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Johan Leopard51 · 25-08-2024, 01:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sabado

I'm curious about this. How far would you take your assertiveness? We recently had a catamaran anchor in front but about 100 feet off our port side. He started backing perpendicular to us dragging his anchor at close to 5 knots. His anchor hooked ours but (luckily) let it go after spinning us.

He then settle even with our starboard beam and about 15 feet away (we're also on a cat).

I asked him if he could move a little further away and he cursed me out and told me to go back to my country and started drinking.

We moved and had no more interaction with the boat. Are you suggesting you would have done differently?

I haven’t had to but would anyway not spoil holiday by getting violent. Start would be call to one of the maritime safety boats.

have heard of people finding their anchor hanging below their bridle when they try figure out why they are not holding position.

**Dockhead** · 25-08-2024, 01:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johan Leopard51

. . . If it doesn’t I will have NO qualms about taking more assertive measures than moving my yacht. The other guy IS WRONG in safety principles and basic manners. If I move I empower his incompetence/attitude.. .

I would respectfully suggest that this attitude is problematic. Where does this sense of entitlement come from?

If another sailor is incompetent and aggressively ignorant, then he sure as hell does not need you to "empower his incompetence/attitude" -- really stupid people are going to be stupid in a fully empowered way with or without you, and it's a fool's errand to try to "teach him". All you accomplish is generating a lot of unpleasantness, which is inimical to the whole purpose of cruising.

Another reason why this attitude is problematic is that even competent sailors may have different judgements about what is safe or unsafe in anchoring. The situation where you regard the other guy as being "wrong in safety principles" may not be that at all in his judgement, and he might actually not be an idiot and might not even be wrong. Witness all the people who think it's "too close" if the other guy is even inside his swinging circle. No one appointed you the supreme arbiter of anchoring safety -- the custom and indeed the law of the sea is that every master makes his own judgement.

And if the person is so incompetent that his judgement is grossly wrong, like the case described by Sabado, where the guy can't even anchor his boat, you really just don't want to be anywhere near such a person anyway -- it's unsafe -- so the only thing to do is to get the hell out of there, even if it means changing your plans and going back out to sea. What possible good can come from engaging such a person?

We say: "Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty. And besides, the pig likes it." Stupid, aggressive people love a good row. Why would you give them the pleasure? Unless you are one of them yourself?

Johan Leopard51 · 25-08-2024, 02:22

Dockhead:

You seem to assume vigilante violence. As I’ve said several times : we get great results from swimming over and having a chat. In our waters, it is mostly to protect the late arrival and/or the choral, not about protecting our vessel! They thank us and adjust.

It would be irresponsible and negligent of me NOT to engage with the visitor.

I have once insisted the guy move, and he did without any argument. In that case he was on anchor in a choral recovery field that has buoys-only rule. Not a matter of opinion whether I am right, but matter of law.

**Dockhead** · 25-08-2024, 02:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johan Leopard51

Dockhead:

You seem to assume vigilante violence. As I’ve said several times : we get great results from swimming over and having a chat. In our waters, it is mostly to protect the late arrival and/or the choral, not about protecting our vessel! They thank us and adjust.

It would be irresponsible and negligent of me NOT to engage with the visitor.

I have once insisted the guy move, and he did without any argument. In that case he was on anchor in a choral recovery field that has buoys-only rule. Not a matter of opinion whether I am right, but matter of law.

When the "engagement" is a polite chat, then of course that's only good

.

It's when it gets to "standing ground" and such escalations, then not.

Illegal anchoring in coral recovery zones is a completely different question. Sharing information about that to someone who may be unaware is a good deed. If that doesn't have any effect, however -- you're not the cops. You can call the cops, of course.

**JPA Cate** · 25-08-2024, 15:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg K

Thanks for sharing that, Ann. Understand completely the elevated emotions in such a situation. Always interesting to hear the honest reflection post event.

I have seen a number of such situations especially in the Aegean, and most often the solution was for the offending boat to loosen their chain freely while keeping their vessel off the quay (either by engine or by tying off to the boat next to them) so that the chain would not offer so much resistance. In that way his chain would be moved while your anchor is being retrieved, but his anchor would still remain set. The Frenchman did himself no favor by his intransience. Alas, that is usually the case.

I thought about this overnight, and I suppose if we had gone over to his boat with a few cookies or hors-d'oeuvres and behaved friendly so that we had become friendly acquaintances, the story could have had a very different ending. I wish I could claim I thought of it then, rather than so many years later.

Ann

kmacdonald · 25-08-2024, 15:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

I thought about this overnight, and I suppose if we had gone over to his boat with a few cookies or hors-d'oeuvres and behaved friendly so that we had become friendly acquaintances, the story could have had a very different ending. I wish I could claim I thought of it then, rather than so many years later.

Ann

It might have been a waste of cookies though.

davefromoregon · 25-08-2024, 22:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

Stern tying can indeed very "trying". We HATE stern tying and avoid it. Quite common in BC's Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound (only in Summer!). Crossing anchor rodes definitely possible but not as common as when med mooring in Greece.

lol. Join the club and those are my cruising ground.

**JPA Cate** · 26-08-2024, 01:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

It might have been a waste of cookies though.

It might! We'll never know. And it would only have been an n of one.
Not significant.

Ah, well.

Ann

Montanan · 26-08-2024, 08:35

Yum, shared cookies with edibles. A great way to while away a shared anchorage when one doesn't worry about how close one's neighboring boat may be.

kmacdonald · 26-08-2024, 08:52

Nothing like fending off with a cookie.

**Dockhead** · 26-08-2024, 09:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

It might! We'll never know. And it would only have been an n of one.
Not significant.

Ah, well.

Ann

How many times in your life did you ever regret making a random friendly gesture to a stranger?

Speaking for myself -- I can't actually think of even one time. There is practically nothing to lose, and often a lot to gain.

I was thinking about this not long ago and was kind of surprised. I try to always keep this in mind.

kmacdonald · 26-08-2024, 09:09

I'm anchoring on top of them to get cookies! A reward of sorts.

Fuss · 26-08-2024, 10:19

What is going on here? 14000 of you still going on about anchoring etiquette while I have created the worlds smallest and lightest 3kwh lithium outboard battery and only have around 700 views.
I mean, let’s try to get a sense of importance here, if it wasn’t for this stupid anchoring etiquette thread, the accolades and awards would be rolling in, not only making me famous but cruisersforum too.
Really, this is too much!