Jan 14, 2014
Why park your boats so close together?
You know how you like boondock in your RV and be away from everyone, so why would these boats anchor so close to each other?
We had five in last evening. The last two moored so closely to the others.
They have the entire bay to choose from. Is it safety in numbers?
This one has been in for a few days now, obviously a Canadian.
Ishmael trimmed my bougainvillea yesterday. They have been growing like weeds.
Maybe its this great weather we are having. I actually wondered yesterday about coping with the heat in March and early April before we go.
We put up another sun umbrella yesterday. Love the sun but even Caeli knows when to get out of it.
Life is very very good here on the Isla this winter. No complaints at all.
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I ask myself the same question about RV’s. Why do they park so close when they don’t have to. I call it huddling. With countless acres of room on BLM lands many RV’ers have a tendency to park close to another RV. If they are afraid to be out there in the first place I would think they should stay in an RV Park & don’t crowd in on the folks who are out there to enjoy the quiet pleasures of nature.
Suzanne…..thank you for the in depth reply. I really asked because some boats end up directly in front of us and yet others much further West but this group is really bunched up. I like the idea of saving an hour chart time by staying with the group.
Peter…..nice to hear from you again, it has been a while.
Al….this group of boats reminded me of all the RV’s huddling in the BLM lands. If I can see you I certainly can hear you.
Um, that was me who wrote that comment & not Kelly……AL:))
Hi Contessa,
As a sailor, I can tell you it is probably because they see what we cannot see. 😉 The ocean looks to be “as far as the eye can see” like the boondocking desert, but in fact, it may be a very small, limited area below fit for anchorage. It needs to have the right depth for anchor scope (7X the amount of anchor line paid out per foot of depth, so to anchor safely in 100ft of water you would need 700ft of line! Not realistic on a sailboat.) You need the right surface below to fit your particular type of anchor, as there are several types (no coral heads, rocks to snag the anchor, nice sandy bottom for snugging, rather than hard packed mud that slips.) Tides, winds, what is behind you should you slip anchor and go adrift, etc. If someone else is already there, it can shave off an hour of chart research and increase your chance of getting a good night sleep. Seeing someone else anchored in a safe and secure spot equates to finding a free beach-side site with “hookups.” 😉
Suzanne just nailed it! Anchoring is no easy task and you need to watch your spot for a while to make sure you’re not dragging.
Knew there was a good reason they parked close together.
George…..I’m still not sold on the idea totally, there has to be more room out there with all that water.
Contessa….Suzanne is correct. HOWEVER, I can tell you that many cruisers (having lived aboard and sailed for 5 years I can share this!) choose to anchor close to other sailboats. Bob and I could never understand it. We left the USA aboard our sailboat with dreams of isolated and romantic anchorages. But over and over again we would get anchored in a wonderful and pristine anchorage, only to watch 2 or 3 others anchor next to us as we sipped our cocktails. Loved our cruising companions, but loved loosing them from time to time too! Margie http://www.babyboomersonthego.com
I appreciate your comment Margie. We watched another one come in last night and it made a beeline to be dead centre of the pack!!