Travel not to escape life but so life doesn’t escape you
Most years we cruise to dozens of different new bays, villages and towns and we enjoy most of them in their own way, but makes for a really special one?
Destinations fall into one of three categories – anchorages, town harbours and marinas. Wherever possible we opt for anchorages, even when there is a harbour wall to secure to or a marina nearby.
The reasons for this are:
Cost:
All marinas are fairly expensive at typically NZ$60-180 per night. While some harbours are free most charge something like half the lower end marina cost. When you’re cruising for months at a time you simply can’t afford to pay this cost more than you have to.
Mooring in a harbour is cheaper than a marina
Convenience:
It can take close to two hours to get into your berth, set up mooring lines, connect to shore power (if it works) and connect to water. In all marinas you then need to go to their office and show at least your passports, registration certificate and insurance policy and pay for your berth. In many cases you also need to go and visit the Port Police to show the same documents as well as the cruising log that most countries provide. This is less prevalent in harbours, but normally the authorities will come to find you. Leaving takes a lesser time, generally about an hour although longer if there is some complication such as another vessel’s anchor chain over yours (most harbours require you to anchor and then reverse in to the wall). In some destinations you need to visit the authorities on departure day as well, adding to the time. When at anchor there is rarely any obligation to visit authorities.
Coolness / Swimming:
There is more cooling breeze at anchor away from the shelter and concrete expanses of harbours and marinas. In the hot Med summers it’s great to be able to swim regularly and this is possible in most anchorages. Not so in marinas or harbours where it’s mostly not allowed and in any case dangerous due to the proximity of shore power and/or the water is too polluted.
When anchored it’s cooler, more private, easier and cheaper
Privacy:
You enjoy good privacy at anchor while in marinas and harbours you generally have a boat on each side with attendant noise and lack of privacy. Another factor is that many of the boats alongside you are charter boats with their crews on short holidays wanting to party all night.
Having said all of the above we choose to go into marinas and on harbour walls from time to time in cases where there is no safe anchorage, if extremely adverse weather is forecast, when we are meeting visitors, when we are doing repairs or sometimes simply to enjoy the atmosphere of special harbours.
Sometimes it’s nice to enjoy the atmosphere of quaint harbours – Envoy in Fiskhardo
What makes an anchorage special? A special anchorage must have a great “atmosphere” and this can be from stunning natural features, from a picturesque village or town or from a combination of the two. Also most important is good holding and security in all forecast winds while second best is an alternative bolt hole nearby. You want calm water with little wind chop or swell from the open sea making for a peaceful stay. Too may vessels spoil an otherwise good anchorage, particularly if there are water skiers, jet skis or ferries passing through the anchorage, often at dangerous speeds and in close proximity. It should also have unpolluted clear water for swimming.
What makes a marina or harbour special? Those really special spots are mostly adjacent to atmospheric historic villages or towns. Again, most important is security in all conditions – many small marinas and harbours are not suitable for all weather and can encounter waves breaking over sea walls and dangerous surges. Allied to this is having good quality lazy lines to secure your bow (your stern is secured using your own lines). You want access to good facilities such as shore power, fresh water, toilets, showers and provisions with friendly staff (marinaras) to assist.
