Poll: Anchor vs. Marinas

[rsn48]

Sheesh. Just call me a day sailor.

If you are on your boat and enjoying it, that counts. He who boats the most in a year wins the trophy for best value to dollar in the boat award.

 

[Andosan]

I answered less than 30% anchoring before I realised that includes moorings. In that respect more than 90% of our time is at anchor or on a mooring. We love the more quiet places if you are prepared to anchor or use a mooring.

Having said that we just did our first trip just staying in marinas - a 350Nm round trip to Busselton in the south and back again. Was a nice change having a floating dock and being able to head out to a restaurant or cafe.

One thing that hadn’t occurred to me though - on anchor or mooring you are always facing into the wind so the cockpit is always sheltered from the wind. Not so much in a marina...

 

[IntervaleII]

99% of the time, we put on about 5000NM a year

 

[ranger58sb]

My stereotype view is that the east coasters are cruising down narrower areas with less places to anchor, note: this is my view, I realize it probably isn't reality. In my head, if you are doing the loop are there really that many great places to anchor?

The Chesapeake and it's tributaries offers about 18 bazillion decent places to anchor...

-Chris

 

[rslifkin]

Two pages already ....
What’s the purpose of this thread? What can be gained from this info .... ?

Eric, I put forward the idea as I really don't know much about the east coast boating scene, and yes I know it is multi-scenes, not just one. My stereotype view is that the east coasters are cruising down narrower areas with less places to anchor, note: this is my view, I realize it probably isn't reality. In my head, if you are doing the loop are there really that many great places to anchor?

I like to learn as much as I can about boating, not just the technical stuff, but design, economics, geographical differences, various styles of boats and boating. In my convoluted brain, I can imagine that boating on the hook probably is great in the Maine area, but how great along coastal New Jersey?

On the West coast, we know there is mega areas for gunkholing and being on the hook in your own private cove. But we also know things get bleaker as you go down the coast of Washington, Oregon and California. Up here in God's country, Islands are so plentiful I've yet to see a count agree with another count of how many there are. But we all know the answer is in thousands, many of thousands. But after you cruise down Juan de Fuca Strait towards the ocean, hang a left and head to California, there only eight islands through all that distance, and those eight in California. So if your boat is in Astoria or Depoe Bay, are there good places to be on the hook?

Even with this short poll my notions are changing, many on the east coast are on the hook much more than I envisioned, good for them.

It depends on where on the East coast you are. Lots of areas have tons of good places to anchor (Long Island Sound, Cheseapeake Bay, etc.). Others have places you can anchor, but not in the same quantity.



On the loop, at least up in the Great Lakes, there are tons of places to anchor. I'm not so sure about the inland rivers though.

 

[Porgy]

The Chesapeake and it's tributaries offers about 18 bazillion decent places to anchor...

-Chris

I was thinking that and also perusing a chart, depending on one’s boat you could most likely find a suitable anchorage every night from Newfoundland to Turks & Caicos.

 

[caltexflanc]

You don't need to go to a marina to visit and enjoy many, many towns and cities on the east coast. All mooring fields have landside dinghy docks and/or launches. By definition,some sort of marina is adjacent. If you don't want to pay for a mooring, there is often good anchoring near the moorings. We like the privacy, and views of being on a mooring or at anchor. Plus you don't have the hassles of docking and hooking up power, and subsequently undoing those things, etc.

One of our main objectives when going cruising is to be places and have experiences that can only be done by boat. Otherwise, driving a car and staying at a nice hotel is a much more economical and time efficient means of merely seeing a town.

 

[bayview]

I could only vote once despite boatnig in both coasts.

 

[caltexflanc]

My wife just pointed out that a big advantage of anchoring while visiting a town is that you can always come and go on your own schedule, no worrying about running up fees or waiting for a slip to be vacated or whatever. Also in a few places, you are that much further from bad music emitted by the adjacent tiki bar.

 

[BandB]

My wife just pointed out that a big advantage of anchoring while visiting a town is that you can always come and go on your own schedule, no worrying about running up fees or waiting for a slip to be vacated or whatever. Also in a few places, you are that much further from bad music emitted by the adjacent tiki bar.

Wifey B: Advantage of dock is you can get off and on as many times in a day as you wish in only seconds. Easy to go to town, return, back to town or anything else. Easy to get deliveries made to you. Great if you have multiple people going in different directions at different times. We may have some get an early start and others sleep in.

Also, saves a lot of generator hours if you need to run gen 24/7 while cruising and anchoring. We do, and did on the loop, and it wasn't all about A/C or Heat but we carried a lot of food so freezers and refrigerator plus need for hot water and cooking.

 

[ScottC]

Dock is also closer to nice restaurants

 

[rslifkin]

Wifey B: Advantage of dock is you can get off and on as many times in a day as you wish in only seconds. Easy to go to town, return, back to town or anything else. Easy to get deliveries made to you. Great if you have multiple people going in different directions at different times. We may have some get an early start and others sleep in.

That's a big factor. Dinghying into town once or twice isn't a big deal, but if there's a lot you want to do there (or a lot of stuff to get on/off the boat) and dockage is reasonably priced, being at a dock can be convenient. Same thing with really hot weather. If it's hot, humid and there's no breeze, I want A/C. Unless dockage is really expensive, I'd rather spend a few bucks and plug in somewhere than have to burn fuel and listen to the generator for A/C (and I don't like running the generator overnight).

 

[Simi 60]

Also, saves a lot of generator hours if you need to run gen 24/7 while cruising and anchoring. We do, and did on the loop, and it wasn't all about A/C or Heat but we carried a lot of food so freezers and refrigerator plus need for hot water and cooking.

SOLAR and BATTERIES
Sorted.

 

[Shrew]

Anchor

If we can't anchor, then we take a mooring.

If we can't anchor or take a mooring, then we will typically skip the area.

We have taken a transient slip if we absolutely want to go to that destination and there are no other options. However, we only stay for 1-2 nights.

For example, we love Greenport NY, but the only option is a slip. So we only go there every few years. We haven't been to Greenport in 4-5 years. In fact, we haven't been in a transient slip in 4-5 years.

 

[BandB]

SOLAR and BATTERIES
Sorted.

Wifey B: Solar and Batteries = spoiled food and sweaty people, also unbathed and dirty hair. Seriously, might work in your situation but not for us.

 

[BandB]

That's a big factor. Dinghying into town once or twice isn't a big deal, but if there's a lot you want to do there (or a lot of stuff to get on/off the boat) and dockage is reasonably priced, being at a dock can be convenient. Same thing with really hot weather. If it's hot, humid and there's no breeze, I want A/C. Unless dockage is really expensive, I'd rather spend a few bucks and plug in somewhere than have to burn fuel and listen to the generator for A/C (and I don't like running the generator overnight).

Wifey B: We left home at 5:00 AM on the 23rd so well into day 12 on this trip. 3 nights out of the 11 at marinas. 275 hours per my calculations, to the nearest 500 or so. Out of those used a generator all but 50 hours so 225 hours and will run solid for the next two or three days.

 

[Simi 60]

Wifey B: Solar and Batteries = spoiled food and sweaty people, also unbathed and dirty hair. Seriously, might work in your situation but not for us.

Clearly you need MORE solar and batteries if your setup cant cope.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Just curious. Why no mention of mooring fields? Very common around here and usually open ones for transients.

You say “very common around here” but we have no idea where here is. Your avatar mentions a city or town but unless one lives close to that town there’s 50 states and probably 125 countries on TF.

But it’s mostly the admin’s fault when they ask one to list the city where they live. They should ask for your state w city optional. Half the time I don’t know where the person I’m talking to lives.

Thanks for listening to me.
By the way I think “mooring fields” ... think that’s an east coast thing.

 

[Prhugret]

Anchor less than 30%

Anchor less than 30% as we have a dog to get ashore!

 

[backinblue]

Anchor more than marinas, but depends on where and why we are out. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

 

[backinblue]

Sheesh. Just call me a day sailor.

If you are on your boat and enjoying it, that counts. He who boats the most in a year wins the trophy for best value to dollar in the boat award.

I get your point, but not actually correct unless you factor in the price of the boat (e.g. $1M boat used 100 days vs. $10K boat used 50 days. Who wins?)

 

[Timshel]

On Eastern US river system, particularly Ohio and Tennessee Rivers and Tenn-Tom Waterway, 75% percent anchorage. We will go into a marina for a special restaurant, supplies, or to spend bad weather days doing laundry, but, mostly boat to enjoy being in nature.

 

[Timshel]

You can usually find good anchorages on the inland rivers in Eastern US. At times you may need to shorten or lengthen your travel time to take advantage of an anchorage. On the other hand, there are a few places where marinas are too far apart and a less than perfect anchorage is your only choice. I am speaking of traveling on a trawler at 8 miles an hour and preferably during daylight hours.

 

[FlyWright]

This past year since "15 days to slow the spread" (3/15/2020), I've spent 106 days aboard experiencing and exploring the California Delta with a 10 day break in the middle to tend to my car getting broken into at the marina and local BLM/Antifa riots that burned city hall and had me on curfew lockdown at my old urban marina. Of those 106 days, I spent 2 nights at a marinas to top off the batteries before I installed solar. All other nights were at anchor gunkholing in the Delta.

In my case, the essentials for extended anchoring are a capable dinghy, a sufficient electron management system (batteries, solar, genset, alternator(s), etc), adequate local support for water, pumpout and reprovisioning, adequate food storage and food prep capability and digital connectivity to enjoy the normal daily interactions I'd normally experience at home with family and friends.

I never feel like I'm camping aboard FlyWright since I have all the comforts of home. Almost every evening, I enjoy a dink cruise of the area and am often scurrying about in my dink during the day chasing fish or provisions and socializing. If it wasn't for my soon-to-be-ex-wife emptying my bank accounts in a stealthy start for her divorce plans in late July, I'd have stayed out there much longer enjoying the Delta.

 

[amapola]

> 97% at anchor.

 

[bcarli]

90% plus anchor...so many awesome places in the Pacific Northwest

 

[Long Island Boater]

We generally rely upon moorings over anchoring if possible. We find the average mooring where we cruise in CT, RI Ma to be $55 a night. The price is worth a good night sleep given the limited and short term cruising we currently do. Dockage at the same destinations is bit rich at $250/$300 per night.

 

[rsn48]

We generally rely upon moorings over anchoring if possible. We find the average mooring where we cruise in CT, RI Ma to be $55 a night. The price is worth a good night sleep

For many on the PNWET coast & coastal BC, the tendency is to trust the anchor more than the mooring. With a mooring, there is a certain level of trust on the installers and the equipment that may or may not be warranted. Most moorings I distrust but there are some I do, for example here close to Nanaimo BC there is a place called Newcastle, I trust those.

 

[Insearchof]

90 percent anchor. 10 percent moorings

 

[Duetto]

55% anchor, 40% mooring, 5% marina