Anchoring Etiquette

[geem]

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?

We see that a lot in busy anchorages. In Guadeloupe there was a yacht once with maybe 200ft of chain out. If he had of swung, he would have wiped out half the anchorage.
Another guy came over to us once complaining we were too close. I said you must be kidding. It was shallow water and he had 200ft of chain out. Said he was there for the season. FFS
We were in the Bahamas and cruising in company with a good friend. We dropped our hook and our friend dropped his nearby. Another cruiser arrived in his dinghy to tell my friend he couldn't anchor there. My friend asked why not. He was told that his friend was arriving soon and he always anchored there. It was his spot. My friend was seriously put out and used a lot of expletives. The other guy left
We don't anchor in Clifton. Far nicer down by Frigate. You can dinghy up the inside passage under the suspension bridge. Follow a local boat through the gap in the reef for the first go

 

[geem]

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

And their fenders

 

[geem]

All this diving over the side lark? Is that a must for you hook dwellers? Some of the east coats codgers I have met smell to me as if they have never had a bath for ages, let alone go swimming to look for an anchor

Mind you, give em a pair of thigh waders & they could find a sinker in 4 ft of mud in minutes

Well the water is 27degC. You are going for a swim anyway, it's hot so you need to cool off. What more reason do you need

 

[john_morris_uk]

Are you quite sure your colloquial French was quite up to the task and that you didn't miss any of the 'double entendres'....?

If only. They spoke English and I spoke broken French.

 

[capnsensible]

And their fenders

Question is, who's fenders.....

 

[capnsensible]

All this diving over the side lark? Is that a must for you hook dwellers? Some of the east coats codgers I have met smell to me as if they have never had a bath for ages, let alone go swimming to look for an anchor

Mind you, give em a pair of thigh waders & they could find a sinker in 4 ft of mud in minutes

Where you live, no one swims. They just go through the motions....

 

[SimonKNZ]

I had a similar/opposite experience recently. Anchored in ~8m depth, offshore breeze forecast up to 25 kts overnight, but good holding and a good anchor so used 40m of chain. A couple of hours later, a very nice 45ft yacht passes close abeam and starts to drop anchor about 40m upwind of me. Skipper seemed very surprised to be told I had 40m out but to his credit, moved elsewhere. I still can't work out how much chain he thought appropriate, or why anchoring immediately upwind of someone in that forecast was a good idea