What are your thoughts about anchoring in less than ideal locations while expensive mooring fields in the safest and most comfortable areas of the harbor sit empty? On one hand, I've really enjoyed tying to a mooring ball where the holding and depth are questionable for anchoring, when a harbor is crowded, and the costs are reasonable. On the other hand, I really struggle with what I'm seeing as anchorages being overtaken by mooring fields, with fees which rival many land-based resorts. What used to be really safe, calm, and accessible locations are now filled with mooring balls. Now, I can understand mooring balls actually allow for more boats to get into a harbor, I get that. What I struggle with is the price which is quickly becoming normal for picking up a mooring ball and then banning anchoring. What I've experienced are the anchorages which remain are generally the worst places to be within a harbor. The places with the most swell or exposed to the wind. As a sailor, I can deal with these conditions. What are your thoughts when you anchor out while a mooring field sits with empty moorings?

We sailed through the cape cod canal and anchored just on the other side. We caught the current and made it through super quick.

We sailed from Boston, MA to Sandwich, MA. It was an absolutely beautiful day.

We left our safe haven in Portsmouth, NH to head to Boston, MA. The route we sailed was much farther out from shore than we had originally planned because even though the hurricane was past us the sea was still being affected. We saw massive waves crashing into the shoreline for most of this trip. The water was turbulent, and the wind was 20+ knots. It wasn’t the most comfortable trip, but we made it to Boston right after sunset.

We left the mooring ball at Portsmouth after swimming under the boat to check the bottom and propeller. The harbor was calm compared to the large, rolling waves we encountered which were remnants of Hurricane Erin. We motored into the wind until we reached the point at Gloucester and able to sail on a close haul/close reach to Boston. Saw several pods of dolphins and a sunfish along the way. We later learned of a sailboat thrown onto the rocks at York, ME in the same day and just North of our position.

We woke up extra early on this day to get the heck out of here. It wasn’t all that bad unless you were counting what should be an illegal amount of lobster pots in a perfectly good anchorage, but I digress. We thought this place would be a good spot to wait out hurricane Erin, but right after we pulled in the night before we knew that wasn’t going to be the case. So, before we had to start work for the day, we pulled up the anchor and headed to Portsmouth, NH in the hopes that it would be a more protected spot to wait for the hurricane to pass. Thankfully it was a great place, and the hurricane didn’t cause us any issues. What I learned from this experience was that even being this far north doesn’t mean you are in the clear for hurricane season, as I naively thought. It’s important to plan ahead, do your research, and trust your gut.

After showman the night on anchor at Stage Island, we decided it was not the place to shelter from the coming hurricane. We left early in the morning and headed to Portsmouth, NH which was much better protected.

Left Wood Island Harbor with a good wind on the beam. Sailed to Stage Island to wait out the passing Hurricane Erin. Lots of lobster pots and ultimately not comfortable with the anchorage.