Anchoring

AngusMcDoon said:
That's all great & wonderful, but you seem to be unable to recognise that other people have different priorities, experience & idea of what they like to do, so why criticise them for doing something different to you?

Some people like to go to noisy beach resorts for their holiday, others to head for the hills & get away from it all, others still to cities for culture. No-one would say one is better than the other, so why apply the same thinking to marinas or anchoring?

Some like marinas, others like anchoring, yet more a mix of both. Embrace it. Live & let live. Nobody will criticise you for choosing to anchor whenever you can.
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Sure, no problem. I did say each onto their own. :) That's just my personal experience not a criticism of others. But it may be fair to observe that more folk who've got into sailing after marinas became the norm have less exposure to how folks cruised in the era when mooring buoys and anchorages were the norm, therefore limiting the number of perceived destinations and passage legs available. There are many who seem to have an aversion to anchoring overnight. And in fairness too there are some cute small marinas in very scenic locations that are not noisy. But the big ones leave me cold and personally I don't find them relaxing, quite the opposite.
 
Neeves said:
Frankly we like the idea that people want to stay in a marina or on a courtesy mooring - it leaves room for those of us who prefer to anchor. I also like the idea these same people are financing a marina and that the existence of the marina supports a chandler (that I might need to visit) and fuel dock (though I do baulk at fuel dock prices!). I am annoyed when the marina has been built such that it impose on what was an ideal anchorage.

Jonathan
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Happy to agree with you.

The thing that has really died out is anchoring on passage round the coast. Nobody does that now. Well, almost nobody. I do recall sitting in Dover outer harbour waiting for a slant to get down Channel and seeing actually a rather clean and smart little coaster come in, drop anchor for the duration of the flood tide and then set off again.
 
I saw a couple of boats try a number of times to anchor in New Grimsby Sound when I was there 5 weeks ago. It would seem there's quite a lot of weed near the Tresco shore. That would have been exhausting if it were me as I pull my anchor up by hand and would have had to make several attempts to recover anchor and chain by hand. Was therefore quite relieved that one of the mooring buoys was available for me.
 
Minn said:
Happy to agree with you.

The thing that has really died out is anchoring on passage round the coast. Nobody does that now. Well, almost nobody. I do recall sitting in Dover outer harbour waiting for a slant to get down Channel and seeing actually a rather clean and smart little coaster come in, drop anchor for the duration of the flood tide and then set off again.
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Do many actually make passage round the coast, of the UK? Maybe I don't read enough of the threads but I don't get the idea it is that popular.

I cannot say it is that popular here, we do have an annual migration up the coast in the winter, when people escape the 'cold' of a Sydney or Melbourne winter - but most people, day or 'weekend' sail (and nothing wrong with that). Mot people simply do not have the time to make decent passages (they are too buy working to pay off the loan on the yacht!). I don't think we have the marina population of the UK but when a new marina is built it soon fills up with permanent berth holders (I'm not sure where they come from - but assume the 'availability' of a marina encourages boat ownership - which, again, cannot be a bad thing).

I cannot think of the last time we stayed in a marina, it must be 10 year ago at least - but we do use them to re-fuel.
 
Neeves said:
Do many actually make passage round the coast, of the UK? Maybe I don't read enough of the threads but I don't get the idea it is that popular.

I cannot say it is that popular here, we do have an annual migration up the coast in the winter, when people escape the 'cold' of a Sydney or Melbourne winter - but most people, day or 'weekend' sail (and nothing wrong with that). Mot people simply do not have the time to make decent passages (they are too buy working to pay off the loan on the yacht!). I don't think we have the marina population of the UK but when a new marina is built it soon fills up with permanent berth holders (I'm not sure where they come from - but assume the 'availability' of a marina encourages boat ownership - which, again, cannot be a bad thing).

I cannot think of the last time we stayed in a marina, it must be 10 year ago at least - but we do use them to re-fuel.
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I don't know now but I guess times haven't chance that much , I was based on the east coast back home and like many in them days it was long weekend sailing and school holidays when we use to go off to France Holland or the CI .
Weekend sailing was normally up to the river Ard , Deben , Walton blackwaters anchor for the night return back the next day all within a nice day sail or a long sail would be up to southwold or Lowestoft , a very long weekend would see us making for Ramsgate or a crossing to Calais in France although getting the timing right for the tides and the lock could be a pain to get back in time for Sunday night .
We where very lucky on the east coast we had some great rivers to anchor in but still some would head from Marina to Marina or to a mooring buoy on the Orwell or Debem for the night .
As you say many need don't have the time , that would be the case mostly around the UK coast , south coast sailor would be doing the same .
 
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Ah, and I'm back and feeling quite relaxed and chilled after a pleasant sunsoaked weekend at anchor.

Yes it is definitely each to their own, they are the captains of their ships and it is their choice, just wish they wouldn't witter on VHF about it.

as for the choice of brick and bog chain . . . . . . clearly it would be a 'breeze block' and the chain should be 1970's public lav standard, at least 4 fathoms worth and some string
 
Robert Wilson said:
Part salty, part gin - I would say ;)

Hiya Chris, any better anchoring places than Mill Bay, Gruinard?
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No place better. Great showers, restaurant with a superb view and the harbour master even helped launch the dinghy. Very cheap too... only cosy a bottle of gin!! :)

Back on thread, as Aja says above, the problem is where moorings and marinas are built on what were good anchorages causes problems. Still, plenty of space on the West Coast.
 
Appledore said:
Would the string be for the bog paper Pete?:cool:

Might see you Thursday pm if you are around. Depends on winds of course.
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The string is to provide some stretch to stop any snatching should another boat go by and cause a ripple on the water. any excess of string could be deployed to hold the bog roll, good idea.

Should be about somewhere but off to the big world for a night in PZ at the weekend, business as usual from Monday.
 
I love lying to an anchor though when the wind gets up and you find that you are now on a lee shore it does trouble the sleep patterns.

I have no qualms though about getting back to the marina. I enjoys the sanitaires and then there is always an apéritif on somebody's boat. There is a great ambiance among the members.
 
Aja said:
Currently sitting at anchor in Gigha, the only person that is. Unfortunately what was once a dependable anchorage (except in easterlies) has now been reduced to a situation where you anchor where you can squeeze in. Not a good situation at all. But then again, I'm using the free wifi :encouragement:

Donald
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There's still plenty of room to anchor in Ardminish Bay and we have done so in days of yore, but I have reservations about anchoring and paying nothing, whilst using the wifi, dropping rubbish off in the skips, using the expensive jetty to land etc.. There's a principle of trying to leave a place a little better than one finds it? Of course, if just passing on passage...
 
As I said the wifi will be there whether I am or not and is free to all that receive it. You can't now anchor north of the moorings as you will as I did incur the full fury of the Master of the CalMac ferry who indicated with a wave of his hand that I should relocate. There isn't any real depth to the south of the moorings. We had a sniff around and had less than 1.5 metres and little swinging room. Please don't the say I should pick up a mooring, i leave them for others that like the security and ease of use.

Donald
 
I am not allowed to anchor more than 2 days in a row.
Preferably not even 2 days in a row. Showers with hot and cold water and the ability to wash ones hair are deemed essential by my crew. :)
 
Uricanejack said:
I am not allowed to anchor more than 2 days in a row.
Preferably not even 2 days in a row. Showers with hot and cold water and the ability to wash ones hair are deemed essential by my crew. :)
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Same with us but my wife’s solution was to insist on buying a boat with two head that we had hot and cold running water in so that we use them not marina facilities even when tied up. I was amazed but pleased at her expensive decision which has worked very well so far with us now spending most nights at anchor.
 
Uricanejack said:
I am not allowed to anchor more than 2 days in a row.
Preferably not even 2 days in a row. Showers with hot and cold water and the ability to wash ones hair are deemed essential by my crew. :)
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Tut! Sailors today. :roll eyes: She can get showers in the cockpit whenever it rains, and if you'd insisted she'd tarred her hair she wouldn't need to wash it! ;)
 
Uricanejack said:
I am not allowed to anchor more than 2 days in a row. Preferably not even 2 days in a row. Showers with hot and cold water and the ability to wash ones hair are deemed essential by my crew. :)
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My beloved Navigator likes a shower at least every 2 days but likes Marinas no more than I. However if anchor and we row ashore say in the Scilly isles there is generally a campsite, boatyard or hostelry with such facilities. As an engineer I of course make do with a squirt of WD40 under the arms
 
Being the 21st Century and having a clutch of granddaughters we catered in our build for this eventuality, we have instant hot water (gas boiler) and a desalinator. They girls did need to learn what a Navy shower was and they soon learnt not to invoke the wrath of the skipper (my wife) by using too much water. The benefit of having catered for the young ladies is that when they are not aboard, which is most of the time as school takes priority, we are able to have 2 hot showers a day (and do the laundry in fresh water). It does help, considerably, to have a trailing water gen, wind gen and a decent solar array.

The investment may seem high - but I suspect over 20 years of shunning marinas - the kit has paid for itself many times over.

If you are going to live on your yacht for an extended period - slumming it soon palls.

Jonathan
 
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