When I arrived in Moorea, in French Polynesia, we found a wonderful anchorage in Cook's Bay. This was a huge bay that could have easily accommodated a couple of dozen boats, but fortunately, we had it all to ourselves. Swimming, sunbathing and spearfishing; it was paradise.
One afternoon an American boat came into the bay and dropped his anchor no more than 50 feet from our bow (I had 150' out). I was flabbergasted! He could have anchored ANYWHERE in that bay and had plenty of privacy and swinging room. Yet he chose to anchor so close that within an hour he had nearly hit us and had to move, anyway. Was he lonely? Indeed times have changed, but this was 1972 and crowded anchorages in the SoPac islands, had not yet been invented.
Today, in the Caribbean, any form of anchoring etiquette seems to be nonexistent, as even the obvious, experienced cruisers, will drop their anchor wherever they think they can squeeze in. Bareboaters are a common danger and the professionally operated charter boats act like they are the only ones who should be in the anchorage.
As we run a generator several hours daily, we anchor downwind of the pack, whenever possible, but if you anchor aft of me, don't complain about my gene; just what do you think that second, smaller exhaust on my transom is for?
One afternoon an American boat came into the bay and dropped his anchor no more than 50 feet from our bow (I had 150' out). I was flabbergasted! He could have anchored ANYWHERE in that bay and had plenty of privacy and swinging room. Yet he chose to anchor so close that within an hour he had nearly hit us and had to move, anyway. Was he lonely? Indeed times have changed, but this was 1972 and crowded anchorages in the SoPac islands, had not yet been invented.
Today, in the Caribbean, any form of anchoring etiquette seems to be nonexistent, as even the obvious, experienced cruisers, will drop their anchor wherever they think they can squeeze in. Bareboaters are a common danger and the professionally operated charter boats act like they are the only ones who should be in the anchorage.
As we run a generator several hours daily, we anchor downwind of the pack, whenever possible, but if you anchor aft of me, don't complain about my gene; just what do you think that second, smaller exhaust on my transom is for?
