Anchoring Etiquette

[john_morris_uk]

Were they skinny-dipping then, giving you due warning about dress-code?

Fraid not. She even had a hat on.

 

[john_morris_uk]

This dinghy dock used to be the home to several nurse sharks. Is this still the case?

It's about 0.25 NM NW of where I think you are.
View attachment 157226

Haven’t been ashore yet. I’ll have a look. Will I get annoyed by people securing their dinghies on short painters?

 

[Stingo]

Haven’t been ashore yet. I’ll have a look. Will I get annoyed by people securing their dinghies on short painters?

Yes. The evidence is in the photo that I posted

 

[Poignard]

They’ve got an interesting schooner rig. The foremast is set a long way f’wd and there’s no Triassic stay between the masts.

View attachment 157223

'Triassic' stay?

A surveyor won't like that. Ten years is usually the age at which rigging has to be renewed.

 

[penfold]

Triatic I think, Mrs Malaprop.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Triatic I think, Mrs Malaprop.

Poignard is old he was thinking Jurassic.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Triatic I think, Mrs Malaprop.

My bad. It was early in the morning.

 

[Clancy Moped]

The bare cheek of it.

 

[john_morris_uk]

They’ve finally left at 0900

We left our anchor set and I motored to one side as they lifted theirs.



Who said something about French anchors?

They motored away with whatever was caught on their anchor still hanging there. Presumably they’re going to stop in open water to sort it out?

 

[Wansworth]

Interesting craft with weight of mast well forward…….anymore photos of the boat?

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Looks like an FOB anchor that must be why they had 50M of chain out they were relying on the chain weight rather than the anchor.

 

[Clancy Moped]

Did you ask him to change his ringtone...

 

[penfold]

Stockless anchors are usually pretty awful, the only good thing about them is they stow themselves in hawsepipes reliably. Judging by eye is not reliable either, but that looks too small for the size of vessel.

 

[newtothis]

No problem but I’m slightly bemused. We anchored in Clifton Bay, Union Island earlier today. It took us a little while to find a spot as the locals/Tobago Marine Park have filled it up with mooring buoys, but anchoring is permitted and it’s free so we dropped the hook. We anchored in about 5 metres near the edge of and in the lee of one of the reefs. A little over twenty metres of chain out. There’s a 45’ French Schooner a little way behind us.

I’m settling down to watch the cricket when there’s a knock on our hull. The French couple from the boat behind have swum over and are saying they’re leaving at 0600 tomorrow and we’re over their anchor. I must have raised an eyebrow unwittingly as they immediately explained that they’d got FIFTY metres of chain out.

Of course I said it was pas de problem and we’d be up in the morning to make sure we’re clear of them as they retrieve their anchor. They then said, actually we’re getting up at 0600 so we’ll probably be leaving at 0700.

I’ve set the alarm for 0630… let’s wait and see what actually happens.

I’ve no problem in moving. After all they were anchored here first but FIFTY METERS OF CHAIN in 5 metres of water?

I'm not criticising a far more experience sailor than me, and I don't know the local circumstances, but isn't the correct etiquette when anchoring to park up behind the other boats, not in front?

 

[john_morris_uk]

I'm not criticising a far more experience sailor than me, and I don't know the local circumstances, but isn't the correct etiquette when anchoring to park up behind the other boats, not in front?

The pilot book for Clifton says don’t anchor in the main channel. After that it’s just a matter of finding a space in amongst the other anchored boats and moorings. It took us five attempts yesterday which is the most I’ve ever had to make in my life!

 

[john_morris_uk]

As we watched the schooner depart a Sunsail boat arrived. They came up alongside us about a boat length away and looked a bit out of control.
I asked Mrs M if she could get a couple of fenders out without making it too obvious.

Fortunately they’ve gone to another part of the bay.

 

[Wansworth]

As we watched the schooner depart a Sunsail boat arrived. They came up alongside us about a boat length away and looked a bit out of control.
I asked Mrs M if she could get a couple of fenders out without making it too obvious.

Fortunately they’ve gone to another part of the bay.

Sounds awfully over crowded

 

[Clancy Moped]

Looks like an FOB anchor that must be why they had 50M of chain out they were relying on the chain weight rather than the anchor.

The FOB was advertised as the anchor used by The Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer. Given these boats don't actually do much anchoring between saving lives, our boat came with one. A cheap umbrella from.the market would have held better.

 

[capnsensible]

We found that French boats always put out all of their chain. Regardless. Don't want to stereotype but it happened a lot.

 

[Bajansailor]

Hope you find a few, as I did many moons ago.

If you do catch any, be aware that the locals won't be pleased for you. Best not let them catch sight of your catch!

Be aware that we are in the closed season for lobsters now (May - August, ie the months with no 'r' in them) and the folk in the Grenadines do observe this closed season very strongly (unlike here in Barbados, where nobody gives a damn about closed seasons, including the Coastguard).

Re their anchor, and how small it looks, relatively, it might be a 16 kg Britany from Budget Marine?
Anchor, Britany 16kg / 35.3Lb - Budget Marine