Anchorages you have had to yourself for a week

[Rufus]

And people wonder why nobody retires "up north!"

When we go places by boat we spend money in the local economy. My AMEX bill from our last trip was right around $4500 with at least $1500 of that spent on food while eating out over 16 days.

I know that some cruisers can be notoriously cheap though too. When we were in Hopetown we saw first hand just how cheap can be. The locals hated it for sure.

"Up North" is just fine with cruiser opportunists who pass through on the cheap during the summer months.

You described a local boater on a summer vacation cruise....as I said, the boaters who do spend money.

Taken on the whole full time cruisers clog up all the small anchorages, stay in only the cheapest slips they can find and dump piles of trash when they arrive. They frequent the local grocery store, laundry and liquor store, then make excessive noise in the marina while they party and "dine" on the nearest sundeck boat with their cruiser buddies. They consume inordinate amounts of booze and marina fresh water to wash their filthy boats. They are cheap tippers. Opportunists. Vagabonds. Tolerated, but not really welcome. There are outliers, but we don't see many. (Ten years observing).

 

[Salish Nomad]

Hole In The Wall, Prince of Wales Island.

Lies just south of Port Protection, Sumner Strait.

 

[Lou_tribal]

I am wondering how the "quality" of a boater (or even non boater) can be measured by the amount of money he spends... Some poor men are cheap disturbers and rich men very cool people but also some broken guys are real angels while some golden boys just stupid blokes.
Pardon me but if anyone judge anybody on the money spent, he must not be part of the best fellow of the two categories.
But this is just my opinion

Note: The use of male is for simplification and not sign of any machismo, the same apply to females

L

 

[AusCan]

"Up North" is just fine with cruiser opportunists who pass through on the cheap during the summer months.

You described a local boater on a summer vacation cruise....as I said, the boaters who do spend money.

Taken on the whole full time cruisers clog up all the small anchorages, stay in only the cheapest slips they can find and dump piles of trash when they arrive. They frequent the local grocery store, laundry and liquor store, then make excessive noise in the marina while they party and "dine" on the nearest sundeck boat with their cruiser buddies. They consume inordinate amounts of booze and marina fresh water to wash their filthy boats. They are cheap tippers. Opportunists. Vagabonds. Tolerated, but not really welcome. There are outliers, but we don't see many. (Ten years observing).

I don't make much noise, but I'm guilty of the rest of your slurs.

I guess I wouldn't be welcome up there.

 

[Lou_tribal]

I don't make much noise, but I'm guilty of the rest of your slurs.



I guess I wouldn't be welcome up there.

You are very welcome if you don't make noise, it will give me a break

L

 

[Rufus]

I don't make much noise, but I'm guilty of the rest of your slurs.

I guess I wouldn't be welcome up there.

Correct.

 

[k9medic]

Holy-Moly!

We just got back from a 16 day trip and spent under $1000.00 fuel included. (Left with full tanks, filled up again on way home, and had two restaurant meals on trip) Not being 'cheap', just staying out of towns/marinas.

We (family of 4) ate out 10 of the 16 days. We did run fast from Boca Grande to Key West which burned a round trip total of 450 gallons of fuel and burned a total of 750 gallons.

We left with very little fuel in the tanks since our home marina doesn't see fit to provide any discount. We ran on fumes until we got to the next marina 65 miles away to save almost $1.00 per gallon (almost $350 per full tank, I guess I am a cheap boater.)

With the exception of one night we stayed in marinas with a pool so the kids could get off the boat after 10-12 hours underway. The marina in Key West was $4.00/ ft. while most of the others were $1.75-2.25/ ft.

 

[AusCan]

Correct.

No Problem. I know they offer plenty of hospitality on the north side of the lakes regardless of how fat my wallet is.

btw Rufus, You are still welcome to use my secret anchorage listed above, but I'm afraid you won't find anywhere to spend your money.

 

[Lou_tribal]

The marina in Key West was $4.00/ ft.

4$/ft Hope this include services, and the limo to do your grocery

L.

 

[Lou_tribal]

No Problem. I know they offer plenty of hospitality on the north side of the lakes regardless of how fat my wallet is.

btw Rufus, You are still welcome to use my secret anchorage listed above, but I'm afraid you won't find anywhere to spend your money.

No worry for your wallet, hospitality cannot be priced. If you get there I will welcome you in our favorite anchorage with a beer or wine glass or whatever you prefer (but if you ask for water you have the river ). And do not worry about crowded anchorage, we did not see anybody there for the last 2 years, most of people don't even know you can anchor there.
But after, if you talk... lol

L.

 

[BandB]

4$/ft Hope this include services, and the limo to do your grocery

L.

Actually it does include electric, water, pump out, wifi, bikes and washers and dryers. A good deal.

It is Key West. Atlantis in Nassau is more. North Cove in NYC is more than either of them.

 

[MurrayM]

We paid 50 cents a foot in Butedale and $20.00 for the breakwater floats in Shearwater during our two nights in towns this last trip, if you can call Butedale a town

 

[BandB]

We paid 50 cents a foot in Butedale and $20.00 for the breakwater floats in Shearwater during our two nights in towns this last trip, if you can call Butedale a town

When we were in the PNW and even more as we reached Alaska, it was hilarious to us to hear the occasional complaint about dock rates. We were so very shocked at how low the rates were. Just all relative. Didn't Einstein define some law of that nature?

 

[AusCan]

No worry for your wallet, hospitality cannot be priced. If you get there I will welcome you in our favorite anchorage with a beer or wine glass or whatever you prefer (but if you ask for water you have the river ). And do not worry about crowded anchorage, we did not see anybody there for the last 2 years, most of people don't even know you can anchor there.
But after, if you talk... lol

L.

Thanks Lou,
I'm not sure if my present boat quite up for a circumnavigation, but if I get up there I'd love to share a La Fin du Monde with you.

 

[BruceK]

The devil in me says find a great spot, mess up the odor emissions from your holding tank, voila!, paradise is yours alone. Though,on reflection, you might need a nose-peg yourself...

 

[k9medic]

Holy-Moly!

We just got back from a 16 day trip and spent under $1000.00 fuel included. (Left with full tanks, filled up again on way home, and had two restaraunt meals on trip) Not being 'cheap', just staying out of towns/marinas.

Actually it does include electric, water, pump out, wifi, bikes and washers and dryers. A good deal.

It is Key West. Atlantis in Nassau is more. North Cove in NYC is more than either of them.

It is also the last time we will go to Key West. The "marina" pool is shared by a restaurant. When we arrived there were two cruise ships in port. Needless to say, my two boys saw more than we ever bargained for when we walked past the pool. Never again.

 

[MurrayM]

It is also the last time we will go to Key West. The "marina" pool is shared by a restaurant. When we arrived there were two cruise ships in port. Needless to say, my two boys saw more than we ever bargained for when we walked past the pool. Never again.

Butedale is an isolated derelict salmon cannery rapidly being reabsorbed into BC's marine and temperate rainforest ecosystems that has some logs cabled together and plywood screwed on top for tieing up to. The caretaker asked for 50 cents a foot, so we paid a little more and gave him some canned pop as well. Interesting place to wander around and there's a nice trail to the old powerhouse and lake.

Shearwater has a proper marina for a higher price, but we felt more at home with the vagabond riff-raff sailboats and commercial fishing boats on the breakwater floats

What was going on in the pool?

 

[diver dave]

OK - I'll play the game. I don't think they will be overrun with tourists.

Here's one I visited earlier this year. It even has a cave you can pull your boat into.

Get out of there if a southeasterly starts blowing.


35.1669197 South 136.492756 East

Pretty exotic! See any large sharks in that area?

 

[BandB]

It is also the last time we will go to Key West. The "marina" pool is shared by a restaurant. When we arrived there were two cruise ships in port. Needless to say, my two boys saw more than we ever bargained for when we walked past the pool. Never again.

I assume your boys are young. I would agree that Key West is not the best place for younger kids. I think some of the spots between Miami and Key West are more family friendly. We love Key West, but we don't have kids with us.

 

[diver dave]

my two boys saw more than we ever bargained for when we walked past the pool. Never again.

Sounds like Key West alright. Gotta keep the kids in the museums, the southermost point, or in restraurants. Daytime only. And, you missed the festivals.

 

[AusCan]

Pretty exotic! See any large sharks in that area?

We didn't see any there, but I'm sure there is. There are shark viewing cages at nearby South Neptune Island.

The coordinates I listed were for a spot at Wedge Island. It is a magical anchorage in the right conditions. 150 foot cliffs wrap 270 degrees around the small bay. It would only be big enough for only one or two boats. There is a cave at the water line big enough to take a decent sized boat in, although I decided my mast was a bit too close to the rock ceiling.

 

[k9medic]

Sounds like Key West alright. Gotta keep the kids in the museums, the southermost point, or in restraurants. Daytime only. And, you missed the festivals.

The worst part was the pool is only open from 11am-5pm so it WAS daytime!

 

[rwidman]

The devil in me says find a great spot, mess up the odor emissions from your holding tank, voila!, paradise is yours alone. Though,on reflection, you might need a nose-peg yourself...

One thing that usually keeps people from anchoring too close is wearing a Speedo on the bow or flybridge.

 

[Lou_tribal]

One thing that usually keeps people from anchoring too close is wearing a Speedo on the bow or flybridge.

Or, like I already saw, watch a neighbor go on his swim platform to pee while you are having a drink

L

 

[JDCAVE]

In Gwaii Haanas we shared anchorages on only 4 nights in 3 weeks this past June-July.

Jim

 

[Lou_tribal]

Do you mean an anchorage like this one?



L

 

[Simi 60]

Easy to find here.
99.9% of people have to be at work Monday.
All boats left here Sunday afternoon.

 

[menzies]

Yep, that's what we find nowadays.

Though frankly, even now on Saturday evenings when all the day boats have gone home we are often the only boat in the anchorage.

This is my current desktop image - Fort George River on a summer Saturday evening.