Poll: Anchor vs. Marinas

[Datenight]

Why embarrassed? I have a friend who is 100% marinas when not at their home dock. They like to plug in and also like to get off the boat and walk or bike. We tend to like anchoring more, but there is no winner here, just different ways to enjoy boating. Sitting and reading and doing nothing all day is heaven for some, but drives others crazy. Do what you like best. It's more important that you are out boating than how exactly you do it!

Backinblue,

I think that is a wonderful, kind and positive answer. We could use a lot more of that attitude in this world.

Rob

 

[caltexflanc]

Why embarrassed? I have a friend who is 100% marinas when not at their home dock. They like to plug in and also like to get off the boat and walk or bike. We tend to like anchoring more, but there is no winner here, just different ways to enjoy boating. Sitting and reading and doing nothing all day is heaven for some, but drives others crazy. Do what you like best. It's more important that you are out boating than how exactly you do it!

Very well put.

It's pleasure boating; do what gives you pleasure.

 

[Crusty Chief]

For us, it depends on where you are on this big blue marble. when we were up in the PNW, anchorage was so great. For the most part they were calm bays, very isolated and calm protected spots to drop the hook. Now that we are in the lower latitudes, currently at 9 degrees about to cross over into 8, you have more open roadstead anchorage. Dealing with swell and wind at anchorage can make for a uncomfortable nights sleep, and on long runs of 30-40 hours to get from point A to Point B, I need sleep and not worry about dragging the ground tackle.
Anyway, a long way around the issue, but up north about 60% was on the hook, down here its probably 20-25% on the hook. This is just how we roll, LOL!

 

[Seevee]

Us Americans aren't quite as heat tolerant. And in a lot of areas, when it's really hot, it's also often really humid. And in many areas, there's not much wind on a lot of those really hot days, so without A/C, the boat just doesn't cool down when the sun drops, leading to hot, sticky sleeping conditions.

And for that reason, AC is an absolute must on a boat. In the southeast one faces this kind of weather for 4 to 6 months almost non stop.



Even up north, there's a fair amount of time with warm and humid evenings that AC is just not an option.


As for anchoring/marinas I'm with the crowd and prefer the anchor to the marina.... especially on a longer trip with a lot of stops. For a "destination" trip over several days/weeks the marina at the end can be handy for gatherings, restocking and exploring by bike so that's the choice.