Save the Sailors

RoyS

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Jun 3, 2012
1,739
Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA
Going to miss this marina. Another possible factor is that around here all the sailboaters are old, men and boats, and possibly cranky. Save the Sailors!
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
That is weird. It must be for the bigger higher spending power boats. New England, coastal Maine especially, sailboats are predominant in most harbors. I hope you find space in a more sailing friendly harbor.
Awesome... but he said marina. That's a mooring field. I don't think I've ever seen a powerboat on a mooring. Too much trouble for the power guys! ;^)
 
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Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
There really is a cultural divide the most are not even aware exists. I would not be surprised if there is some subliminal bias going on as well.

For example, last evening I took my boat out for a sail, it was about 90 min. before dusk. There was a gentle but steady 3 mph breeze. I slacked my outhaul and main halyard, sat to leeward to induce a small heel and I ghosted along at about 2 mph. I was nearly the only person on the lake.... except for this guy and gal in a big blue bayliner. I must have been an attractive site because they passed near three times and circled in front of my bow to wave. I totally understand where the expression "knocked the wind out of my sails" comes from. :mad:

I'm sure they thought they were being friendly by passing close and waiving and they had no clue that they were essentially shutting off my "engine". It was frustrating to say the least.

I'm sure it goes the other way sometimes too. For instance, I regularly see sailors at the marina who want to stretch their anchor rode out and get the twist out....and do so by running it the entire length of the pier. I've never seen a power boater do that. I'm sure it annoys the weekenders who just want to take the kids tubeing. Likewise with folding sails.
 
Mar 29, 2017
576
Hunter 30t 9805 littlecreek
I don't understand why power boats always have to pass on your bow. Always no matter how fast or where u going. Even when I turn up into them they hard turn across bow. Why
 
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Oct 26, 2008
6,044
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
I don't understand why power boats always have to pass on your bow. Always no matter how fast or where u going. Even when I turn up into them they hard turn across bow. Why
It's that urge to use the throttle to pass. We do it in our cars, don't we? It has something to do with the throttle that is just in our genes. Do you speed up to merge ahead of the guy in your lane or do you brake to fall in behind when you are getting on the highway? Almost always, I step on the gas to merge in front of, not behind that driver in the lane. :cool: I can't stand it if I fall in behind and then the car in front of me is slow, so it's better simply to speed up and get in front. If the guy then has to pass me because I'm too slow, so be it! ;)

So that guy with the throttle in the power boat simply has to pass in front of you. It's human nature. Do you think he is going to slink by behind you? Not a chance! When we don't have a gas pedal or power throttle, we lose that gene. :confused:
 
Oct 30, 2017
183
Catalina c 27 Lake Pueblo
our marina does not even offer specific services for sailboats.
The guy we bought our boat off of was their sailboat "tech" he is gone now and they have not replaced him.

everyone relies on help from each other... at least that's what I do. :)
if I don't know what im doing, I ask for advice and everyone has been great. I want to learn it anyway, so I am not looking to have someone do it for me....


not cheap (well ok sometimes ;)), I just want to know how to fix it so if it happens somewhere away from home I am good to go.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
...everyone relies on help from each other... .
So... you just reminded me of something that I should post to this forum. A very cool way to raise the stick.

At my new-2-me marina, there are exactly 19 sailboats. For some reason they have us all stacked together near the ends of the piers and the marina itself makes most of its money storing and selling power boats. They are nice enough to us sailor but they do not offer any services. So a guy brings his Cal27 up from Florida after having it there for the winter and parks it in the slip next to mine. His mast is still down and laying fore-and-aft across his bow and stern rails.

So I ask him if there is a marina in the area with a crane. He says "no I'll just get these two guys to help me" as he points to two other sailboats near our end of the pier. I'm like "WHAT?! Are they Olympic weight lifters?" He laughs at me and says that they will bring their two boats aside of his and using their halyards, they will lift his mast up and he will step it on deck.

Well it worked. I wish I had thought to film that on my phone and post it. They did this ON THE WATER in what was essentially a raft up. One of the lift-boats was tied to the end of the pier with both the bow and stern cleat secured, the boat getting the lift was rafted to the first boat fore-aft and the third boat was rafted to the middle boat. They secured the halyards of the two lift boats just above the spreaders of the middle boat's mast and then using the winches they simply lifted it up. Two people guided the bottom of the mast forward and placed it in the mast step, then they went around and secured all of the stays. Easy peasy and very impressive to watch. They made it look easy and ... and I watched expecting something to go wrong but it didn't.
 
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Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
For some reason they have us all stacked together near the ends of the piers and the marina itself makes most of its money storing and selling power boats
A sailor's ghetto! Be happy you're near the other sailors.

My guess is the powerboaters complained about having to walk out so far on the dock.
 
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Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
A sailor's ghetto! Be happy you're near the other sailors.

My guess is the powerboaters complained about having to walk out so far on the dock.
Speaking of ghetto! I do see a few abandoned sailboats at every marina I have ever used. It is always a sad sight, next down the food chain are the neglected houseboats you see at marinas. As a proportion I would say that it is more common to see a neglected houseboat than any other type of boat... luckily their just aren't that many houseboats out there. At my current marina there is one houseboat that has one of its pontoons flooded and is listing dangerously close to a capsize. It threatens to bring the entire dock down with it. Next is the neglected "party barge" and last on the list is the neglected speed boat. You just don't see that many (proportionally speaking) neglected speed boats. So I can really understand why some marina owners might shun the sailboats.

At my current marina, all of the houseboats are on the outer most pier and are constantly pounded by wake. I can't imagine it would be much fun to hang out on those boats while tied up. The blue circle are the houseboats

upload_2019-6-4_14-14-50.png
 
Oct 30, 2017
183
Catalina c 27 Lake Pueblo
there apparently are also regional differences.

being in Landlocked Colorado our marina is probably 25-30% house boats. Oh and its a State Park so you are not supposed to truly be a liveaboard.

next are the bigger power boats (not trawlers) these are where people sleep then they take out their wakeboard boats.

we do have a decent amount of sailboats but probably less than 10%.


ironically the 2 boats on either side of ours are both abandoned power boats. One of the owners has not been seen in 5 years, the other in over a year and a half. The credit cards on file still work so the marina does not touch them. Both look horrible. even the birds are afraid of the spiders on those boats.
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
There is a more focused motorboat culture in Southern New England. We rarely stay in marina's mostly because of the lack of privacy. One we stayed in last season was in Sandwich Ma. on the Cape Cod Canal.

I recall a handful of sailboats scattered among hundreds of Mobos. Makes sense: From here, with 20 knot speed potential, you can head out of the canal to Provincetown and endless beaches, Boston, etc,... or head through the canal with less regard to the tidal currents and hit Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, etc, all on a Saturday and return that night or the next day. You can't do that in a sailboat.

I count 3 sticks from our overnight dock:
Sandwich Marina Ma._.jpg


OP's unfair treatment of aside, would you want to be a sailor -full time- in a Mobo marina? People enjoy the social aspect of keeping their boat in a marina (I suppose). What do you talk about at the Friday Barbie get-together? Go into detail on your 5 hour sail to Provincetown to the guy who just went there and back, for a beer today?

We were close to the fuel dock which was very busy. Who doesn't love the nervous throttling roar of a cigarette boat on a hot August afternoon?
Crime Pays Sandwich Ma._.jpg
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
The name of his boat says all I need to know....
 

ToddS

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Sep 11, 2017
248
Beneteau 373 Cape Cod
The name of his boat says all I need to know....
We keep our sailboat in Buzzard's bay... not too far from the other end of the canal where that picture was taken... quiet residential harbor with no services (no water, no fuel, no nothing... just moorings and a town-maintained dinghy dock)... lots of sailboat there, but we do see that "CRIME PAYS" guy come by from time to time on his way to Kingman's Marina to presumably use their fuel dock and bartender. I have zero desire to be at a slip instead of a mooring... I have zero desire to be at a busy marina instead of a quiet harbor... and I have zero desire to get any closer than necessary to the (presumably) criminal defense lawyer speeding around on that boat.
 
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