Ayla’s Voyage Blog

Hi All! Ayla, here! After visiting a couple of my favorite websites, I got the idea to do some “fun lists” related to boating life. This fun list is “The Top Ten Reasons Why Anchoring is AWESOME!”

We only recently began cruising again, and it has been GREAT! It is so wonderful, now, to hear the rush of the waves under the hull and the strain of the stabilizers as the boat rocks and rolls in the brilliant waves. Even the constant static of the radio and the thrill that runs through you every time you realize you forgot to secure your bookshelf (Whoops, there goes Order of the Phoenix crashing on top of that flower vase) is fantastic. It feels wonderfully familiar in that it never gets old.

One of the best parts of cruising (besides getting to write blogs!) is anchoring! The feeling of dropping the hook at night and floating on a sea of liquid air is beyond anything I can describe. Hopefully these ten reasons why the crew of Three@Sea loves to anchor will help explain.

1. Scenery: When you anchor, the scenery is ALWAYS new, and always something exciting. We have seen so much diverse scenery when anchored. In a marina, it usually looks the same. You know…docks. Out at anchor, its usually just you as an observer in some wilderness setting. We’ve anchored lots of places from the deserted beach with the swimming pigs, or the sloping pink granite and amber water of the North Channel. Even if its not particularly pretty, it usually has something of interest. A few nights ago we were in front of a Nuclear Power Plant which freaked me out at first, but then I decided to do some research and ended up learning a lot of new things about nuclear power. Wherever you are, the scenery is definitely one of the highlights of anchoring.
2. Conversation: It’s amazing how stimulated for conversation you feel when out at anchor. I mean, seriously. Every night, you sit down to a delicious home-cooked meal, and the family talks. We may sit there for hours talking about everything from current events and politics to school to futures and travel to philosophy and deep space. Everyone always has well-thought opinions and deeper topics to discuss and share. Because you need to conserve power, you turn off the TV and Wii and computers and all those other distractions. It’s a funny thing, but that whole dynamic is just something we’ve found you can’t achieve on the dock. I think its part of the connection that you feel out there; the entire family just feels connected, together, and closer…like that anchor in the water anchors you together too.
3. Star Gazing: For an aspiring Astronomer who loves to look up at the sky, the star gazing out at anchor is unbelievable. Most nights, we are far, far away from any light pollution (except my dad’s mega anchor light) and the stars are clearer than day. Most nights, you can even see the cloud of the Milky Way arching overhead. Even with just a pair of our binoculars, the sky opens up a whole new realm. You can see the moons of Jupiter and the craters on the face of the moon, and clusters and constellations otherwise covered up by light pollution. It’s amazing.
4. Community: Out in an anchorage or mooring field, the community is really, really strong. People are excited and willing to help you, and always are open to come over or invite you over for Happy Hour or a potluck on the beach. Anchorages instantly form a bond, where everybody gets on the radio and might decide a spontaneous BYOB on the beach, or coordinate a trivia contest, or create a kayak race. Because your options are free and the world is yours out at anchor, the community feels bonded and is ready to have fun at any point.
5. 

   Swimming in the Bahamas

   Sports: Although at a dock you can hop off the boat and go biking and running, being out at anchor is a ton of fun for sports too. For one, you can get the kayak down and easily go for a paddle around to say hi to other boats or just to explore small spaces and exercise your arms. Also, it leaves the swim platform free and you are away from dirty marina water, so swimming off the boat to play, do laps, clean the hull, or just be refreshed is a perfect option. When out at anchor, a ton of water sports and activities open up to you.

6. Easy: Honestly, I truly do not mean to sound lazy, but anchoring is really easy and more laid back. Look at it; when you come into a marina, you’ve got to lower fenders, get lines out, get the power line out (which weighs a ton, trust me) and often there is quite a bit of activity as you maneuver into tiny slips. Even after you are docked, it takes another hour to get totally comfortable as you must connect the power, adjust and secure lines, check in, and usually some other marina-specific tasks. When you go out to anchor, you pull in, test the bottom, drop the hook, back down on it, and you’re done! Once the chain is taught and you’ve hooked on the snubber, you’re done! You turn off the engine and head up for Happy Hour. The same with leaving. Anchoring is more laid back because you have no confinements (unless you may run aground, then we’ve picked a poor anchorage).
7. Sleeping: Gosh, look at me. Two articles about easiness and sleeping next to each other. Sorry! But in all
   

   Camping out on the Boat Deck.

   seriousness, the sleeping out at anchor is GREAT. There are no bright lights or the hum of civilization to grate on your ears, but rather the quiet lap of the waves on the hull, the clanking of the anchor chain, and the whoosh of the wind. These may sound like constant and disturbing noises, but in truth they act like a lullaby, drifting you into sleep at night. At anchor, you can also sleep outside. It is an absolutely amazing sensation, to rock on the hammock under the stars, no worries or concerns or crazy parties in the slip across from yours. Also, even in a calm anchorage, there is always motion. It seems like you might get sea sick, but in fact its the opposite. At night in bed, you get rocked to sleep by the gentle waves.

8. Safety: Even though marinas and such are safe too, there is an incredible sense of confidence when you are floating on the hook. Its like nothing can hurt you. You just feel so…secure all the time and like its just you alone with earth and the world out there. The worries of docks and cities fade into black, and you just float there safe and sound.
9. 

   Me, Dad, and Dilly during Happy Hour

   HAPPY HOUR!: Yeah, yeah, I know I’m 13…but for every cruising kid, the words Happy Hour bring an instant smile to our faces. Its that time of day when work and school and business just stop…you pull together a delicious appetizer using the creativeness of your mind and the random items in your fridge, then mix the drinks (or grab a lemonade) and head on up to the flybridge. You watch the sunset…talk as a family…and simply take time to enjoy the view and decompress from the day. It is a feeling, once again, that cannot be totally replicated on the dock. Sometimes, the horizon is clear and you can see the green flash, but any way it is, the sunset out at anchor is something not to be missed.

10. Tranquility: Peace and beauty can be found best when you simply float out in the middle of a cove, rocking gently in the waves and gazing up at the stars. It is moments when the modern world drifts away, and you are alone out there that you can take a deep breath and look at the world with a clear mind. It is out at anchor when you think thoughts about the mysteries of the universe and space, and wonder if you can find the answers. Its where your heart is light and airy, and your mind is sharp and focused, and your body is active and strong. You feel as if you have no confinements…you don’t see the wooden slats of the dock when you look out your window, but rather never-ending sea. Perhaps this sounds corny, but I promise you that when anchored out, you are happy, secure, connected, and at peace with the world and its people.

Are there cons? Yeah, sure. The mud on the anchor, the wet ride in the dingy, the sound of the bow thruster every morning when I wake up…but in entire honesty it is all worth it, and I wouldn’t trade a single moment.

So yes! Anchoring is the crew of Three@Sea’s favorite thing to do on the boat. I’ll be trying my best to get caught up with blogging and post some fun things on here, so thanks for reading, and See you Around the Seas!