initially till you get to know them. When it is time for me to leave Alaska (soon) I am torn between moving to the Southeast U.S. or Hawaii.

[Cpt Pat]

As an American, who learned to sail in Sweden 30 years ago during a 2 year stay, I completely agree with you about the disregard for the COLREGs here. I believe you would find a weekend sail in the San Francisco Bay to be equally nerve wracking.

I still hoist my anchor ball when needed and a proper anchor light over the foredeck - not at the top of the mast where it impersonates a star and gives anyone close aboard a stiff neck looking up at it. If the Coast Guard did a more thorough job, there'd certainly be a market for anchor balls here, and few suppliers. I'll give away my invention: get a dodecahedron radar reflector, spray paint it black, and hoist it over the foredeck with your foresail halyard and a downhaul line. Problem solved. And you get an extra radar reflector as a bonus.

I really enjoyed your post and its imagery. I think we tend to take for granted the beauty of our country, and it's helpful to see it through a visitor's eyes.


While living in Sweden, I encountered many people there who believed they had experienced America by only visiting its major cities. The average sized city in America has a population of a little more than 20,000. I encouraged them to visit the people in America's heartland whose trust, kindness and curiosity better represent who we really are. I'm glad you met some of those people.

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by astokel

It is truly sad that I no longer feel welcome in America. Yes, I am sure if I did visit, that citizens would offer free dockage and a warm welcome as usual, but recent developments have left me, as many others, feeling alienated from our closest neighbour.

I'd like to hear more, too. Certainly our government officials are pretty humorless, but like any bureaucracy, if you follow the rules things work out.

I wish I knew where you found free dockage. I can't even find that very often as a citizen.

I will say that I've found Canadians more friendly and welcoming than US citizens. Maybe everybody has a soft spot for visitors, and tend to let their own folks fend for themselves.

[earlgray]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

anchoring balls? There are far too many of them as it is. My experience in annapolis I found 100 moorings all designed for 55ft boats and not a single boat. They spoiled the anchorage.

English is not my first language but I think he was talking about this.....

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by earlgray

English is not my first language but I think he was talking about this.....

that's the baby..

[Rigdaddy]

Carsten
Thank you for taking the time to write such a well thought-out and constructed post. I appreciate your observations, candor and enthusiasm. May you and Vinni have many more miles under your (deep) keel. Also, keep posting about them here.

[TrentePieds]

Yes. In the interests of sustaining the jargon - "sailorspeak", if you will - this gizzmo and a number of other such signalling devices are collectively called "day shapes".

The use of Day Shapes is laid down in COLREGS, and while there is a great deal of laxity in their use around here, I think it is appropriate that we should all know what the mandated shapes are for all the specified situations so we may know with precision in just precisely what manner we are non-compliant :-)!

The job pictured above is really a radar reflector pressed into duty as a "day shape", A nod to COLREGS has been made by painting it black. For purposes of collision avoidance I think it's pretty useless, but it does keep you in compliance.

That's how I play the game.

The thing that floats and that you tie to, is a "mooring ball" or a "mooring can". Around here they are only black if the owner doesn't know any better :-). I've heard such a mooring ball referred to as a "Scotsman", presumable on the grounds that it caters to those who are too indigent or too parsimonious to pay marina fees :-)!

TP

[boatman61]

No.. that's the standard fold flat 'ball' one buys in a chandlers.. the motoring triangle is the same, folds flat for storage.

[TrentePieds]

Boatie - is that a "no" to me :-)?

A "ball" doesn't have to be a ball in the physical sense, to be a satisfactory "ball" when seen from a distance. COLREGS, in fact, call for "a ball OR SIMILAR SHAPE" IIRC.

Clearly, in a 30-footer, I like the collapsible jobs that will stow flat under a cushion.

We can argue the finer points. E.g. a radar reflector, painted black and worn permanently qua radar reflector while underway, puts you OUT OF compliance. So have two - one black to be used as an "anchoring ball" and the other, the permanently worn one, left in bare metal. Again, I doubt its practical efficacy, but it does keep you in compliance.

TP