Proper etiquette when anchored out

mrsrobinson

Well-Known Member
Mar 9, 2006
7,704
Virginia
Boat Info
2001 380DA
Engines
Caterpillar 3126
We have never anchored out that much with the previous boats. With the 380 we want to more. We did a couple of weekends ago, in an amazing spot, that is popular. We were enjoying the peace and quiet until...

At 27 seconds in this video you see two boats that rafted up behind us, you can hear them as well:
They were enjoying music and conversation, nothing crazy IMO, but we could hear all of it. We could follow their conversations. I wanted to listen to our music but my GF felt bad and said not to in case others could hear ours. We decided to not spend the night for various reasons, one of them was them.

Again, they were not partying or acting crazy, sounded like good friends having good conversation and listening to music, so we did not say anything.

I can imagine on a beautiful warmer weather weekend it could get crazy in this spot though. What is the etiquette when anchoring out, especially overnight? And what's the respectful/best way to handle a situation where it gets to be too much noise?


Thanks
 
I don't see your problem. You are in a perfect spot and the other boats are quite far away.

Where we live on a summer Sunday the boats can be so thick that they are a mere 4 feet away.

Turn up your music and ignore them.
 
Didn't say there was a problem. I'm asking what's the etiquette and how to handle it should there be one.
 
Etiquette can be rare in party type coves. Sounds like you weren’t in a party cove though. Up here most boaters coves are like what you described. People play music but only loud enough that if you turn on yours you don’t hear theirs.

morning etiquette is you don’t fire up generators early in the AM. Wait till you see people start to wake up. And never run your dinghy in a cove above no wake speeds.
 
It’s generally not polite to show up to a spot where people are quiet and then start making noise, so you would have been fine turning on some music to not be part of their conversations.
At the marina I’m at, the etiquette with music seems to be to play one song really loud and then be quiet for a while. I’m not exactly sure if that’s actually the etiquette or just two neighbours having a pissing contest but it’s so much less annoying when you know it’s going to end in a few mins and if it’s not a rule, it should be lol
 
Nice, is that you/your boat?
Mrs R, yes, that's me on our 550DB. We overnighted about 15 nights a summer. Loved every one of them.
P1010099.jpg
 
People at anchorage around here tend to be pretty quiet. Of course there can always be the occasional "it's all about me" group, same as anywhere. If they are close enough we cast them a few "you stupid" looks, and if that doesn't work we either pick up anchor and move on, or try to outlast them. It's a peculiar thing, but I find the noisier folks tend to move on after a while, probably seeking someone else to impress with their musical genius and $2000 speakers.

I know I'll ruffle some feathers here, but what is the point of making all the effort to "get away" only to bring all your noise with you in the form of a mega-watt stereo?

As for etiquette, the best you can do is try not to be "that guy". A few rules I try to follow;

- don't run the generator when others may be sleeping
- don't presume that everyone else shares or cares about your taste in music.
- speak only loud enough to be heard by the intended listener.
- Follow the anchoring pattern of other boats in the anchorage.
- Keep a respectable distance from other boats
- Only ogle the bikini babes if you are wearing sun-glasses
 
People at anchorage around here tend to be pretty quiet. Of course there can always be the occasional "it's all about me" group, same as anywhere. If they are close enough we cast them a few "you stupid" looks, and if that doesn't work we either pick up anchor and move on, or try to outlast them. It's a peculiar thing, but I find the noisier folks tend to move on after a while, probably seeking someone else to impress with their musical genius and $2000 speakers.

I know I'll ruffle some feathers here, but what is the point of making all the effort to "get away" only to bring all your noise with you in the form of a mega-watt stereo?

As for etiquette, the best you can do is try not to be "that guy". A few rules I try to follow;

- don't run the generator when others may be sleeping
- don't presume that everyone else shares or cares about your taste in music.
- speak only loud enough to be heard by the intended listener.
- Follow the anchoring pattern of other boats in the anchorage.
- Keep a respectable distance from other boats
- Only ogle the bikini babes if you are wearing sun-glasses
+1 on these points of etiquette, got about everything covered IMHO.
In your video, I felt the boats were OK, it’s tough sometimes on crowded waterways to really be very private. I would have put my music on, low enough in volume to demonstrate ‘how it should be done’ to show respect. When we’ve been on the hook and and our shows of respect are not retuned, we simply find another place to anchor….that situation is not worth getting into a pissing contest!
 
On a dead calm day like that, sound can travel an amazing distance with voices still heard very clearly. You might see this early in the morning or maybe later at night - or on grey days. Often, in the Summer, once the sun fully comes up the wind will pick up a bit along with a slight chop. Both of those things cut down on how well/far the sound travels and it will be less of an issue. But as others have said, just being mindful of your voice/music is the key.
 
It's like people on a dinghy trying to talk to each other, they can't each other but you can hear them clear as day.

As for etiquette, that's the ability to stay away from everyone and not be in the middle of it all. I always choose and anchorage spot that is on the outskirts of any area. But what you describe is the best of most situations on the water while at anchor, unless you choose a spot that no one really goes.
 
Didn't say there was a problem. I'm asking what's the etiquette and how to handle it should there be one.
Today society in general is a pretty sorry mess. It's all about me and I don't care whatever you say, I'll do as I want. Covid has exacerbated the issue.

So, I would have to say there is NO etiquette because people will do as they want.

At a marina its up to the owners to set the rules. On anchor out in the open there are no rules. Of course, common sense and common courtesy should bne followed, but you know how that goes.

So, what to do? Move, accost the rude people or put up with it.
 
I made it a practice to never complain to an anchored boat owner about his noise. Remember in 100 anchored boats, there will be about 2 who will be courteous enough to accomodate you….the other 98 will be so full of beer or liquor you are talking to Capt. Budwiser or Jack Daniels and it isn't going to do a bit of good but get you into a shouting match.

My practice was to avoid the Party Cove or beach in the first place or move. Luckily, we had a 12 mile barrier island with lots of anchoring spots to choose from. Several were inside grass flats that you had to enter from parallel to the beach. If you tried to enter directly from off-shore, you better have a SeaTow to TowBoat/US card……'cause I can't get to you to drag you off the sand bar.
 
In general, it seems like what is said before 2% of people are courteous when you get to popular areas. I find a small percentage of boaters really follow etiquette. It is annoying when you are sound asleep and someone anchors nearby after midnight and cranks music... I assume they are drunk and armed... I am someone often up at 5 AM - I usually wait on the generator until a fair time to start it - unless they keep me up over night. I think in general conversation and moderate music is fair and to be expected.
 
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