A very simple case

[pelissima]

I know, its December, but just think Ionion, mid Olympics this year, dead night, moonlight, dead calm and we gently motor our way mid Vlichos away from the noisy Nidri, to drop the hook in 4m in the mud and collapse. Not the slightest breathe, and the yachts are lying in all directions so no clue of their anchors and scope. Weather is expected to stay as is. We anchor at some open spot, we reverse at opposite direction from the expected slight zephyr and finish with engine. In the total calm I cannot wait to hear the ice into my glass. The unexpected thunder voice that breaks the scene into pieces comes then from a small (28?) foreign wooden yacht, something like 60? meters away.
DO you have No brains? He demands to know.
DO you know Anything about ships? He continues
The voice looks a bit on the drunk side, and old, well, much older than myself (56).
He goes like this for a while, and on a small break
Where is your anchor, captain ? I ask in anticipation.
But no, he goes on and on for a few very nervous minutes.
Wooden yacht, where is your anchor, and what seems to be bothering you? I try again to no avail. He looks determined to go on all night, and despite protests from my crew I weight anchor and within minutes we enjoy our drinks in peace. Only myself is still wondering if I did the right thing.
Just what would you have done?


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[Evadne]

I always try and avoid the company of prats, it spoils a nice day's sailing and I go out to enjoy myself, not to get grumpy. In the Solent they are usually insisting that nobody is to moor alongside their boat or share a communal mooring buoy. IMHO you did the right thing: arguing would have made him feel better and you feel worse, ignoring him but staying put would have ended in a physical confrontation or a lost night's sleep. Leaving him to his own miserable company was the best move.

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[ccscott49]

I totally agree, anything for a quiet life!

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[fireball]

Probably the best thing to do ... he hardly sounded like a co-operative neighbour ...
For the sake of a quiet evening and following morning it doesn't take that long to clear off out of ear shot ....

If you'd stuck your ground and it turned out he'd got his anchor on a long line (big tides in that area /forums/images/icons/wink.gif) you could've ended up much closer ...

Of course - another explanation is that he didn't want to disturb your sleep with his loud snores, so he was actually being very considerate /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[tcm]

um, i think i wd've written it up spelling "Ionian" and the phrase "weigh anchor" correctly to ensure that not even one single person could possibly disagree with your account?..

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[ShipsDog]

Grrrrr Grrrrrrr Wooof Wooof... Tranquil Bay?

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[pelissima]

Thx to all, and from now on TCM I will weigh anchor but not to Ionian, I will stick to the Aegean.
Rgds George

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[snowleopard]

a gallic shrug perhaps? it works for the french.

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[Phoenix of Hamble]

I too would have left, but I'd have been a little rude on the way out /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

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[benjenbav]

How about:

Departing yachtsman: Thanks for making me feel at home

Anchorage owning skipper: Wodya mean

DY: Well it's just that I seem to be in the wrong all the time. (Sorry dear, just a joke)

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[Sgeir]

Seen some odd anchoring from all sorts of flags in different places, but the attitude thing in the Ionian seems to be a Red Ensign speciality. Sure he wasn't a crusty old EPW? They're generally single-handers, probably because no-one can bear to be with them.

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[tcm]

You need a bigger engine i'm afraid. A very rude person in a spanish anchorage played music and blasted around on a dinghy till v late. Next morning we left at 5 am at significant speed but of course, we had a nice drive around his boat first (at 25 knots).

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[AndrewB]

Better that than this?

A few years back we arrived in Vlicho Bay rather late in the evening after a long passage, chucked the hook down without much thought in the first available bay, went ashore to a suitably bucolic meal in a nearby village (Kiriaki?), and then returned exhausted to sleep off the effects until sometime after noon the next day. When I finally emerged, a guy on a nearby yacht rowed over in his dinghy. We passed the time of day for a few minutes before he mentioned, ever so politely, that he'd been hoping to leave first thing that morning but couldn't because our anchor was over his, and now we were up would it be possible to sort it?

So instead of bristling with richeous aggrevation, as I would have if he'd shouted at me when I arrived, I ended up feeling throughly guilty and inconsiderate for the rest of the day!

 

[Sgeir]

Re: Better that than this?

Happens to everyone at some time. Wind against tide/current can make it difficult for late arrivals to make a clear judgement as to scopes. When it does happen both parties need to keep their cool.

Catching other boats' hooks while deliberately dragging/lifting while under power is quite different and obviously unacceptable IMHO.

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[Shakey]

I'd have had a run ashore in Nidri, gone to Bubbles bar and Byblos, had a thoroughly good re-tox session whilst leaving him to argue with himself like a tramp down the bus station, then noisily arrived back on board at about 0400.

So much for Tranquil Bay!

As for crossed anchors, it's not usually that difficult to sort out yourself in those non tidal sheltered waters.

<hr width=100% size=1>It could have been worse - it could have been me.