A typical weekend day in No Name Harbor, FL |
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We awoke to a serene setting of about twenty boats at anchor in No Name Harbor. The wind change during the night has swung our boat close to the bulkhead and we were concerned that it was blocking the fairway we had traveled through yesterday. We were very close to the sea will where many smaller local boats had been tied up yesterday to visit the park and the local restaurant. We were also closer to a sail boat than we thought safe. Looking over the area in the light of day we decided to move to a different spot where we would have more room for the boat to swing in the wind. We ended up providing the morning entertainment for the anchorage. No matter where we dropped the hook there were either real or perceived problems. First we dropped to close to boat that was reported to be using two anchors. We pulled the anchor up and moved back away from the boat. After several attempts the anchor finally set and we were able to relax. We put out about sixty five feet of anchor line to match the sail boat on our right. We were well behind a catamaran on our left. At about eleven thirty we finally had our breakfast. Joe had some concern that the alternator was not working properly since the new battery installation. He went below to diagnose the problem and first found a corroded and burnt fitting on the cable from the alternator to battery - the problem. The captain of a nearby sailboat advised that the #6 cable used was too small for the 150 amp alternator. Joe consulted onboard textbooks and found the #6 cable was marginal, and considering the high temperature within the engine room a larger cable should be used. With cables unplugged we could not start the engine. It was the perfect time for our neighbor on the right to come for a visit to tell Joe that his sail boat had a seven foot keel and the wind was going to be changing which would cause our anchor line to be caught on his keel. Joe thanked him for the heads up and told him we would move the anchor as soon as the finished the project in the engine room. I was watching as more and more local boats come into the harbor. They tied up to the sea wall and many found a spot to drop anchor. I was anxious that the spot where we needed to move our anchor might be taken before Joe finished his project. We were fortunate however as Joe completed his task and we moved our anchor back some more to give the sailboat clearance to swing without our line being in the way. Now our other issue is that we marked the spot where our anchor is with a float which incoming boats totally ignored. One almost ran over it before someone called out and to the driver of the boat. The next was a small catamaran with an outboard on back which drove over the float. Had we not called out I am sure the line would have fouled his propeller. He managed to back away for the float even though it was between the pods of the catamaran. Finally a huge cruiser came through snagged the float and its line and disengaged the anchor pulling it about forty feet. Joe and I quickly acted. He turned on the engine and I proceeded to pull in whatever was left of the anchor line using the windless. I though for sure we had lost the anchor and its twenty foot chain. Luck for us it was still there. The captain/driver of said offending boat just drove away and left the area. We dropped the anchor again, this time right behind the sail boat. The float was still in tact. After a few more near misses of the float by boats still moving through the anchorages our fellow boaters suggested we take the float off as it was most likely it would be snagged again. We did so and had no more incidences for the few remainder of the day. As the day progressed the wind changed and became quite brisk. We were visitors in a local park anchorage and clearly the local boaters considered this their territory. They were doing their thing on their turf or water. Boating under these conditions clearly is not fun or relaxing. It is an accident waiting to happen. I noticed the other boaters who were anchored with us this morning did not leave their boat during the day. They stayed to protect their boats. I hope I never find myself in a congested anchorage such as this again. The day ended and all the day trippers went home. It was finally time to relax. The wind was still blowing hard as we sat down to dinner on the boat. At this point we have not decided to stay here a few more days or not. We were told by others we had met during the day that week days here were quite nice. Joe needs to get to a West Marine and there is one in Miami which he can get to via the local bus service. We will decide what to do about that tomorrow. |