Is it that watching someone else do something wrong, or different than we would, or just something down right stupid that makes one feel slightly superior, smarter, or in some way justified? Sit on anchor someday and watch others come and try their hand at anchoring.

Take, for example, the time when we were anchored in Block Island, RI's jewel of a boating destination some sixteen miles off RI's coast.

 The town of New Shoreham, which takes up all of Block Island found that it's New Harbor could be a source of large amounts of cash by putting in a mooring field and charging outlandish fees for overnight rental of those moorings. It left precious little space for those of us that preferred, or were sufficiently cheap enough, to anchor our boats.

I had found a good place to anchor providing I used two anchors as the winds had a way of increasing to gale force and in changing directions during many if not most nights at about three AM if memory serves me right. Our friends on Shadow, a C + C thirty five were rafted alongside and cocktails and hors d'ouvres were being consumed along with some hardy sea tales being discussed. And then here they came! A C + C forty footer was steaming through the mooring field at a high (too high) rate of speed directly at us. On the fore deck was a fellow with an anchor in hand and a pile of anchor rode at his feet. When they got close, too close for my liking, he threw as best he could the anchor off to the side and headed for their own cocktail party already in progress in their cockpit. Directly all the line paid out. The anchor grabbed the bottom and the forty footer pivoted to a abrupt halt sending the anchor tosser flying into the lap of his crewmate. "Good on ya mate" seemed to be the prevailing attitude of their crew who were now our close neighbors. I'd never seen that particular anchoring maneuver before but I had to admit that it seemed to work. That is until three o'clock in the morning when the wind shifted. I was wakened by voices very near by and the thumping or their hull against mine. I went topsides to find two of their crew trying to fend off. The crew of the C + C were four guys (?) with these two dressed in only their bikini briefs. Rosalind from Shadow was up and about, red faced I think and offering various opinions on how to fix the situation. I instructed them to take up about fifty feet of scope, let their boat swing past my anchor rodes and then let out their rode again. It worked and we all went back to bed. I heard them haul anchor at about five AM and happily they were gone.

There are several morals to this story. 1) Learn how to anchor properly. If you want a lesson, just ask some "old salt". He'll be glad to give you a free lesson, one which will make him feel safe when you anchor near him. 2) Be considerate of those anchored near you. 3) Bring a gun in case you run into those four guys on their forty foot C + C.